weird CV joints

[derekja]

I'm still mired in front end work on my 1998 K3500. Today's mystery is the front CV joints. I ordered a complete driver's side half shaft because it seemed easier than rebuilding the CV joints. It came, but it was the wrong one!

Every book at both Schuck's and NAPA lists the cardone part number 66-1052 for the front CV half shafts. They list a length of just over 21 inches for that. The one I took out was just shy of 23 inches. What gives?

I ended up taking it to driveshafts NW to be rebuilt, but that's costing as much as a new one would have if I could have found one.

Any idea what is going on? I phoned the place that installed the lift kit and they swear that no new CV went on when the liftkit did. The dealer didn't provide any useful ideas. I'm baffled as to why nobody can locate the CV that is installed on this truck.

thanks!

[JohnC]

Maybe a dumb idea, but did you try compressing your old one or stretching the new one? If you're running with a lift kit your axle has no doubt been running more extended than stock. The rubber boots may have taken a "set" more stretched than normal.

[derekja]

not at all a dumb idea. I tugged on it and couldn't get it to stretch enough. Two inches is a lot of stretch.

[derekja]

wow. well the drive axle place said that the internal bar length was the same as stock, so it was just stretched. They suggested torquing down on the axle nut and checking it in a couple days to see if it has loosened up as the joint stretched out. Kind of like what I tried except I got scared of the gap that I couln't seem to get rid of.

BTW. the drive axles at this rebuilder (drivetrains nw in Seattle) feel substantially heavier than the Cardone replacement part I got from Schuck's and it was cheaper, so not a bad thing that I ended up doing all this running around.

[JoeyD]

What lift kit are you running? Is it possible the spacer used in most kits is missing?

[derekja]

It's a pro comp lift kit. I think all the spacer blocks are there. After getting it bolted back in today it has, in fact, stretched back out. I had to jack up the lower control arm to get it to bolt on, but then it stretched OK.