kevinlieb

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...

Eplebnista

You can get a split boot at Pep Boys etc. I hate to say it, but they don't work and are not worth the trouble of attempting to put them on.

jpitman2

Check out this mob..
http://www.cvboots.com.au/
There is bound to be something like this available in USA.
jp 83 Euro S AT 54k

Podguy

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.

h011yw00d

+1. And then shower with a bottle of degreaser cause dude, you will be dirtier than you have ever been in your life... but careful 'cause if you get that stuff in your eyes it stings like the dickens. AMHIK (=ask me how I know). Easy, VERY fulfilling, absolutely FILTHY job. Have fun

Podguy

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.

rawky

Get a stretch boot with a cone, cover it in CV grease and pop it over the top. Eaasy.

90 S-4

The old Porsche 356 cars use a split boot, contact Stoddard or IMC
but you really should do it the right way ..

outbackgeorgia

Joe,

Those split boots did not rotate like out 928 boots, they worked pretty well, but ugly!
Dave

kevinlieb

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?

depami

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.

kevinlieb

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?

dr bob

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.

GregBBRD

When repairing your own 928, there are easy things to do, there are "challenging" things to do, and there are things that the "home guy" simply should not do.

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".

dr bob

I've discovered, after EXTENSIVE experimentation, that even the best beer will not remove the black grease stains. I was hoping that it would flush through from inside towards outside but no luck.