Hi Guys,

I think I've been sniffing grease too long.

Trying to torque the CV bolts to the stub axle. I have the axle assembly nice and tight in a vise (tried with a towel and without), but I can't keep it from turning before 31lbs is reached. Any tips/tricks from someone thinking more clearly?

Thanks

I've always done it after putting them in the car so I can hold the wheel (or put it on the ground) to get some more leverage.

Even for the stub axle side? Those bolts are pretty deep inside the trailing arm. Doesn't an extension have an effect on the actual torque at the bolt?

Torque is the same regardless of the length of your extensions (think of the extension as a spring; it may bend a little more but it still transfers the same energy into your fastener since there is nowhere else for it to go).

The only time an "extension" has an effect on torque application is if you're using a crow's foot or similar tool which changes the length of the torque arm.

cool. thanks for the info!

I do the same. But a word of caution. I always make sure the head of the bolt is clean and tap the triple square in with a brass hammer carefully. I'm always careful to keep the triple square parallel as I torque and try not to allow the triple square to slip out of cock and shear off. I snapped off a triple square inside the bolt once on the outboard side. I had to stick a welding rod to it to pull it out.

Just thinking out loud here because I haven't done this myself. Could you not make a jig out of a piece of wood and bolt the hub to the wooden jig, clamp it up in the vice and then just put the stub into the hub and torque. Of course, this assumes that the hub is not yet installed.

I agree with the OP - I would much rather torque these bolts on the bench than in the car.

Good luck with it!

How about using a long box-end wrench over one of the dowels, braced on the other dowel, and counter-holding it using that?

--DD

Do you have a empty hub in the car, put the axle in from the outside put the wheel on the ground, torque. job done.

I torque them in the car.

You pretty much have to do it that way because it is very important that you check that torque regularly.
"CV joint came loose" is one of the more common failures on these cars.

Put the nut on the axle, put the nut in the vice?

Great idea Rich

Also, to keep the stub from turning, put a cotter through the castle nut and the hole in the stub.

Thanks guys. Will try the nut/pin trick and report back!

I torque them in the car. Find it so much easier to bolt the cv to the stub and slip the cv in vs trying get to the bolts tobtighten the cv through the trailing arm.

Its a 10 minute procedure to bolt in a cv this way.

I'be never removed the stub axle ever

My CVs were shot, so I bought new axle assemblies from Porsche, hence the need to switch over the stub axle...