'88 Legend: CV, Ball joint boots

Hello all,

I'm replacing an axle on my '88 Acura Legend. Both outer CV joint
boots were torn, but I believe only the left axle was making noise.
(Noise was mostly in right turns, and it sounded like it was coming
from the left.) I am also noticing that the upper ball joint boots are
both torn, as is one of the steering ball joint boots. The left side
was making noises on rough ground that make me wonder if the upper
joint was worn and bumping around. Lower joints have been replaced
fairly recently and seem OK.

I have several questions for your wisdom:

Is it best to inspect and repack the outer CV joint on the "good" axle
and replace the boot, or just suck it up and buy both new axles?

Is there a good way to check the upper joints?

Is it worth the $300 to replace the upper joints and boots, or can
they be ignored? (You have to buy new upper control arms to get them)

What is the best action for the torn steering ball joint boot? Ignore,
replace boot, or replace whole joint?


I know my way around an engine, but this is my first foray into
suspension/drivetrain. I appreciate your advice.

-Ryan

 

i'd leave it until it's gone. boot replacement is a lot of work, which
while potentially rewarding, can introduce just as many problems as it
solves if not done right. if the legend has uneven shaft lengths,
you'll find the sort one wears much more quickly than the long one, so
there's no point replacing a shaft that'll hang in there for some time yet.

jack under the bottom pivot so the tire is /just/ clear of the ground.
then rock the top of the tire as hard as you can. if you feel the top
swivel clunk about, it needs to be replaced.

how much are new tires? bad upper swivels affect handling big time and
accelerate tire wear.

it's simple to replace the boot, but if it's been that way for a while,
the ball will be contaminated and won't be much longer for this world.

another good thing to do if this is a high mileage vehicle is replace
the sway bar bushings. makes the car handle much more crisply.

after you've done all this, get an alignment!

 

The boot on the lower ball joint is easily replaced and I excpect the
upper ball joint to be the same. If the ball joint is clunking around
it needs to be replaced now. The two ball joints are the only two
links that hold the tires camber together and are very important to
vehicle handling and your safty.

If the CV joint in the axle is clicking it should be replaced although
you can let it go for a little while if it only makes noise on tight
turns. With a torn boot you can expect it to go south fairly quickly
though. Both my axles make noise on turns and I waiting for them to
get a little worse before I replace them.

Boots on the ball joint on the tie rod are easiest to replace just pop
the joint out and replace the boot but be careful not to damage the
threads when removing them.

 

Sounds like the boot on the tie rod end is a no-brainer. I think it
most likely has split fairly recently. Same for the boot on the upper
ball joint on the right; I think this can be easily replaced too. The
upper left has been split a long time and the whole thing is probably
shot.

I've already got the front end apart to pull the driveshaft - is there
a way to check the upper joints once they are removed from the
vehicle? If they were the same price as the lower joints, I'd just
replace them without thinking about it. But $130 each makes me not
want to replace good parts when only a boot is needed.

The shop manual talks about a boot clip installation guide special
service tool for the tie rod and upper joint boots. Is it going to be
a challenge installing the boot circlip without this tool?

I had already put a split boot on the right side CV outer joint as a
stopgap measure; maybe I should just run that as is until it starts to
die and then do the shaft.

Thanks for the help,
Ryan