Like many others on here, I have this problem. The leaks are at both outer clamps on the inner joint. I keep an eye on them, and the leak started a somtime on my recent road trip to California. I drove back from Cali on them (>1,500 miles) without any problems. Last week I had the dealer take a look, and they told me the leaks were minor and I did not have to worry about them yet, and that I could still drive it, but that I should have them fixed sooner or later. They quoted me $800 to replace the boots on both sides. I asked if they could just replace the clamps, but they said the shafts should be pulled and the joints cleaned out properly and repacked.

From reading numerous posts on here about this problem, I have decided it makes more sense for now to just replace the clamps and maybe inject a bit more grease into the boot. If the leak is as minor as the dealer implied, then I don't think cleaning it out and repacking it is all that necessary. I figure if they keep leaking, or the problem gets worse after replaceing the clamps I haven't lost too much and can let them do a more thorough job. The concern is that there might be contaminants inside the boot already.

Any opinions? I was thinking of asking the tire shop if they could replace the clamps for me when I get new tires put on soon. Alternatively I might try the repair myself in which case I have a few questions:

After removing the old clamps, can I just push the boot back towards a joint a bit to clean the shaft before reclamping it?

What should I use to clean the area that won't get into the boot and break down the grease?

Any speacific type or size of clamp needed?

Anything else I should know or be aware of?

Here are some pics:

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new boots and clamps should cure it

You could just , knowing you'll have to do more later.

Inspect the boots for rips and tears where dirt could get in. If there's none or they're minimal you could just replace the clamps for now, and plan on doing the boots later.

But if there's a lot of damage to the boots allowing a lot of dirt in, it can damage the CV joints. In which case it maybe better to have them cleaned/repacked and new boots done now.

If the boots are not torn or broken then don't listen to the stealer that wants to make a big profit swapping your half shafts. Do the clamp work yourself real cheap.

Check the link in my signature for my thread on doing the clamp repair. The main consideration is what comes out after you undo the clamp. On my driver side I had water instantly pour out so it turned into a more involved milkshake cleanup. Later, on the passenger side, all I did was the clamp because of the lack of moisture. Sounds like this is your case because you caught it early.

Basically, remove the clamp, push back the boot on the shaft, wipe it down with a rag, move the boot back and install a clamp. That simple or go the more involved route and remove both clamps on the boot to regrease. Messy but still simple and cheap.

Thanks for the info, I remember your thread on this.

The dealer doesn't even want to replace the half shafts, just the boots and clamps, but they insisted they had to remove the half shafts to properly clean out the joint.

Then that's definitely an $800 ripoff.

Spread out the cardboard, DIY and smile.

Depends on what that means.

If they mean clean and repack the CV joint, that's a fair price (maybe a little high). There's a lot of labor to remove the shafts and repack the joints.

If they mean the clean area where the boot meets the axle and put on a new clamp, that's a ridiculous price.

They meant to remove the shaft, clean and repack the joint. Based on what people on here have said, that is in the right ball park, but I am just not sure it is really necessary. If the cheap fix doesn't work, and even worse if it destroys the joint, it probably isn't THAT much more expensive to replace the entire shaft. From what I understand, although the replacement shafts are more expensive than just the boot kit, but the labour of installing them will be less than the labour of cleaning and repacking.

The boots appear to be in good shape. I have not driven through much if any water since the leaks started. However I have done over 1,500 miles of driving, and spent a week driving offroad in the dusty/sandy desert, so there might be chance of crap inside the boot.

If I go for just the replacement clamp, should I add any (and how much) grease to joint?

Good thinking. Either way they have to take the shaft out so may as well wait until you actually rip a boot. I don't think anything got inside.

As for the grease, I don't think you need to do that. If you want to do it, that will involve removing the large clamp to move the boot and feed the grease inside.

Let us know how you do.

You can't get to the CV joint to grease it with the boot on.
You could could cut-off the (larger) clamp and slide the boot over to access it, then replace both clamps. As for what size clamps, get a tape measure and measure them. Also it takes a special tool to tighten them properly, and the cheap version of the tool is crap.

I though there were non-OEM CV clamps that I could buy that crimp with pliers (like what Kmvreter used), or use a worm gear (like in the write up on 120). I was going to start buy going to the auto parts store tomorrow and seeing what they have.

I also thought there was a way to inject grease into the boot without removing it.

If you can put it off for a little while, you can go to West Marine: Home Page and they have the narrower screw type hose clamps and order them. They "marine" (boat) clamps are not as wide as the ones used on autos. Just do a search for hose clamps. I got this info off the fj cruiser forum and hopefully the ones we need are the same size as the ones used on the fj, if not, they have all sizes listed. The ones that fit the cruiser boots are: #9347493 (large ones) and #9347410 (small ones). The part numbers are the same for SAE ones and also same for the metric ones. Hope this helps.

Thanks, that looks like what Expat used over on 120 in his write up. Certainly a better option that the wider standard hose clamps with sharp edges. Since I happen to live on the coast there is no shortage of marine suppliy shops so I will check them out today. The part number you suggest is the same one used by Expat on 120 on his 4th gen 4Runner, so it should fit.

Edit: There are two West Marine's in Vancouver, so that will be my first stop of the day.

I did the job today.

I picked up a couple of the marine hose clamps for a total of ~$3.50. I looked at some crimp style CV bands like what Kmvreter used at the autop parts store for about $1.5 each that crimp with end-cut pliers, but passed on them since I don't have the pliers and didn't feel like buying them. I also like that the worm gear clamps can be loosend so I can add grease to joint at a later time if desiered.

It took me about half an hour to change the outer clamp on both inner CV boots. It was straightforward and uneventful. I did notice that the driver side looked worse than the a few days, so I am glad I got to it today. I wasn't sure how much to tighten the new clamps. I tightened them reasonably tight with a screwdriver to make sure they hold.

Here are some pictures:

First is the driver side looking messier than the picture in my first post. I have done about 60 city miles since the first pic was taken. (I did over 1,500 miles since noticing hte problem and taken the first pics.)

The rest are after pictures with the new clamp taken from under the front on each side, then from behind the wheel in the wheel well.

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How are you guys packing the joint and boot, and when do you know that you have enough in there? I HAVE to do this upgrade this weekend. Mine is pretty bad, I hope that I didn't cause any damage.