Thom1

Hi Sharks:

How long have rear main/crankshaft oil seals lasted? Has anyone had a leak there? If it does not leak now, should I just leave it alone? Is it difficult to pull, and replace? Can I just pry it out of there, and use the old seal to tap the new one in? (The seal will be exposed when I replace the TT Torque Tube.)

How long do CV boots last? Has anyone had to use special tools to replace the boots? I have heard that the joints that you must pull usually release with a slight tapping. Mine have been on for about 4 years.
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Chris

Not sure on the rear seal, sounds like might as well do it when you do the clutch otherwise leave alone.

Rear CV boots, I imagine that how long they last depends on a number of things, mileage, age etc ..

To replace you need alan wrench to unbolt the driveshaft from the gearbox and I used a nail puller to crimp the new retaining rings. Job is easy but messy if you leave the drive shafts in place.

Chris

John Krawczyk

I did the CV boots job about 4 mos. ago. I bought 4 Genuine Porsche boot kits from 928SP. I am lucky in that my '79 does not require the removal of the wheel nuts. As soon I removed the six allen bolts from both ends the whole axle assembly dropped right out. I didnt have to drop the exhaust either, although if i ever do it again, i will to make putting the drivers side axle back easier.

One i had all the axles out, i disassembled and rebuilt all (4) CV joints and rebooted them. The Porsche kits include a tube of CV grease and new CV joint retaining clips. While i had it all out i repainted the axles and boot flanges too.

Heres a few pics of before and after

<a href="http://members.rennlist.com/blueshark/Axleold.jpg" target="_blank">before</a>

<a href="http://members.rennlist.com/blueshark/Axlenew.jpg" target="_blank">after</a>

and

<a href="http://members.rennlist.com/blueshark/Axlenew6.jpg" target="_blank">installed</a>


The special tools you may want to consider getting are a CV boot clamp plier and a retaining clip plier. Both i got at the local autoparts store.

Good Luck

DaveW

Last week I needed to replace a split CV boot on char grilled but interestingly I found out that Porsche don't supply the CV boot as a separate part, you have to buy a complete new shaft (with the boot attached)! Crazy or what!

What I did instead was swap a drive shaft with an intact boot over from the auto (which is off the road right now) onto the 5spd. This let's me source a boot for the auto without a rush. It is very handy having two of these things sometimes!

If I ask where you get your replacement boots from I know the answer already (the big three!) but how come they can get them when Porsche don't supply them?

Cheers
DaveW

John Krawczyk

I have no idea why except that maybe they dont want to stock low buck maintainance parts for a car they dont sell anymore. Then again i try to avoid Porsche dealer parts counters as much as possible, except when i need a new key fob or coffee mug.

My (4) boot kits came in small Genuine Porsche boxes. So the factory still makes the parts. Each kit was about 25 bucks. DR and Jeannie have always gotten me exactly what i need. Nothing more, nothing less. I dont know why anyone would ever not use the Big Three for maintainance parts.

Curt

Thom, I had to replace the rear main seal on my 79 when I bought it. It was leaking very badly. Once they start going its all over. If I were doing a clutch I would definately pull the flywheel and replace the seal. You should have the flywheel surfaced machined anyway.

You can just pry out the old one. Not hard at all. Mine was so loose that it pretty much just fell out. The new one cost around 15-25 bucks and is easily tapped into place using a bit of grease around the outside. Very easy to do. If I were you I would do it. You dont want to put the clutch back together and then in 6 months do it all over.

But lets think about it. Mine was a 79, yours is an 86, that means you have another 7 years left

Curt

Hey John, just wondering how much you spent to redo both axles? Im thinking about that as one of my next tasks.

Jay Wellwood

I too replaced all of my CV Boots winter before last.

Other than torqueing the axle nut back on - it's a very easy job. Like John, I got my parts from 928SP.

I was able to do all of my boots in a day. Probably the most challenging aspect of the job was getting all of the old contaminated grease out of the joint closest to the wheel. I improvised a couple of clamps on my work bench and suspended the axle assembly upside down over a catch tray/basin. Using a squirt bottle filled with kerosene I was able to completely flush all of the old/contaminated grease out of the CV joint. Just a thought for those of you who may be contemplating this job.

John Krawczyk

Curt -

I think i spent about 150 bucks (including the special tools) and a days labor.

Jay -

I was luckier than you. All 4 of my joints are exactly the same and interchangeable. Plus they are symetrical too. Both joints come off the axle.

<a href="http://members.rennlist.com/blueshark/Cv2.jpg" target="_blank">Disassembled CV joint</a>


So after rebuilding the axles I installed them on the opposite side from where they were. Allegedly this evens out the wear on the joints since they will be spinning in the opposite direction than they were before. Since they are symetrical, theres no harm in it anyway if the above is not true.

Steve J.

I made a hole in the cap from a tube of CV grease and glued on a nozzle from a tube of RTV. Makes it easier to squirt the grease deeply into the CV joint.

I used stainless steel "Band-It Jr." clamps instead of the OEM clamps. You can get them really tight with a ratchet. Available at NAPA.

Bernie

I just did CV boots on mine a week ago. Messiest job I've done on the shark to date. The mess makes it a PITA but the job is quite simple.
The CV boot next to the exhaust will always go first. The heat dries it out and it splits.
I dropped the exhaust bolts at the back and supported the exhaust a few inches lower with a jackstand. You need to do this to access the hex socket cap screws on the CV joint. I cut the old boot off on the tranny side with snippers while it was still attached.
Undid all bolts on the CV and the axle will just lay down on the exhaust - put a rag over it, its messy time now. Get the retaining clip off the axle with circlip plyers and now the CV joint should slide right off. Did on mine anyway.
I didn't feel like repacking the wheel side so I just concentrated on the tranny CV joint. The wheel side wasn't split anyway but I decided to replace both boots while I was at it. Now clean, clean, and clean some more.
I used up three cans of brake cleaner on the CV Joint. It had been exposed because of the split boot and I wanted to make sure it was spotless. Between brake cleaner and compressed air, I got all of the old grease out of the joint. Then I carefully inspected it for damage and it looked good so no problem there.
I bought my CV boot kits on ebay and ended up getting 2 for 20.00. Not Porsche but german parts and they work very well. Each kit contains boot, 2 clamps, new circlip, cup and a tube of grease. Pretty good deal I thought.
I discovered that my CV joints didn't have a cup so this would be an upgrade. Once everything is clean, its time to get messy again. Grab your grease tube and pack as much grease into that CV joint as you can get. Bye-Bye clean parts, hands, clothes, etc.
Put a little WD40 on the inside of both new boots. Slide the wheel side forward into place first and simply crimp down the new clamps. Pretty simple if your not repacking it. The tranny side is a little tougher. The boot fights a little bit to get it over the axle and into place. I have read of tricks to get it on but really it was nothing. The clamps I got with my kits completely separate so there was no need to put them on yet. If your clamps don't separate, make sure you put them over the axle first. Next I got the flange onto the large side of the boot. Again a little wrestle but no big deal. Make sure you don't pull the boot off the flange when reinstalling the CV joint or you will have to drop the CV joint again to put it back on. I put this clamp on towards the end but I see no reason why you couldn't clamp it at this point. I used a pair of front snippers to compress the clamp.
Now the messy part. CV joint needs to be slid back on the axle. Make sure you put it on in the right direction. Some people claim that the joint / axle should be replaced in the same position as it was removed. Maybe so but I couldn't mark well through the grease and I don't appear to be suffering from any problems? Once it is slid on, replace the old circlip with the new one. Don't forget to put the clip back on the axle (how do I know this???) With the CV joint clipped back on the axle, you can place the grease cup over the backside of the CV joint. It's a tight fit so what I did was place it on as best as I could then let the hex socket bolts compress it into its final position. Now that the cup is on, half your mess has disappeared.
By this point, you will probably want to clean your hands before going further. All that's left to do now is reinstall the CV joint to the tranny, one bolt at a time. Having someone help taking the hex socket bolts off and putting them back on is good. SOmeone needs to put the P-brake on and off to allow you enough stop to torque up the bolts. That same person can also rotate the wheel for you to gain access to all the hex socket bolts. Once there all on and seated properly. Use your torque wrench to do final tighten. Sorry, no manual here to check setting. Rebolt your exhaust, apologize to your wife about your clothes and swear that you will never do one of those messy ba&$#ards again- but you will........
Long Winded But Easy

Sorry if I missed anything, going completely on memory

Randy V

Great tech thread.

I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I had heard that each CV joint has matched '*****' and they should not be mixed up with ones from another joint.

When I did my CV boots replacement, I completely cleaned and degreased each joint separately to avoid that.

Anyone else ever heard that one?

Jay Wellwood

Yep....I've heard/read the ssame info regarding the individual parts of the CV Joints.

John Krawczyk

Me too. When i did all 4 of mine i disassembled and cleaned them one at a time and bagged and labeled them as i did them. I also kept the joints mated to the axles and the ends they came off of.

Thom1

Hi Chris, John, Dave, Curt, Jay, Steve, Bernie, and Randy:

Thanks for helping out. With your help, I hope to have mapped out the pitfalls that can happen in this job. Plus, you have provided some great tips, techniques, and procedures. Here are the notes that I have documented from this post:

1. Cleanup cv joints: Clear Large Storage Box, Cardboard, Paper Towels, Shop Towels, Brushes, Squirt Bottle. Mineral Spirits, Brake Cleaner, MEK, or Acetone?
2. Loctite on CV Boot Bolts
3. CV Boots & Bolts – replace
4. Mark cv orientation before removal. Install with same orientation.
5. Sheet metal cutters, hex keys, sharp pick, and tin snips for removing and marking cv boots. Cv clamp tool or nail remover works. Circlip Pliers
6. Put a nozzle extension on lube cap. Allows easier access to recesses.
7. Put WD-40 inside boot lips for easier installation
8. Put on required clamps loosely before installing boots or joints.
9. Rear Main Seal – do it while exposed. Use grease for easier installation.
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