curly_c

well i found out today that i have two torn CV boots. The outside boot on both the passanger and driver side. its throwing grease everywhere. all over both of my fenders and its all over everything up under there.

so im wanting to do it myself. i have faith that me and my dad can do it. neither one of us has done it but he is very capable when it comes to cars and i really just want to learn.

so i was just wondering how much would something like this cost to fix if done by a pro? we are going to call the guy i bought the runner from, he is a 15 year toyota tech so i just want to get ideas on how much he might charge.

and also, why would this happen? why both sides? and near the same time?
and should i stop driving it till i fix it?

its a 1990 toyota 4runner 5 speed with ADD

ChickenLover

Did you recently crank your torsion bars up? Fix 'em ASAP. But in the meantime, it is still safe to drive. As for the repair; it isn't that difficult.

Here are a few pointers: The bolts that connect the cv (on the diff side) are studs. You will need to pound at least 3-4 of them out to make enough room to slip the axle outta there. Remove the lower shock bolt, swaybar link, and the four bolts (by the lower ball joint) to seperate the spindle from the lower control arm (don't jack the truck up from the LCA - it will need to swing down out of the way). The axle should come out easily.

Before you do all that, remove the hub flange, retainer washer, and c-clip. You can get new boots at any auto parts store. 10-20 bucks each.

misterzee

I saw prices of around $135 each exchange for the axles recently. I bet labor will run at least $150 each as well. do the math
I read the procedure in the FSM on my 87 and it looked very much like something I can do in my driveway on a nice day. So my plans are to be brave, and do them myself. Specially since they are on the front, I have manual hubs, and they won't be running every mile I drive.
Be brave! Save money! Learn stuff! Good luck!

SoiledGreen98

You can proboaly get new axels for around 90 bucks each with exchange. it'll probably take about an hour to change them out, but it's pretty easy.

94toyota4x4

O man I feel bad for you it took me 6 hours to do one axel my first time, but yea make sure the trosion bars are cranked way down so you can get the axel out, if youre like me and cant get the nut loose on the torrion bar just remove the 4 upper bolts on the bottom ball joint and it should pop right off with a flat head then you can angle it to get it out, hope this helps, but that grease is a bitch.

Strap22

I see you are still ADD. I would start by replacing your hubs with Manual. Also if you do have your T-bars cranked you may consider some SDORI Ball Joint spacers. The are $109. shipped and will reduce the angle of your CV's by 1.5". As for the boots themselves, it is not that difficult to change but your first time you could be there awhile. I second getting exchange axles. It will be faster and you will get a lifetime warranty with them. This won't be your only boot tear I guarantee it and if you wheel it it won't be your only CV axle. If you are interested in the SDORI BJ spacers just send your request to info@trdparts4u.com and Jacque will get back to you. The Warn premium Manual Hubs are under $150 a pair and we can get those for you too. What kind of lift are you running? If you aren't running any yet you may wqant to look in the Vendor section at the 2nd Gen complete setup by OME (Old Man Emu). It is a great setup and I am running it on mine. Let me know if I can help.

curly_c

well my T bars are NOT cranked. and i do belive that its just my Boots that are ripped and my axles are fine. i would not know anything was wrong except that there is grease everywhere. and i do plan on gettin BJ spacers. i have already looked into that and i know exactly what i am getting for the front and back. this is just a bump in the road.

so i can still drive it? cuz i really dont want to drive our crappy arss Taurus

curly_c

BTW Strap i have Downey Hd Coils already. and good job on the new site layout. works way way better than the old one.

Strap22

Driving with torn boots is never a good idea. You want to keep dirt and moisture out as much as possible. Will it be ok? That depends on conditions. Dry non - dirt roads you should be ok. Thanks about the site.

Ertified4Runner

curly,

i replaced both my axles from autozone.com at $140 for both after the core refund, lifetime warrantee, too. it was kind of a bizatch gettin the axles out and back in, but definitely good to know, and saves $90/hr. and i got warn premiums at the same time at $120 to reduce future cv boot hassles--which i'd definitely suggest for you if yer gonna throw in bj spacers.

and don't diss too much on the taurus--when my runner was on stands i drove an 88 tempo that got 30+ mpg's...ain't gonna pick up many chicks, but you'll save on gas

curly_c

so we called the guy i got my truck from and he would do the job for 500 bucks. so i rulled that out. i was going to do it myself then my dad called our other mechanic who we have known for years and he will do the job for 210 including manual hubs that i give him. he will put those on for free. so thats what im going to do. so now i need to find a good set of hubs, i want to stick with Aisin so ebay here i come.

curly_c

well i looked on ebay and didnt find a thing. anybody know another place to look?

da_bigg_wigg

Check out the classified area here on yotatech. Odds are someone is selling them at the moment. You could also check local wreckers for some hubs. You'll definitly want to take those apart and repack them though.

SwampThing

Go to your local offroading shop (that puts on lifts, guards, etc...) and just ask them what they have laying around. I actually got a set of aisin manual hubs for free when I bought my warn hubs. They were just laying there and I asked if they were using em, and they just gave em to me. I've gotten spare tires, rims, blocks, steel braided brake lines, locking lugs, hubs, towing balls, and a whole lot of other free stuff just by being around at the right place at the right time.

Sersiously, a lot of shops order a ton of wrong parts on accident, and dont want to take the time to send them back, and would rather see them put to use than just be chunked. Just caint be afraid to ask. I remember the time I got a free transfer case outta this Chevy that they replaced with one of those slim/low-profile x-case. "Hey danny, that 700r4 belong to anyone? Oh... Well who's np205 is that? No way!? I'll go get my truck and 'dispose' of that for you!"

Strap22

I guess they never heard of EBay! All our left over crap we put in brown paper bags and sell them on EBay. I usually get more than the crap is worth. "One mans junk is another mans treasure". Hope your luck holds out. I love it when you find a diamond in the rough. It don't get any better than FREE.

curly_c

thats a good idea

curly_c

im having no luck at all finding some Aisin hubs, i found a person on craigslist but im waiting for an email back. Warn premium hubs are pretty expensive so i dont really want to buy those.

someguynamedmat

Going a step furher with this, besides adding the manual hubs, what else should be replaced when doing the boots.

I've got all 4 of my boots torn which is teh sukc, so i am not happy. I'll probably be replacing the axles as well so I have my current ones as spares for wheeling.

Also, I am such a noob when it comes to runners, i have found out, so I throw myself upon the mercy of those more intelligent than I.

Are locking hubs compatible with my current setup, and if so, kindly explain why or why not. Thanks..

1990 4runner V6 5 spd 4x4 ~200k mi and a lot of love for the trail.

MonsterMaxx

Replacing boots is not particularly technical. Just time consuming and very messy.

I've tried every boot offered over the years and none seem to really make much difference in life. The very best thing you can do to extend the life of boots is get some manual hubs and stop spinning the CVs all the time.

Strap22

THIS IS TRUE........