User 051420

Well..My passenger side outer CV finally burped, A LOT. I've been waiting for this since the day I put those 882's on. The boot isn't torn, just crooked. I'm getting a TERRIBLE vibration from it now, and have driven about 300 miles this way, with it getting progessively worse...Should I just replace the whole axle or repack with grease and reattach the boot? Or I can I inspect and go from there-I've never seen the "inside" of a CV..

:cry:

snwbrdpunk16

Mine did the same thing, i had to by a whole new boot kit just to get it re-packed with grease. well that was through the stealership anyways. I'd say try to repack it and see what happens.

User 051420

I guess my question is about the vibration..the cv's are fairly level now..which is good! Does BAD vibration mean failure or just lack of lube?

Mad Chemist

I'm not sure, but the longer you drive, the more damage you'll do. If you were careful, you might be able to cut off the old clamps and repack the CV with grease without having to buy new boots. Or, just go ahead and buy a rebuild kit (maybe go with the VW boots like others have done while you're at it?). The boots are going to be cheaper than a brand new/remanufactured CV, ~110 bucks plus the core charge (another 60-100 bucks which you'll get back after you turn in the shot CV).

User 051420

What a great chance to go to manual hubs... My plan was to clip off the clamps, squirt in some grease, and then reclamp with a hose clamp.

snwbrdpunk16

I tried the hose clamp method, i couldnt find the right hose clamp, either they were too small or too big and not enough threads to tighten up. let me know if you have better luck.

loosehead

You can get a pair (enough for one boot) of universal CV boot clamps from Autozone and the like for a round $5-6, a tube of CV for a few more dollars and rent/borrow the CV clamp tool to put the new ones back on. Its pretty easy to do. Get a pair of needlenose pliers and begin by trying to 'un-rolll' the old clamp where it is bent over itself and welded. You can then bend it back and forth several times and it will make a clean break. This way, you won't tear the boot by trying to squeeze a pair of snips or side-cutters under the band to cut it. Once you get both bands off, slide the boot down the axle and muck out as much of the old grease (from the boot and the joint) as you can. Its a good idea to spread some newspaper on the ground, have lots of rags available, and maybe even where some nitrile gloves if you don't want CV grease deep under your finger nails...

Once you get it fairly cleaned up, tear the corner off of the tube of grease (think large packet of ketchup) and put some in the joint and the rest in the boot. Slide the boot back into place at the top and push it PAST the groove on the skinny end, wipe the goove with a clean dry rag, and then pull the boot back in to the correct position. Now you just need to install the new clamps and your done. Its a messy job, but not really difficult...