Do your RCV axles get hot?

I recently installed a set of RCVs on my 3rd gen. I noticed during the test drive and subsequent drives the spindle side joint gets real hot. Checked both the driver and the passenger they are both getting hot. They get so hot that if you leave your finger on the joint section it will burn your skin. A quick tap with your finger is not bad, but leaving it on is a different story. The spindle, caliper, disc brake, and wheel are not hot enough to make the joint this hot. I can confirm they are both full of grease. I have called and spoke to the tech at RCV said it was nothing to worry about and its fine.

Have any of you with RCVs noticed anything like this?

I'm curious, can you touch your spindle side joint(where the orange boot attaches to) and report back if it was hot or just felt normal.


Here is a pic of where I'm checking for heat. Thanks in advance.

 

Reads like a common thing with SXS
"Normal CV joint operating temperature is ambient plus 30 degrees."
To me, it sounds like the balls, cage, housing, and driver are a bit tight. Since 1990 owning many VWs and Audis I have never heard for CV joints running hot.

 

I think it would help everyone involved if you measured the temperature with a thermometer; perhaps one of those infrared ones. Not everyone’s finger thermometer is the same.

Also I’m not super excited about touching something that you just told me might burn my finger. Lol

Also also, what were you doing before you touched the shaft? I assuming you were driving in 4wd, but you didn’t say that explicitly.

 

I promise if you touch it quickly it won't be too bad. You will be able to tell, it's like, ok time to remove the finger. I was driving 2wd, highway and around town. If I hit it with a temp gun it's around 130ish give or take, but the gun is reading the entire inner area so its hard to get an actual reading of just that part.

 

All my research lead right to the SXS crowd. I'm wondering if just no one checks this after the install on a vehicle.

 

How are you RCV holding up?

 

No issues yet. Still going strong. I noticed when I removed the diff drop kit they no longer get so hot.

 

I have one CV installed an I'm hoping to install the second one this coming weekend.

But I did notice that my CV is warm, not so hot that I can't touch it but pretty warm! I also notice a slight weeping of grease that came from the red boot it seemed to weep out from under the band, did you notice that?

Last question I have for you, did you press on this seal on to the RCV axle?

 

A small tiny amount of grease on mine also weeped out. Very small amount almost like there was a little bit of grease when the boot was clamped already there.

And yes I did come back later to install that seal. I reused the stock seals from my factory cv, mine slipped off easily and went on to the RCVs easily. You might need a flat head screw driver or something get it to move, but it should not be anything you can't do with your hands.

 

Thanks again. I reached out to RCV yesterday and they told me a slight weep of grease out of that boot is normal.

I kind of wished that RCV would have made note that those dust shield would need to be installed :-(