wormhole

Both inner cv boots are torn. Crap!!!

BajaRunner

Then stop tearing them!!!!

icerunner

Hey,
Whats involved in replacing these boots....Just "regrease/repack and replace" the boots or is there more to it then that?

hross14

i would just replace the axles and be done. they are easy to do.....

mkgarrison5

do you guys still recommend the advance auto lifetime axles or stick with stock? my stock ones have lasted 120k miles so far.. granted i am easy on them but hey i aint complaining..

cackalak han

I have not had to change out the axle in my Tacoma yet, but on my past race cars, I used NAPA axles.

First, do NOT just replace and repack the boots. Few have gotten away with this, but majority of the time, your axles will snap. Even a tiny bit of dirt that gets in through the tear will chew up the CV joint.

Secondly, Autozone, Advanced Auto, etc. all sell two types of axles. Remanufactured, and brand new. The reman's are a little bit cheaper, BUT numerous people that I know have snapped them in a short amount of time. Some have had them last, but it's really a crap shoot. The price difference is just a few dollars (i.e. for my car, it was $99 for new and $80 for reman--same lifetime warranty). Get the new axle. It really won't matter where you get them, since it was apparent that they were all from the same manufacturer. Just look for the cheapest price and that the place guarantees them for life.

GSGALLANT

You shouldn't post bad info that could mislead others. Many people (that have the ability to) will rebuild their stock CV axles when they tear a boot, and it will still outlast many new aftermarket axles. The stock Toyota CV's are hard to beat for quality and durability.

As long as you don't drive for months and months with a badly torn boot that slings all its grease out, the joints will be perfectly fine (an inspection will confirm this when you get it apart and cleaned out.) The key is making sure the joint is well cleaned before you repack it. I also recommend going with OEM boot kits for the repair. I've tried several aftermarket boots and have yet to find one that will outlast a Toyota boot.

It comes down to personal preference as to whether people want to spend the time rebuilding a perfectly good Toyota axle, or spend a bit less time and a bit more money buying aftermarket parts.

cackalak han

How am I posting bad info? First, how many people find out RIGHT when the tear occurs? Even if it's been torn for a few days, you have a good chance of getting dirt in there, especially in a 4WD rigs that we all have, it's more likely to see dirt.

Second, IF the dirt hasn't already torn everything up already, you have to take the axle off and THOROUGHLY clean everything. If you miss a spot, all your efforts were in vain.

Third, just because the axles are OEM, doesn't mean they're bombproof. Many of the reman. axles are OEM. That is why parts stores give you a credit for the core. They take them apart, repack and resell. The problem is, even with those guys cleaning them all out and inspecting them, we still had people snap axles. One guy snapped his 5 times in a year on his daily driver.

For ME, I hate doing axles. I'd rather put in a new one with a lifetime warranty than mess with a used axle that may or may not hold up.

drguitarum2005

join the club! my pass. side inner boot has been torn and missing grease for going on 2 years now. my driver's side inner boot tore and is missing grease for about the past 3 months. i'm drivin them til they break. im actually surprised the pass. one has held up in 4wd off road with no grease etc. i can't afford to replace the axles anyway so if it aint broke, i aint fixin it

GSGALLANT

For people that regularly dunk the lower part of their vehicles in mud or dirty water, I agree. Normal driving on dusty roads, however... you won't get enough dirt getting into a boot tear to cause a problem for a long time (assuming the tear is not large enough to sling all the joint's grease out).

For this, the inner joint is certainly easier than the outer joint, because you can take the inner joint completely apart. It is still quite do-able with the outer joint if you have a pan-full of mineral spirits or varsol. It does take a bit of time (an hour or so) to properly tear down, clean, re-pack, and re-assemble a CV axle.

I agree. They are not bomb-proof, although I would argue that most of the failures are not caused by dirt in the joints, but rather by turning much larger than stock tires, or by "spinning tires with steering wheel turned to full lock, with wheel intermittently touching the ground as the vehicle bounces while trying to get past an obstacle" type of situations... and I'd rather rebuild my own OEM axles, then buy OEM axles that have been rebuilt by somebody else.

I also agree that I hate doing axles... but that's also why I choose to rebuild mine, so that I don't have to replace aftermarket ones more often. I know it's easier to just take the old out and install the new in, but including set up time (placing vehicle on jack stands, getting tools out, etc...), it really only adds about an hour to the job to rebuild it.

There is no right and wrong (this has been debated lots). Just personnal preference.

BajaRunner

I've replaced and repacked my stock axles with new boots and grease... I've never had problems except when I don't have the correct tools to tighten the clamps hard enough and they seep out a little grease, in which I retighten.

Never heard of people snapping axles that much due to repacking?

hross14

Me personally, i would go with Crack--Peice of mind that the thing isnt going to granade when i am out on the trail or even worse--in traffic.

Napa makes a good axles (or at least their manufacturer). From experience, once those boots open--its time to replace. People get away with it--yes, but thats not the 200$ savings i want.

wormhole

Up it's heading to Big-O tommorow to get fixed.

Dealer - $680 to replace both inner boots
Big-O - $300 (pep boys and midas where around the same).

Could I do this myself, no. Since I don't have the experience, the tools or space to do so.


I've also heard of breaking the aftermarket CV Joints.

crolison

Do you have a 35mm socket a 14mm (i think) socket and a prybar?

You can do it then. Its not hard, what are you gonna do when you blow one on the trail?

drguitarum2005

lol if you asked me all that i'd have to say no, yes and no. nothin like bein a poor college kid who can't afford "unordinary" tools right? if i blow one on the trail i'm going to hope whoever i'm with has the tools. guess it's good i can't afford to wheel anymore

mkgarrison5

how do you fix a torn boot?

crolison

I would just pull the cv and swap it for a new one at autozone or advanced.

They aren't that much for the socket, you can also go with roughly a 1 3/8 socket for it or a 36mm.

All i need for mine is 10, 12, 14mm sockets, prybar and brass hammer.

mkgarrison5

so basically to replace the front axle you take the tire off, take disc and brake assembly off. disconnect brake line and pull out the shaft?

cackalak han

I haven't done one on my Tacoma, but I can do one on a Honda in less than 30 minutes. You don't have to take off the brakes. Looking at these steps, it's pretty straight forward. No way I'd pay someone that much to do this. Besides, if you're ever on a trail and snap an axle, you aren't left there stranded not knowing what to do.

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/cv_axle/

mkgarrison5

now that looks confusing lol...