Another CV shaft?

[olstoro]

I live in Wisconsin and we got over a foot of snow yesterday!
I was driving my 91 Caravan CV and it got stuck, i gave it some gas (not too much)
and the driver side cv shaft tore apart at the joint. The previous owner said it was
purchased from nappa only a few months ago!
I went to checker auto parts and purchased a new one and installed it. I drove about
10 blocks and pulled to the side to let another van pass and as i straightened the wheel out
I heard the same grinding noise and it wouldnt go forward.... only reverse!
I ended up driving it in reverse the rest of the way home and put it in gear got out and
looked under it and the cv shaft snapped at the joint again!
Could someone please tell me what is causing this before i replace it again?
This is the fourth one i have installed into a vehicle and never had a problem like this!
Oh yeah... I just jacked the vehicle up started it and put it in gear and only the driver side spins!
the passanger side spins freely! is the passanger side suppose to kick in after a certain rpm?
Thank you

[RickMN]

If the inner joint isn't properly seated--snap ring popped in all the way, the whole axle stick out a bit too far and puts all the stress on the outer joint. That will rip it apart in turns. Sometimes it's difficult to get the inner joint to snap in place. But if it isn't, this is what can happen.

[olstoro]

Well i went and got another cv shaft and the first one had no snap ring on it, the second and third on also did not which suprised me! I asked three stores where i could get one... no one had any. I talked to the guy at Carquest and he pulled 2 remanufactured and one new one that were all sealed in packages and none of them had the ring!
I was looking under the boot of second cv that broke and there is a spring inside that i think is suppose to hold it into the tranny!
Can someone back up my theory or tell me im wrong!

[RickMN]

I just want to make sure we're talking about the same parts though before I give you my take on this. When you say you found a spring inside the joint, are you talking about the inner joint? That joint is supposed to have a spring in it. Is that the joint that's coming apart?

Two things come to mind:

First, you can't just pop shaft in without measuring and making adjustments. You measure from the inner edge of the outer boot to the inner edge of the inner boot. Got that? Start at the edge of the outer boot closest to the transmission and then measure to the edge of the inner boot closest to the transmission. The measuring is done with the shaft installed and with the vehicle on the ground or on a platform lift--the wheels cannot be dangling. The factory specs are 20.5-20.9 inches for the right side and 9.0-9.4 inches for the left side. If the distance isn't right, you have to MOVE THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION. Yes, you heard me right. Support the engine with a floor jack and loosen the front engine brackets and front crossmember bolts. Then, using a pry bar, pry the engine right or left to get the right lengths. Then tighten the bolts to spec.

Second, check the engine and transmission mounts. Somewhere back in my fading memory I recall something about a bad rear transmission mount causing this kind of repeat failure. Check to see if it's still in one piece.

[olstoro]

Rick,
Thanks for all of your knowledge on this subject!
Yes the inner joint is the one that failed on me and thats the one with the spring in it! All the measuring and adjusting sounds like a couple more hours of work but i guess it's worth it!
I will go over all the mounts first!

[acton mike]

if the inner joint is separating internally as opposed to it pulling out from the final drive then I suspect that the engine/transmission mounts are worn and/or broken than the engine/transmission have shifted

[olstoro]

Well i guess these model years don't come with a snap ring to hold it to the tranny!
I have also asked many shops.
I jacked it up and found a bolt missing in one of the
lower transmission mounts and replaced it but also noticed that the stabilizer
bar has been cut where it meets the passanger side!!!
Is this a good reason for the axles
to go so quickly?

[acton mike]

if the engine/transmission unit is not properly supported it will flop around on acceleration/deceleration and cause all manner of troubles

get the engine and transmission mounts sorted out and get the engine transmission unit lined up per the factory specs and you should have no further problems

That is presuming you have not pranged the vehicle and knocked the unibody out of shape; that is usually as a result of a collision and you would probably remember that given that sheet metal damage would certainly be noticeable

However, if you bought the vehicle used and there was previously repaired unibody damage that you were not aware of - well that is a horse of another colour

if unibody repairs are dont done properly then problems can occur down the road