Re-grease CV joint after torn boot?
 

I just got back from the track, and I noticed that one of my CV joint boots was torn. Grease from the CV joint was splattered on the neighboring pieces, which was easy enough to clean off. Nevertheless, I'll purchase a new boot to keep dirt out, but do I need to disassemble and re-grease the CV joint, itself? The boot was torn for several days and a few hours of track time. Is the grease sprayed out of the boot simply "extra", or should it be replenished?

You will need to clean and inspect the CV, then re-pack and install the new boot. Dirt in a CV will shorten the life or even cause failure.


My opinion anyway :)


-Chris

I would remove both axles and replace boots all around. Inspection may show some wear inside the CV joints. Typically the wear will be on one side of the CV ball track. If it hasn't already been done you can reinstall the left axle on the right side and the vice-versa. This will put the CV load against a new surface. Good time to inspect rear wheel bearings too. You might use the search function for more info on this subject.

maybe

you could dig thru the existing grease until you find some that is not contaminated with grit (finger rub test) or water - you are then reducing the risk of accelerated CV wear, but not to zero

how odious is the task of R&R for you?

how much risk of having to pay for a whole new/recon. joint do you want to take?

- that's all anyone can tell you... it's a judgement call where you balance those two factors.

Yep. Dirt kills CV joints. They are very close-tolerance assemblies, and dirt kills them. So yes, you need to disassemble and clean, then repack with substantial amounts of new grease of the right type. High pressure, moly grease. It's not that hard. Find the pics that Warren once posted.

Oh, this is a fun job. There's no way to do it and not make a huge mess. CV boots are "dirt" cheap - ha ha. If you have $500 burning a hole in your pocket, just buy all new CV axles and be done with it.

Thanks for the help, guys. These CV joints are only a year and a couple thousand miles old, so it's a shame to have to refurbish one. Alas, these are the joys of life, right?

And........ we have another CV issue...this seems to be the year for CV servicing.....Oh well my boots only lasted 19 years...what the hell was Porsche thinking by putting such inferior parts on their cars????