Stranded - Change CV Boot?

[Halm]

Looks like I split a CV boot during a GREAT drive with the Phoenix Pelicans yesterday afternoon. My choice is lose a day on my cross county trip home to NC and get a local shop to change it tomorrow or with the help of local Greg Weaver change it myself. The local BAP has one in stock so that is not an issue.

Neither of us have ever done this, so can someone tell me what's involved? Is this something I can handle? Are any special tools needed?

Thanks for the help.

[Mike Kast]

You will need a special tool to get off the clip. ahggggg... I'm in a rush right now to get my daughter to a party so I don't have time to look through the books and post. But this much I do know. If your CV's are perfect maybe the boot emergency change will be the way to go but I don't think it will be a piece of cake. When I bought my car the boots were cracked and I drove it that way for at least 5000 miles with no problems. The problem is loss of CV grease, and there was plenty on the joints when I got around to changing the axles anyway, but the road grit that will get in to the joints... Will be bad if the joints are good. My take on it was if the boots were bad the CV's probably were also on there way out. If I could do it again I would have changed out the joints on my axles since the new axles are a little different than the originals. I wish I could help you out more. But I wouldn't rule out driving home and dealing with the problem under better circumstances. Then again.... I'm a crazy risk taker!

[Early_S_Man]

Hal,

You can do it yourself with snap-ring pliers, 8 mm Hex drive bit, torque wrench, and dead-blow mallet/hammer. The four M10 Allen bolts get torque of 60 lb-ft. You can reuse the Schnorr washers for now, but I would replace them later, after you get home!

I would suggest cleaning and repacking both CV-joints while the axle is off for preventive maintenance purposes. Use Valvoline SynPower Synthetic Grease with Moly -- #985 or #986, if available!

The following thread has posted paged from a VW Bentley manual showing disassembly and reassembly instructions for the Lobro CV-joints:

CV joint disassembly

[Jay Auskin]

I rebuilt my CV joints last week. They were already off the car so it was easy. Here's what you do:

1. remove CV axle assembly (I don't recommend trying it with one half attached

2. Using pliers or a screwdriver, break off the large boot clamp.

3. Using heavy duty snap ring pliers, remove the snap ring on the end of the axle (I tried it with some standard pliers and I couldn't get the snap ring off).

4. Remove CV joint. You might need to pound it off from the inside. Don't worry, you'll be pounding on a washer, and not stressing any of the balls if you pound near the axle.

5. Clean axle.

6. Install new boot. Adding a little grease helps slide it on.

7. install washer and CV joint, followed by snap ring. Pack with new grease, wiping off the old stuff as it oozes out. Squeeze some grease into the boot.

8. Roll the large end of the boot over itself, turning it inside out. Then slide it up to the joint and roll it over the lip of the joint where the boot sits. This is the only way to get the boot on. I tried to just stretch it on for a good hour and a half until I figured this trick out. You just can't get a good handle on a grease covered boot.

9. Install boot clamp.

10. Install into car using new CV gaskets.

Here's what you'll need for parts:
1. CV boot
2. grease
3. 2 CV gaskets
4. CV boot clamp
5. new snap ring (if you break the old one)
6. lots of shop towels/rags...rubber gloves highly recommended too.
7. new CV bolts if you strip the heads on the old ones (star pattern as opposed to standard allen socket head) -- make sure you know the length of yours.

Good luck, it's a messy job, but not too hard (now that you know the boot installation trick.)

[Halm]

Thanks for all the help. Unfortunately, we came up short on the tools, so it looks like a stop at Stuttgart SW first thing in the morning.

[AZ1977911]

Hey Hal,

Are you Up and going? Did Jack get you going?

[John Brandt]

I've seen them CAREFULLY patched with duct tape and last for a weekend of DE and still look ok

[Halm]

Greg, Greetings from Abilene, TX! Up and going great with one miss step. Went in first thing Monday AM and they fixed again what was believed to be the oil leak and the CV boot. I was gone by 10:30 AM to get Julie at the hotel. When I arrived there, the oil leak seemed worse than ever. Loaded up everything and headed to see Jack, AGAIN! Well, the oild leak turned out to be an easy fix this time. It was one of the upper valve cover nuts that was loose and needed to be torqued. But they also found that the boot was torn again after less than 15 miles.

So everything is great. Car is running terrific and we are 2 driving days away from home.

I'll drop this thread a summary of the trip and whn I get a web site ready for everyones pictures from the drive.

[Tim Walsh]

Sounds good hal. Maybe you can meet us after all for a little corner carving.