Split rear CV joint axle boots: to replace boots without axle removal
#1
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The inner CV joint boot cracked on the driver's side of my S4. Does anyone make axle boots you can put on without removing the axle?
Yes, I know, I should just remove them, clean and repack but I don't have the time / money / inclination right now. I have been through enough right now with my master cylinder replacement...
Yes, I know, I should just remove them, clean and repack but I don't have the time / money / inclination right now. I have been through enough right now with my master cylinder replacement...
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Simply disconnect the axle from the transmission. Remover the inner CV joint. Clean it and put on a new boot. Cut away the old boot on the outside. Push in some extra grease for grins. Slide the new boot down over the axle. Install new clamps. Install the inner joint and put on the small clamp. Put on the grease cup and bolt the axle back to the transmission.
The exhaust can get in the way, but all this can be done with the axle still on the car.
The exhaust can get in the way, but all this can be done with the axle still on the car.
#5
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Simply disconnect the axle from the transmission. Remover the inner CV joint. Clean it and put on a new boot. Cut away the old boot on the outside. Push in some extra grease for grins. Slide the new boot down over the axle. Install new clamps. Install the inner joint and put on the small clamp. Put on the grease cup and bolt the axle back to the transmission.
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Did not have any of those problems when I did it. Of course the tilter may have helped. It is also easier to remove the exhaust system. Keeping the under carriage of your car clean has its advantages.
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#10
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Thanks for the tips all!
Rawky: can you send me a link to one of those "stretch boots" so I can see what you mean?
Does the inner CV joint come off the shaft fairly easily if I do this all on the car?
Rawky: can you send me a link to one of those "stretch boots" so I can see what you mean?
Does the inner CV joint come off the shaft fairly easily if I do this all on the car?
#11
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Still a lot of work. Might as well just do it properly and not bother with this stretch thing. Or, do the split? A split boot might be ok for a steering rack but personally I would never use one on an "articulating" axle.
Last edited by depami; 06-11-2012 at 03:19 PM.
#12
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Thanks for sharing! That explains it completely. The stretch boot thing seems like 90% of the work as putting the "right" boot on there.
I think I'll still look into the split boot idea but I'm getting the feeling I should just do it completely. You know the old saying: if you don't have the time to do it right when will you find the time to do it over?
I think I'll still look into the split boot idea but I'm getting the feeling I should just do it completely. You know the old saying: if you don't have the time to do it right when will you find the time to do it over?
#13
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I've never seen a split-type repair boot work for any length of time on an axle shaft. It might be OK for a temporary roadside repair while on your way cross-country, just enough to get you to someplace for the correct repair.
My cautious, maybe cynical hypothesis is based on years of karma with CV boots. I propose that all four jopints are typically the same age and have seen close to the same number of rotations. Yes. most US freeway ramps loop to the right so the left-side gets a few more revolutions. That's why the driver's side boot failed first...
OK, it's really not that predictable. Bottom line though is that the effort to change all four is less than twice the effort needed to change that first one on the left side. You get to put the car on stands no matter what. Same tools needed, so no extra effort there. Same amount of cleanup needed. Same greasy mess to contend with. No need to move exhaust for the right-sie boots. So put all four new ones in. Do it like you mean it. Or do another one in a few weeks, again a couple months from now when another fails. Remembering that you must remove and replace the inner boot to get a new outer boot on.
My cautious, maybe cynical hypothesis is based on years of karma with CV boots. I propose that all four jopints are typically the same age and have seen close to the same number of rotations. Yes. most US freeway ramps loop to the right so the left-side gets a few more revolutions. That's why the driver's side boot failed first...
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#14
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The inner CV joint boot cracked on the driver's side of my S4. Does anyone make axle boots you can put on without removing the axle?
Yes, I know, I should just remove them, clean and repack but I don't have the time / money / inclination right now. I have been through enough right now with my master cylinder replacement...
Yes, I know, I should just remove them, clean and repack but I don't have the time / money / inclination right now. I have been through enough right now with my master cylinder replacement...
This job isn't a challenge. If you can't do this one correctly, with the correct pieces....you probably are not going to "enjoy" your ownership/mechanical "exploits" with your 928 and probably should start looking for a mechanic you can trust.
It isn't going to get much easier than this.
Yes, it is dirty, Yes, you should replace all the boots, at the same time...as they are all made of the same material and are all "age cracked" the same. Yes, you need to torque the bolts that attach the axle to the transmission. Yes, the exhaust is going to be "in the way" on the driver's side and you will be far happier with it "removed" from the cats.
But as far as technical skills and "potential problems"....you can probably drink beer "while" you do this job....not "after".
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