Tom,

Thanks to Larry and Avery Johnson, who did my CV repacking with me (actually,
Larry did most of the work for only food and drink [and he even brought some
beer]), I have a bit of experience.

* When you clean the CV joints, DO NOT let the balls come out.  Otherwise,
you've got a grimy puzzle on your hands.

* Wear old clothing and use old cardboard under the vehicle.  Expect to throw
away the clothing.

* We used cheap kerosene to get the old grease off.

* It's easier if you have a person helping you to step on the brake after you
rotate the wheel to the right position for wrenching.  Avery has the improved
thigh-muscles from pumping the brakes to prove it.  ;-)

* Label everything as it comes off the van.  You want to put them back the same
way.

* Some older CVs had regular hex fittings, not the 12 point.  Make sure you
check them all.  It sucks to have all but one off and then not have the right
tool to the get last one off.

-Karl

> Listees,
>
> I'm about to replace the torn CV boot on my 83.5 Westy.  It along, with
> the clutch master cylinder failed, coincidentally, at the time of my stay
> in the the cold weather of Banff. The clutch is back in biz, thanks to
> Alistair in BC and Jim in New Mexico.
>
> I have the four manuals, Bentley, Haynes, Russek and Chilton, which all
> address the messy process in minute detail , BUT the tips and caveats of
> the learned and the experienced always help.
>
> I do have the 12-point key, which I've tested.
>
> Regards,
>
> Tom Hanlon
> Palm Springs, CA
> 83.5 Westfalia
>

Karl and Kristina Bloss, Trexlertown, PA
'87 Westfalia Weekender  "Beverley" - 189K miles
http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/
PA/NJ Vanagon owner's mailing list: http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/pavanagon/