Heyo. I'm installing new PMB CV joints and wondered if there is a special trick to seat/compress the inner spring washer enough to get the evil clip to seat on the shaft. I even resorted to using my old inner washer as it was a bit more flattened than the new ones I got with the CV kit. I've moved well past a brass drift and still can't seem to drive it on enough to get it to seat. Using a drift on the clip to drive the assembly on just makes the clip curl and pop off.
Cut/fab a tube to fit over the dia. of the shaft and beat on that?
The kit comes with snap ring clips as well (which are slightly thinner and do fit), but I believe that the hardware kit is universal with 911 driveshafts and those are specific to those.
Thanks for any tips.
Full Version: Seating CVs and getting the damn clips to seat?
About a year or so ago, I was helping Steph914 swop out his axles, the new cv joints were not machined correctly and no matter how we tried we couldn’t get the cv to line up with the stub axle and the drive flange. The surface for the balls had machined ridges which made bending the joint impossible.
I have done many of these on 911 CV/Axle assemblies. The 914's are the same.
1. Install the concave washer onto the axle
2. Grease the axle and CV splines and slide the CV onto the axle
3. Using snap ring pliers, open the snap ring and slide over it the end of the axle
4, Stand the axle/CV assy on it's end with the CV facing up
5. Take a socket with an ID slightly smaller than the OD of the snap ring, place it over the end of the axle and onto the snap ring so that the ID of the socket contacts the snap ring and the OD of the socket contacts the inner race of the CV. Make sure that the ID of the socket is larger than the OD of the splines on the axle.
6. Using a large hammer, wack the end of the socket so that it pushed both the snap ring and the inner race of the CV towards the inner concave washer. The snap ring shound snap into the groove on the axle.
1. Install the concave washer onto the axle
2. Grease the axle and CV splines and slide the CV onto the axle
3. Using snap ring pliers, open the snap ring and slide over it the end of the axle
4, Stand the axle/CV assy on it's end with the CV facing up
5. Take a socket with an ID slightly smaller than the OD of the snap ring, place it over the end of the axle and onto the snap ring so that the ID of the socket contacts the snap ring and the OD of the socket contacts the inner race of the CV. Make sure that the ID of the socket is larger than the OD of the splines on the axle.
6. Using a large hammer, wack the end of the socket so that it pushed both the snap ring and the inner race of the CV towards the inner concave washer. The snap ring shound snap into the groove on the axle.
QUOTE(Tom1394racing @ Aug 5 2026, 08:00 AM) 
I have done many of these on 911 CV/Axle assemblies. The 914's are the same.
1. Install the concave washer onto the axle
2. Grease the axle and CV splines and slide the CV onto the axle
3. Using snap ring pliers, open the snap ring and slide over it the end of the axle
4, Stand the axle/CV assy on it's end with the CV facing up
5. Take a socket with an ID slightly smaller than the OD of the snap ring, place it over the end of the axle and onto the snap ring so that the ID of the socket contacts the snap ring and the OD of the socket contacts the inner race of the CV. Make sure that the ID of the socket is larger than the OD of the splines on the axle.
6. Using a large hammer, wack the end of the socket so that it pushed both the snap ring and the inner race of the CV towards the inner concave washer. The snap ring shound snap into the groove on the axle.
I do the same
Although I use a punch or large old flat screw driver instead of a socket
I’ve used a press
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