Should I put grease on CV axle? (2023)

Do you put grease on CV axle?

Whenever a CV boot is replaced, the old grease will need to be removed and new grease added. You'll also need to grease a CV joint during rebuilding processes, such as replacing an axle stub with a broken wheel speed sensor tone ring or replacing a CV joint.

Too Much Grease

You never want to add too much grease to a CV joint. The CV joint can get hot due to internal friction and heat transferred from the brakes and engine. The heat can cause the grease and air inside the joint to expand. The pressure can cause the boot to be forced off the body of the joint.

The outer joint, which connects the driveshaft to the wheel, uses a ball joint. The inner joints, which connect the driveshaft to the transmission, usually use tripod joints. In order to ensure a smooth and full range of motion, a CV joint must remain adequately lubricated with grease.

Do not use grease, anti-seize compound or other lubricants when mating the CV axle shaft to the wheel hub assembly. Clean and remove all corrosion, rust, burrs and any other debris from the CV axle spline end, wheel hub assembly and steering knuckle.

As a result, the roller develops flat spots, and its service life is reduced. In addition, CV joint grease is often manufactured to NLGI Grade 1 and would therefore not be suitable for automotive wheel bearings.

Eventually, the CV (which stands for "constant velocity") joints get slammed, too. (They transfer power from the transmission to the axles and from the axles to the wheels.) And the harder and more often you slam parts together, the sooner they wear out.

You'll know when the axle is about to fail when you begin to hear a loud, rhythmic clicking noise coming from the front wheel as you turn. That noise is due to a lack of lubricant in one of the CV joints.

The CV joint casing doesn't need packing fully with grease. Pack enough in to cover all the moving parts. If a sachet of grease is included in the kit, then there usually is enough for one joint.

CV Joint Grease has excellent water washout resistance where in these applications, provides outstanding protection against rust and corrosion. It is also extremely shear stable for both high and low temperatures and provides protection for intermittent operation up to 200°C.

Question: When do you need to replace a constant velocity joint? Answer: CV joints last from 70,000 to 130,000 miles, and over, but technicians recommend that they be inspected periodically.

What does a dry CV joint sound like?

A worn-out CV joint also makes clunking sounds when shifting from drive to reverse; these sounds are usually deafening when accelerating in turns. You might hear cracks or breaks sound in the rubber or plastic boots around the CV joint. The car can also shudder or shake under heavy acceleration.

CV joint grease is usually a heavy duty lithium grease NLGI No. 2 which contains molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) for boundary protection (metal against metal) which will protect against the heaviest sliding, shock or impact loading conditions.

Axle binding is caused by a CV joint bending so far that the internal bearings and cage lock up and can't turn freely. If you force it to turn in this state by hitting the gas, your CV joint will explode internally.

ZF Aftermarket emphasizes that the hub spline must always be greased correctly. If the hub spline is not greased, then tribocorrosion can occur. If the hub spline is not greased, then tribocorrosion can occur.

Down the road however you will need to grease your drive shaft to ensure a long life. A good guideline to start with is to grease your shaft every oil change. If you go wheeling and drive through a lot of dirt or water, grease your shaft as soon as you get home.

The most suitable type of grease for CV joints is lithium grease. It is a heavy-duty, premium quality grease that contains molybdenum disulfide and graphite. All these ingredients protect the axle during various conditions, such as heavy sliding, shock, or impact loading.

Too much grease volume (overgreasing) in a bearing cavity will cause the rotating bearing elements to begin churning the grease, pushing it out of the way, resulting in energy loss and rising temperatures.

Too much grease causes churning and higher temperatures. Semi-fluid grease must be used with a vented hub cap. It cannot be packed around the bearing as it will slump.

For high-temperature components, such as wheel bearings, a high-temperature silicone-based grease is required. These greases are designed to hold stable under high temps and against the elements commonly seen in wheel bearings.

In the worst-case scenario, hitting a pothole can result in a tire blowout or bent wheel. But even in non-catastrophic impacts add up over time and have a negative impact on your vehicle: Wheel misalignment (causing premature tire wear) Wear/damage to shocks and struts and cv axles.

What are the signs of a worn CV joint?

A severely worn out CV joint can even disintegrate while you're driving and make the car undrivable. You may lose control of the vehicle entirely. It is not safe to drive with a damaged CV joint. Look for some symptoms of a failing CV joint to have it repaired before it becomes unsafe to operate the vehicle.

A CV joint usually lasts 70,000-130,000 miles but should be checked when your car goes in for regular maintenance. Certain driving conditions may reduce the lifespan of any car component, including the CV joints.

If you hear a clicking or popping sound coming from your wheels, chances are, it isn't actually your wheels making those noises but your suspension or drive system. The most common cause of these sounds is damaged and dying CV joints.

While applying grease minimizes wear of parts and bearing, over-lubrication can reduce a component's life expectancy. For instance, too much grease can increase running temperatures and lead to energy losses. That is because too much grease will cause the components to push the excess lubricant away.

Today's vehicles actually come with a number of parts which are considered to be "lubed for life", which include components such as ball joints, tire rod ends, and U-joints. This just means that not all vehicles need these certain parts to be lubed often, however, chassis lubrication can still be needed or recommended.

Re: Cv joint grease Vs wheel bearing grease

CV grease usually has Molybdenum Disulphide in it. This in itself is like a solid lubricant. CV's are turning as fast as the wheel bearing, but also have to roll 90deg to that turning direction to adjust for things like bumps and turning.

It's ideal for use on automotive connections such as towbars, gear and brake mechanisms, and CV joints. It's also great for using on gardening tools, and will keep them in great working order season after season. Use our white lithium grease spray to keep things moving smoothly and free of friction and seizing.

Without grease the ball wears allowing excess movement of the joint and eventual failure, which can be serious as most of these are part of the vehicles steering system.

If the CV boot tears open or leaks, it can fling grease all over the underside. Less grease inside the boot plus the contaminants and elements that can get inside can cause the CV axle to bind, which will create a clicking sound or a vibration.

Should I replace both CV axles at the same time?

On a high-mileage vehicle with a bad CV joint or boot, it's often a good idea to replace both shafts at the same time. Often, the right (passenger side) shaft fails first because right turns are at a sharper angle than left turns, and right turns are more common than left turns.

Axle / CV shaft assemblies do not really have a “best before” date. Most of the time, they will last the life of your vehicle. However, having said that, keep in mind that whenever your car is in motion, your axle / CV shaft assembly is working.

Labor rates vary from shop to shop but normally it will take 1.5-3 hours to replace a cv axle. The total labor cost will depend on how many axles you are getting replaced. If you have an all-wheel-drive car and are replacing all four axles, the labor time can be 12 hours or more.

Popping and clicking noises may also seem to come from one or both of the front wheels. Generally, this type of popping will stop when you start driving straight again. The noise most likely indicates that you have a damaged constant velocity, or CV, joint in the front axle.

A clicking sound that happens mainly when you drive slowly, particularly when you are braking, could be a sign of a loose brake pad. If the pad is not properly secured to the caliper, it moves around at slower speeds and makes a clicking sound when you apply the brakes.

CV joints allow the front wheels to receive power to move. When the CV joints become worn, they become loose and produce a clicking sound when turning.

Greases containing molybdenum disulfide shouldn't be used in applications that see excessive amounts of water ingress as the molybdenum disulfide can have a corrosive effect of the metal surfaces, and is not suited for bearings and other components that move at a rapid pace.

Put the car in reverse. Then turn the steering wheel all the way to one side and drive backward in a circle. Turn the steering wheel in the other direction and repeat the process. If you hear a very pronounced clicking or snapping noise, there's a good chance an outer CV joint is worn out.

In this situation the parts are stressed instead of moving freely and the resulting effect is axle binding. Luckily, it's easily noticeable. The steering will feel a lot heavier than usual and in severe cases it might even jolt from the driver's hands.

Use anti-seize or grease is fine.

Should you put grease on threads?

When tightening a fastener ALWAYS use a controlled method. Unless specifically told not to, always lubricate the fastener.

The CV joint casing doesn't need packing fully with grease. Pack enough in to cover all the moving parts. If a sachet of grease is included in the kit, then there usually is enough for one joint.

We used Texaco Starplex #2 which is red. We also used Valvoline Cerulean which is blue. We recommend using any good marine grade water resistant grease that has a temperature rating of at least 350 degrees.

A good guideline to start with is to grease your shaft every oil change. If you go wheeling and drive through a lot of dirt or water, grease your shaft as soon as you get home. This will flush out the contaminants before they have a chance to do much harm.

Just about every automaker has relegated grease-fittings to the museum and instead opted for permanently lubricated designs for such things as steering tie rod ends and suspension ball joints.

If there are signs of damage to a CV joint, it should be replaced with a new or reconditioned part. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the CV joints at around 80,000 km. However, it's not uncommon for a car to clock over 150,000 km with all its original CV joints intact.