CV Axle Question: Play?

[Eddystone]

I'm not a newbie, but I'm venturing into the unknown (for me) again.

How much play or lash should the be in a cv/axle assembly?

My 1998 V70 Auto trans often clunks when you put it in gear. It does not appear to be torque mounts, engine mounts or transmission mounts.

I had my driver's side wheel off, and there is a definite "chunk" when you change direction when manually rotating the drake disc. It is not in the joint between the rotor and the axle, but I can't tell for sure where it is as you move toward the transmission. I doubt that the splines could be that loose, so I am thinking it is in the CV joint close to the trans. Car has 186k miles.

For comparison, I did the same on the left wheel of my 199 S7 Auto trans. There was definitely less play, but there was still some. I never notice any clunking when engaging the gears in the S70.

Now, I know that everyone here says that you should rebuild good used Volvo axles and that every aftermarket axle ever manufactured is complete junk. I've read that many times. Just for my own edumacation, I ordered the 4-star GSP axle from Amazon for $68 USD. It has what I would call zero play. IPD also sells a $78 axle assembly while the Volvo ones are around $567 if you can find one. I can always return this to Amazon for free but wanted to have an unworn part to examine.

My plan is to have SOMETHING to put back into the car in case the axle I remove is actually junk, even if it doesn't last another 180k miles. I have all the correct boots and grease to rebuild all my CV joints, but if this one is as loose as it feels, no amount of grease is going to fix it. By the way, the boots are all intact and the axles look just fine.

Opinions? Suggestions? Words of wisdom?

[erikv11]

Yeah I have noticed play in some old CV's when they are out of the car, and other old ones that are still tight. So just saying yes it's a real wear issue. I don't, however, know what a worn one feels like in the car. 186k seems very low miles for a factory axle to go bad unless it is already an aftermarket replacement e.g. from a torn boot and a previous owner.

If you want to know for sure, install the $68 one and check it every couple months, odds are you will see/feel it go from tight to loose over time. You'll also know if it solves the clunk right away. It's a pretty cheap experiment, seems reasonable. Hang onto the Volvo axle (if it is indeed Volvo) maybe you will want to replace the CV on it down the line.

[Goupil]

Mine are quite worn and I can feel them. I have to play with the clutch to avoid clunking

I took one apart and can feel the wear in the groove where the balls of the CV are riding. I was about to order some new CV and rebuild them before my engine blew up haha