The CV Joint at each end of each half shaft is held on with a 'sort of' circlip. In the picture below - On the left is the bog standard circlip, of which I have plenty. - On the right is the 'sort of' circlip that came off one of my drive shafts. Pictures I have seen of new CV joints also include this 'sort of' circlip. Needless to say I have ruined several of the original 'sort of' circlips. Will I be committing a deadly sin if I use the common circlip (not from an originality perspective but from a functional perspective) or should I go on an Indiana Jones type hunt for 4 of the 'sort of' circlips? Try and find a duller topic than this... Image Unavailable, Please Login
If I recall the "sort of circlips" are not really circlips & are made of much softer steel that bends..... Most traditional circlips won't do that I think.
I have, I hate those internal type of retaining rings. But yeah they are normally found on the input shaft to the gearbox with a backing collar around it that doubles as the lower bearing inner race stop face, we all know the one... that irritating clip that has to come out to get the bell housing off. I don't think there is a clearance issue using a std external ring.
That is the clip that retain the center spider to the splined shaft right? If thickness, diameter and strenght are the same the only difference is the type of pliers needed to install them. No reason to bother!
I recall a thread indicating the OEM style clips cross to Porsche part number 99915208401 99915208401 Circlip Fits 911 78-94 928 78-91 99915208401 999-152-084-01 Seems unique to German cv joint manufacturers for VW and other German cars of that period. Can't see a reason why these would be better than the ones with ears, but since they are available and cheap, seems like a why not situation. The OEM boot clips are available at Superformance, no special tools to install, just fold over the tab.
Just posted this last week in the cross reference section CV Joint Spring Washer and Circa Clip CV Joint Spring Washer Porsche 901-332-312-00 CV Joint Circa Clip Porsche 999-152-084-01
For these OEM clip you need pliers like those. https://store.snapon.com/Snap-Ring-Pliers-Pliers-Snap-Ring-90-Angle-Jaws-8-7-8-long-P744934.aspx The only difference I can imagine for those clip is the equal ballance around the circonference. At high speed rotation the ones with the holes are heavier at their tip and can act as a weight and tend to become loose by centrifugal force. I know it is a bit exagerated but just saying...... Personally I prefer the OEM type with the right pliers.
I've taken them off with both types of pliers. Little more challenging with straight round or bent, but no big deal. Would not go out and buy a Snap On that's for sure, but may look in HF to see if they have one available for a few bucks.
Eaton Industrial Rings | Arcon Ring thees guys have the rings I would imagine. McMaster Carr sells the pliers for 21bucks, not bad for a good product.
I have seen those "retainer ring" on the input shaft of the 308 gearbox too. The edges are more square and the thickness is more than a circlip. They are used as back-stop to the bearing. On the 308 2V model, it is a pain to remove that ring to let the bell housing out. But on the QV and later, they made the hole bigger so that the housing slides out without the retainer ring being removed.
We have seen that in wrist pin clips and why the gap should either be straight up or down but I cant imagine an axle spinning fast enough to be an issue.
The little tabs 1 more mm away from center causing unequal balance around the circumference? I would worry more about losing the 20 lbs around my waist to make me go faster around the race track.
100mph is about 1,400 RPM at the wheel... no way is that even remotely close to spinning fast enough to change the gap or really move at all.
Guys I know, I was just saying. And I said I know it's exagerated. I was just trying to find differences in the two clips that could help make a choice..
The oem circlip is, I think, called a constant section eaton style ring. The method of manufacture gives it properties that provide uniform expansion on its radius. The ones with ears may or may not be made the same way, and might therefore not have the same retaining properties. But let's assume eg. a Lobro branded boot supplied kit ear ring is engineered to the same requirement as the oem ring. So I think the real reason for no ears is probably that the no ear rings allow for ease of automation of assembly. Given these no ears seem to have been most common on the german made parts, and given the germans propensity to automate production, that is my guess why we all have no ears on our oem cv joints and axels. For aftermarket, the circlips with ears would make for ease of manual assembly. So looks like both types serve their purpose, as long as they are made to a quality standard for the application.
