Questions on CV Joint Boots

Hello,

With the previous three new cars I've owned, all front-wheel drive, I
drove them well past 100K mi. with each of them. But with all of
them, I've had to replace the CV joints for the same reason: the boots
dry out and crack, the grease comes out, and the dirt gets in.

Now, with my relatively new car, I wish to be able to avoid or prevent
that from happening again, so I did some research on CV joint
maintenance, and everything I've read talked about what to do when the
boots crack. Nothing about how to prolong their life or prevent those
boots from cracking.

The cost of the parts really isn't a problem, but you guys probably
know, it's a very labour intensive and time consuming repaire.

What's rather preplexing to me is that I read often how some people
who've put on >150K mi. on their previous cars, some having owned
about 5 or 6 different cars in the past and even living in northeast,
and never had a CV joint problem due to the boots cracking or failing,
let alone the CV joints itself going bad.

So, my question is, does anyone have a time proven or a definitive way
to prevent the boots from failing? I read how some would liberally
apply silicone spray on the CV boots and other boots everytime they
changed the oil. Would that be a good way to prolong the life of or
prevent the boots from cracking prematurely?

Any other suggestions or insight into this would be greatly
aprpciated. Thanks for your time and courtesy.

 

Just about cheaper to replace the whole shaft with a rebuilt... when you
figure the time it takes to actually put a new boot on.

Rob

 

--
Hunt hard...Kill quick...Offer No Apologies!

If the cv joint itself is damaged it is cheaper and easier to replace the cv
shaft. Parts for the joint rebuild usually cost more than the entire
(remanufactured axle) and the labor involved is significantly less also.
While I worked at an automotive shop, it was always our suggestion to do the
whole axle when we found that the joint was bad. Of course, this does not
apply where only the boot is being replaced.

Dave D

 

.......> So, my question is, does anyone have a time proven or a definitive
way

Any substance that will prolong the life of rubber, or anything that
will help it retain it's flexibility and elasticity should help somewhat.
Not sure about silicone -maybe. Armorall might be a good one to try. CV
joint boots are heavy thick rubber, and you're only applying the protectant
to the outside surface, so in the long run it may extend the life of the
boots a little, but they are still likely to age and crack.

The problem with CV joint and boot maintenence is that most boots are
made tubular and thus become very labor intensive to replace. A boot that
could be taken off simply by removing the clamps on either end would then
become a regular maintenance item you replace very so many miles based on
the estimated life of the rubber, driving conditions, etc. This would also
allow regreasing of the joint itself if necessary, and probably make CV
joints last the life of the vehicle.

 

As I recall it's about $130 for a reman whole shaft & that comes with a
guarantee. I guess it depends on the cost of the labor to take the joint
off, clean, inspect, lube and put it back on the shaft with a new boot.
The labor for taking the drive shaft out and putting it back is the same
either way.

Rob

 

There are boots made of plastic which are like a clam. You clean the
joint replace the grease, glue shut the new boot and clamp it.
Disadvantage from my experience, they don't last as long as the rubber
ones. I don't remember the manufacturer but I got mine from Pep Boys.
As far as I know, the biggest enemy of rubber boots is ozone which also
dries out the brake and fuel hoses. You might want to try covering the
boot with liquid silicone, the one used to seal the rubber window
frames. I never tried it so I don't know if it might work or is just a
waste of money. Before applying it, the boot should be very clean.

 

--
Hunt hard...Kill quick...Offer No Apologies!

Well, Rob, while I was running the auto shop, our prices (from NAPA) ranged
from about $75-$125 for a reman shaft. Not only did the customer get a new
outer joint (usually the failed one) but also a new inner joint, new boots
(obviously), and a lifetime warranty on the whole assy (including boots).
Now mind you, this is in Alaska where the temps in winter can reach -50F or
a bit colder and NAPA would still honor the lifetime warranty on the boots.
There is one exception; 1996 Toyota Camry. NAPA carried six different axles
(rt side) for that vehicle but none fitted. I sent the axle to the local Toy
dealer and after six weeks, they were unable to come up with a replacement.
There were 13 different possibilities listed for that vehicle. The customer
took her car to them for repair in the end. I wasted about 60 manhours
chasing the part for her though. The one that comes readily to mind as an
example, was a mid 90s Honda with a bad outer right joint. The reman axle
was $95 plus labor while the joint service (rebuild kit) was $90, plus $20
for a new boot, plus labor. The labor for the two jobs is quite different.
R&R the axle is about 1-1.5hrs while the joint rebuild and replace is about
2.5-3.0 hours. We used a flat rate not an hourly rate and it was $50 to R&R
the axle and $75 to do the joint. So you can see that doing the whole cv
axle is much more cost effective, quicker, and a better warranty in the end.

Dave D