Hello,

The cv joints are about to go. The outer cv joint is starting to throw grease, it needs to be taken care of quickly, I know. I think I can get away with just replacing the boot itself, but what brand do I use? Do I go Toyota Parts or something aftermarket? Also, I want to place the bushing and go low profile bumpstops on the front. Any opinions on the best ones?

thanks,
Joe

 

I have found for most of the axles I have done, a quality boot costs 30-35 $$. A rebuilt axle with lifetime guarantee is USUALLY about $100 +/-. I usually go with rebuilt.

 

Autozone sells the rebuilt axle for $60 and a new one for about $150. The boots are cheap but if there is any contamination in that joint now putting a new boot on will be a bandaid fix. I've done it in the past with good results tho - you have to take the whole CV half shaft out so I take it to the local spray car wash, soak it with degreaser (my own) and then use their engine degreaser to get everything clean. Inspect the CV joint itself very closely - if you see any signs of wear then go get a rebuilt one.

The rebuilt unit has slightly larger ball bearings and they regrind the surfaces the balls ride in to give a new finish. Most rebuilt units have a lifetime warranty so you are dollars ahead. I recently got 2 CV half shafts for $60 off a guy on 4x4wire and when they came in they each had new boots - both inner and outer!

 

Yea, if you have a torn boot, just buy a re-man shaft.. they are so cheap, it is a no-brainer compared to the work to replace boots on a 100kish shaft (?) Right?

 

Right! Next time i have a problem with one i'm getting a recon unit. Was possibly the messiest job i've ever done on my Surf. More grease than John Travolta!