zberch

How many people have broken there CV/boots?? Is you truck lifted or have a diff drop?

BajaRunner

Never torn, but, the end clamps have fallen off 3 times now...

Twice with a regular coil spring lift, and now once when they are in their stock location with the drop bracket.

Jdizzydub

Mine just two weeks ago..actually not broken, but the clamp fell off somewhere and i can't get the hose cal,p to stay on the bugger. lift and diff drop. i think it happened when my sway bar tie rods popped, the rod hit the clip and bang grease everywhere..who knows.

BajaRunner

Same thing happened to me. Frigging swaybar bracket broke and hit the CV.

bruzer

Shattered a c/v in a mud puddle once cause I didn't know my boot was torn. I also just recently rip a boot from over extending. I geuss thats what happens when you dont do the diff drop.

drguitarum2005

have had a small hole in one of my boots for a loooooooong time now. i'm just wheelin it til it breaks, then ill replace the CV.

d0ubledown

tore both outers due to my own stupidity. havent broken due to hard wheeling though...

spaugh

both boots cracked on the shaft side of the inner joint on mine from lifted angles I guess. They were 10 years old and weren't ready for a lift I guess.

Red3.slow

I just broke a joint not to long ago. I really need to replace it.

-MaTTi-

How about these: http://www.sonoransteel.com/store_li...ap_mounts.html

Not bad idea?

midiwall

Many times...

I've replaced just the boots 3 times in total; busted two CVs; and now give up dealing with packing the boots and just do a replace/exchange on the whole axle. It's a lot quicker and nowhere near as messy.

Come to think about it, I'm due... The inner boots on both sides are torn right now!


Oh, and yeah, I'm running the "normal" 2 1/2"-3" lift.

Spectre

I have replaced both inner boots (2 months apart)
I have race-runners in the front with diff drops. so it is not too radical. about 2 1/2 in or so. Its not a hard job to replace the boots.

ozarks_Runner

I blew out one of my cv shafts when I was still all stock. I had a rip in one of the boots that I didn't notice. Went slopping around in the mudhole at the bottom of the hill, and got it all filled with water. On the way out I used too much skinny pedal coming up the hill out of the bottoms and booom! no more 4 wheel drive

Jdizzydub

Is there a write up on swapping out boots??

atl4runner

i have a ripped cv boot and ive been driving on it for awhile..is this okay or should i be getting it replaced asap? if so how much would it cost on average do you think to get just th eboot replaced..couldnt be that much right?

CJM

Just carry around extras when out on the trail,labor is annoying but replacing one isnt to hard and somewhat not to expensive.

I havent ever broken any and I was abusing my truck at paragon the other day, checked for tears and rips and nada. No lift yet though.. However on T100's it isnt to bad when you lift..

Oh and doesnt anyone post on the T100 board?

AuburnRunner

The ripped boot isnt going to hurt much... just make things real nasty down there by coating 2" of grease on caliper/wheel/tire/suspension.. Anyway, you should replace it with a whole new unit (advanced auto), you get a lifetime warranty on the boot/cv, in case it ever happens again. It is a lot more work to only replace to boot, plus if youve been driving on it torn for a while dirt/sand/water will have gotten in there. Just replace for like $65

bob200587

I had one outer boot that came apart a year or so ago, it was the stock boot from 87, and it dry rotted I guess. I replaced all four. I don't have any lift up front.

drew303

That'd be nice

right now i have custom upper bump stops to keep the suspension from dropping to the angle that causes the axles to bind. It's OK was a PITA to fab but it works and I've romped and stomped on these CV axles to the point even im amazed they havent snapped.

replaced the pass side axle because the boot was torn on the origonal. wasnt hard.. however the new one shows cracking on the boots and its barely been over a year =( ... crappy aftermarket

ecchamberlin

Does this count? The boot is ripped.


IMO I think that if you lift the front with cv's that are 5 years old or more then you can kinda expect to have issues with the boots. THey wear a certain way and then you change the angles.

I agree that doing the entire cv swap thing is the way to go althought, changing a boot out is still a really handy skill to have just incase. After I broke my cv I religiously carry a spare complete shaft. It is not bad at all to change a shaft.

For those that have never done this, make sure you swap the inner and outer dust shields off the old shaft to the new shaft if it did not come with them. Seems like a small detail but they really extend the life of the shaft and seals.

Good write up on changing the entire shaft
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/cv_axle/

If you wheel them hard eventually you will break it.