so im beginning a pretty major rebuild of my tired IFS. among the large list of parts being replaced i am replacing the upper and lower ball joints. i am thinking about repairing the CV boots while im in there as there is one on each side that is broken. i was warned against this given the boots have been cracked for a while and grime and water has been allowed to enter the axel. is it possible to just remove the axel assembly and clean the axel, regrease it, and replace the boot or should i replace the whole thing? the reasons are simple...boots are cheaper and there is nothing apparantly wrong with the axel.
i want to think that since you can buy just the boots that there is not a reason to replace the whole assembly, maybe im mistaken.

are there any aftermarket boots that will hold up better to the more severe angles of ball Joint spacers? i know downey had them but they are no more.

while im at it ill list the parts i plan on replacing. can anyone think of any others that i should replace while im in there? i miss the days of an aligned front end...

upper and lower ball joints
inner and outer tie rod ends
idler arm
pitman arm
sway bar end links
steering stabilizer
shocks

please dont post if you feel the need to preach the benefits of a solid axel, i am aware of them. thanks in advance.
-Byron

 

if you cant find any high angle boots just get a 1" diff drop and it helps with the angle down thus keeping you cv boots happy!

 

CV boots run $25 - $30 per axle, while a remanufactured axle from Cardone costs around $50 with a lifetime warranty. Cleaning up, regreasing and rebooting your old ones is probably fine, but the time saved merely swapping out the CV axles might factor into your calculations.

 

If you're doing serious wheeling, hang onto your factory Yota CVs and regrease/reboot them. They are stronger than the aftermarket axles.

Given that your boots have probably lasted many years, I would simply replace them with a regular neoprene boot, like an $8 Beck Arnely kit. I used RockAuto parts and did both my axles for about $30.

I removed my diff drop, I don't think its necessary.

 

thanks for the info. im leaning more toward rebuilding the older ones but still on the fence. i think ill try and find some more durable boots and stick with the stock ones, unless i pull it apart and find the axel is shot.

 

I think that Northwest Offroad also sells a kit with some sort of super boot, but I have no idea what it costs.

 

super boot or whatever they try to claim isn't any better than OE.

Diff drop and/or manual hub swap and they'll last about twice as long

 

Good to know! I had thought about investigating them but now I won't waste my time.

I have also heard that keeping the boots clean increases their life -- like rinsing the dirt off of them after wheeling!