CV Boot replacement question

PNWRunner said:
Ive heard some horror stories about Napa, vatozone, orielly, etc... axles breaking off at the groove where the snatch ring sits inside the differential. I cant imagine trying to get that out is harder than changing a boot. Ive busted a OEM shaft right in the middle from poor driving while I was wheeling, but never inside the diff.

If you dont wheel your rig hard, just get the some remans with a lifetime warranty (yes that includes the boot) and change them out every time your boot breaks. Problem solved.

I beat the piss out of mine at least once a month, so I buy used OEM CV's and either reboot them or run them till the puke.

My opinion, OEM is the way to go. The grease that came out of my first torn boot with 200k+ miles looked fairly new, the joints don't get "worn out". Reboot with the boot slide mod and you'll be better of than running some junky discount parts store CV.
Click to expand...

Whats the boot slide mod?
 
PNWRunner said:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/90980-stretch-your-cv-boots.html

Keeps the bellows from rubbing. Only works on new boots, otherwise they will rip.
Click to expand...

I see. I was thinking it was a method of installing the boots. Rather its to make them last longer on a lifted front end.

Im still waiting for the guy above to tell me how to change my boots in 5 minutes :confused: The only way I could see that being possible is if I used the split boots, which are only available for the outters. And I wouldnt really want to use them anyways cause I question how long they would less
 
Shredded CV

Did the toyotec lift and the drivers side inner boot is now a half-boot having been cut in half no idea what happened to the other half....
 
I rebooted with toyota kit mentioned in this thread
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/100940-torn-cv-boot-question-pics.html

Not much more work involved in rebooting compared to swapping the whole half shaft. Need special boot clamp pliers, nitrile gloves, brake cleaner, lots of rags, and some cardboard to catch the mess...in addition to all the tools required to simply swap the half shaft.

I did it unaided armed with some forum research a few weeks ago. Went well.

Initially I planned to wait till they gave out, but
I chose to reboot because:
Lower cost
Oem is more reliable than the much derided part store brands (Napa seems to be regarded better than other brands)
I enjoy wrenching on my t4r.

Mine had been torn for at least the last 15k miles. After removing the old boots, I noticed that out was still fully packed with grease, and there were no visible contaminents. I also noticed no wear on the internals.

1997 195k miles, 3 inch lift on front end
 
1blink said:
I rebooted with toyota kit mentioned in this thread
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/100940-torn-cv-boot-question-pics.html

Not much more work involved in rebooting compared to swapping the whole half shaft. Need special boot clamp pliers, nitrile gloves, brake cleaner, lots of rags, and some cardboard to catch the mess...in addition to all the tools required to simply swap the half shaft.

I did it unaided armed with some forum research a few weeks ago. Went well.

Initially I planned to wait till they gave out, but
I chose to reboot because:
Lower cost
Oem is more reliable than the much derided part store brands (Napa seems to be regarded better than other brands)
I enjoy wrenching on my t4r.

Mine had been torn for at least the last 15k miles. After removing the old boots, I noticed that out was still fully packed with grease, and there were no visible contaminents. I also noticed no wear on the internals.

1997 195k miles, 3 inch lift on front end
Click to expand...
This is good to know. Mine started spraying out grease about 5000 km ago and I'm hoping that they will still be ok when I go to fix them this month.
 
1985taylor1925 said:
Both of my inner cv boots have been ripped for a while now. It seems that there tearing was associated with my lift. I guess just the combo of them being old and weathered plus the added stress of the cv angle from the lift. Have any of you had the same issue?

Anyways, I have found three basic types of boots. A complete boot, a boot with one cut, and a boot but into two halves. I guess with the cut ones you apply an adhesive which binds and seals the rubber slit. But to me this doesnt seem like the most reliable thing. Im guessing if the added cv angle tore my solid boots then it will probable tear the adhesive binding quickly on the slit boots. So I would prefer to put on a solid boot, but I dont know how difficult this would be. The only way to do it is by detaching one side of the cv axel right?

So how many of you have replaced cv boots? Which of the three types did you use? And how difficult would it be to do the solid boot?

As always, the expertise from you guys is invaluable. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I have swapped the cv boots on my older taco and my current 2k 4Runner. As others have said it is a messy job, and a bit time consuming which you indicated is not a problem. I currently (again) have an inner and outer cv boot split (passenger inner and driver outer) no doubt due to my lift and I will be looking to replace both with complete assemblies this time. It is just not worth taking a chance on maybe not having dirt in the cv joint. I caught the first boot split before it opened up all the way but this time I was not so lucky and the boots are split all the way open and grease slung everywhere. So I would not want to have to spend the time (even though you may have it) to do this a second time. The failure could occur when you least expect it and since with the ADD the shafts still turn whether your in 4wd or not a failure is a failure and murphys law dictates it will happen when you dont want it to. As I said earlier I am going to replace both assemblies, just got to figure out who I want to get them from. Not going to replace the boots a third time. Just not worth my exrta time required or aggravation dealing with all that grease. Jm2C.. Good luck with what ever solution you choose.
 
Jack08520 said:
After doing the toyotec lift on my 2002 I'm now also noticing grease coming out the ends of the boots. Question - if you replace the CV and boot will this remedy the problem - or will it just come back because of the angle? Does anyone offer "extended range" boots?
Click to expand...

Off Road solutions offers high angle CV boots. I have a pair that I haven't put on yet because they're pretty labor intensive to just replace the boot. Ive replaced my drivers side CV axle 3 times since I've put on the lift. The NAPA axles that are super cheap with core charge are garbage imo. Here's a link for the ORS boots. High Angle Inner CV Boot » Products » Off Road Solutions

By the way, the ORS boots are poly, so much better quality than oem or napa / autozone boots.

Hope this helps
 
Last edited:
I would recommend rebooting. I ordered 2 sets of axles thru auto zone and both sets all 4 axles came with crushed seals. So I thought I would try a set from Advanced auto parts and both of them had crushed seals. I BIT THE bullet and ordered some extended angle inner boots from OFF ROAD SOLUTIONS, for around 120.00 but in my opinion well worth it. So far they have held up well and its not that bad of a job just very messy.while I had the axles out I also changed my outer boots with autozone boots and axle seals in the Diff.
 
My question is

OEM boots? Or aftermarket?

Who has experience with a boot they like/hasn't ripped..

When replacing these boots, is this a good time for other things while you have it apart like lower ball joints?...
 
I haven't seen this thread in awile. I ended up replacing my cvs with napa remanufactured units (again) and the boots were ripped on both sides within 6 months. That was on a two inch lift and mostly highway miles. No serious off road driving. That's one of the major downfalls of a lift. You spend money to lift the truck and then you're forced to spend more money on things like cvs, diff drop, pan hard drop, brake lines, etc. I'm actually considering bringing my truck back to stock height!
 
My boots ripped soon after I lifted. I found some HD boots and they were advertised as long travel, designed for lifted trucks and bla bla bla... They werent cheap too and what you know, ripped in a month with no wheeling. I rebooted with universal boots, half a year and still holding up. They are more flexible for universal applications. You can get them at any parts store.
 
So, me and another member here (Eddy) rebuilt my CV axles years ago with CVJ's silicone boots (the red ones). It was a gigantic PITA, but we did it, and it was a great learning experience. Now that I've done it once, I would always recommend just pay someone else to do it. If I had to do it again, I would gladly pay $100 and give the CVJ silicone boots to a shop to have them do it. I am glad i know how to remove a CV now, but I could have gotten that experience without the rebuilding mess.

I haven't had any tears or issues since (3" Toytec lift), and I've wheeled a moderate amount. Nothing crazy, but definitely some serious articulation at times that probably would have ripped them if they weren't stronger. The only issue I had was the outer boot's outer clamp came loose. Re-sealed it and it's been fine ever since.
 
I replaced my CV axles with new ones and also rebooted them with ALL PRO OFFROAD EXTENDED CV BOOT. hoping I will not have to worry about a torn boot for a long time. The original CV boots that come with CV axles are no good for lifted trucks. I'd recommend the all pro CV boot.
 
My boots ripped after a lift and i had some mixed opinions on aftermarket vs rebooting. I ended up going with just a reboot, and i rode my boots ripped for almost a month with absolutely no problems.
 
If the boots have been torn for more than a couple days driving then replacing the entire axle is best for longevity, one puddle has enough grit to ruin the knuckle in a very short time
 
LittleCaesar said:
Replace the entire CV if the grease has been puking out because they will bite the farm sooner than later.

If you have managed to keep the grease in the joint, then remove the old inner boot and replace it with a new one. Toyota offers a boot kit. Repack the grease. Put new clips on both sides of the inner boot.

Having done both, I'd opt for the former to make it drivable, and then just reboot one of your OEMs to carry as a spare.
Click to expand...

How do you repack the grease?
 
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