Possible crosspiece malfunctions:
- Cross play
- Needle bearing wear
- Wear of the cross itself
- Leakage and lack of lubrication
- O-ring failure
- Metallic ringing when moving
- Noise and crackling in the cardan area
Theoretically, the crosspiece is a very reliable part, the service life of which should be about 500,000 kilometers. But in practice, replacing the universal joint cross occurs after a mileage of 50-100 thousand kilometers. This is influenced by factors such as operating conditions, the manufacturer of the part, and the quality of the materials used in the manufacture of the part. If your car is often used in rural areas, then dirt and various bumps will shorten the life of your cross by several times. A common reason for crosspiece failure is simple inattention during routine maintenance. Often, no attention is paid to the lack of lubrication until the crosspiece makes itself known by vibration, noise or ringing.
Cardan cross: review of faults and self-replacement
When the time comes for a planned replacement of the cardan crosspiece or (more likely) vibration, beating, noise and crackling begin in the area of the cardan, car owners are prepared to pay a significant amount for repairing the cardan. Most often the cardan crosspiece requires replacement. This part cannot be restored, it can only be replaced. It is not expensive, but replacement work will require removing the cardan, so be prepared to spend a whole day at the service station. If you are not afraid of difficulties, then you can change the cardan cross with your own hands.
Design and purpose of the cardan cross
The cardan serves to connect the gearbox and the rear (in a rear-wheel drive car) or front (in all-wheel drive) axle. Its task is to transmit rotation from the engine to the bridge or bridges. The connection point for these elements is the hinge, the main part of which is the cross. It has the shape of a cross, at the ends of which there are cups with needle bearings. The bearing is separated from the housing by a sealing ring made of rubber or plastic. For each car model, the dimensions of the crosspieces differ from each other.
What function does it perform?
The main task of this mechanism is to transmit rotational movements to axes located in different planes. The gearbox is located higher than the rear wheel axle of the car. If you install a straight beam, due to the displacement of the axes, it will either break itself or break the frame and bridge assemblies.
Another reason why this device is needed is the mobility of the rear axle of the machine. It is mounted on shock absorbers, which move up and down while driving. In this case, the distance between the gearbox and the rear gearbox is constantly changing. The sliding fork compensates for such differences without losing torque.
