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Apparently, nothing stays strong forever, especially when used regularly. There are many components that make up a car; hence, for a car to function perfectly, all these components need to be in good shape.
A lot of drivers pay more attention to the components in the engine bay and less attention to others.
Asides from the many components stacked in the engine bay, beneath every vehicle lies a bunch of other components that are also very important.
Constant Velocity joints (simply CV joints) are used to connect the transmission system of a vehicle to the wheels.
But what are the CV joint failure consequences? Well, a failing/bad CV joint can cause a lot of instabilities while driving.
What Are The Functions Of CV Joints?
To understand better, the consequences of bad CV joints, it is important to know their actual function. CV joints are basically “joints” – each drive wheel typically has two CV joints (the inner one and the outer one).
The inner joint connects the transmission and the axle, while the outer joint connects the axle to the wheel.
If one of these joint fails, the other is likely to follow suit – but that may not happen immediately.
The function of CV joints is to hold on to the connected components and help in transmitting power from the transmission to the wheels, consistently.
As you may guess, CV joints need lubrication to keep functioning smoothly; thus, when they are not properly lubricated, friction may increase and that could cause you to experience different unusual signs or sounds while driving.
More so, CV joints are liable to fail, and below are the common signs of a bad CV joint.
Signs of a Failing CV Joint
When you notice any of these signs, one of the places to check immediately is the CV joint, and other components that surround it.
1. Unusual Loud Clunking Sound
When a component that’s attached to the drivetrain fails, one of the commonest signs is a loud clunking sound coming from under your car.
When you hear such sounds, you should park and check where it’s coming from.
2. Vibration While Driving
A bad CV joint could cause vibrations since the torque from the transmission is not getting to the wheel that has the damaged CV joint.
However, there are other reasons why your car could vibrate while driving – bad sensors, and broken brake calipers are some of the common faults that could cause a car to vibrate.
CV Joint Failure Consequences
As with every other component of a car, a bad CV joint can cause several instabilities. You may experience unusual vibrations, and in worst scenarios, a bad CV joint could cause subsequently damage your car’s axle.
Here’s a practical example of what is possible to happen when your CV joint fails.
When one CV joint fails, let’s say the inner one; it’d cause the axle to pull out of the connected wheel, and thus the axle may hit directly on the pavement; this could cause the axle to break, and your car would gradually come to a halt.
On the other hand, if the outer CV joint fails, the axle will pull out from the transmission and is likely to hit hard on the pavement if you’re driving at that moment.
This would also cause the axle to break and your car will stop moving.
So, basically, CV joint failure mostly affects the axle. However, CV joint failure can also affect the driveshaft or even the connected drive wheel.
Furthermore, when a CV joint breaks, it is not repairable, the only thing you can do is to replace it with a new one.
What More?
Definitely, this article clearly explains CV joint failure consequences; while a bad CV joint is most likely to affect just the axle, there’s the possibility that it would affect other surrounding components too.
That said, when you start seeing signs of a failing CV joint, you should act proactively.
Most importantly, always stick to a maintenance routine and ensure that any repair carried out on your car is done properly using original materials.
Fixing damaged CV joints costs less than replacing a broken axle or a damaged driveshaft.