CV boot torn - can I drive on it?

[riffman12]

Hey guys

Smelled a burning sort of smell that I've never had before on the runner. Looked underneath, right side inner CV boot is torn/mangled and grease has been flung everywhere.

I'm currently at my parents' cabin at Lake Tahoe, where I have no tools, and no real access to a dealership / yota repair place.

Is it safe to drive the ~200 freeway miles back to my house where i have tools and a closer proximity to repair shops?

Is the burning smell from the CV joint, or just from the grease being flicked onto the exhaust / hot engine components?

How much should I expect to pay for the stealership to replace the boot and repack the joint with grease?

Thanks a lot. Truck is a 2000 highlander

 

[4Running Daily]

You can drive on it. Easy. I had a torn boot with the same smell and didn't replace it for another thousand miles. Replace when you get time. Do it yourself, it's pretty simple.

 

[SgtAbn]

"4 Running Daily" is absolutely correct - you can drive on it. Fix it as soon as you can but I have NEVER seen 4x4 front ends hold up like those on a Toyota.

I was hunting in Africa in 2002 and I noticed there were a few Jeeps, Fords, and GMC's in town but not in the middle of nowhere, I hunted 3 areas in the middle of "nowhere" in Namibia, Africa. Outside of the cities, 90% of the 4x4's were Toyota's and the other 10% were Land Rover's. I have owned a few Land Rovers and they have strengths but they cant hold a candle to a Toyota 4x4 in terms of reliability. My three German hunting guides had all Toyota's and one had both BUT all of them said that the number one reason they drove and preferred Toyota's was due to reliability, because they are hundreds of miles away from a mechanic everyday. When I questioned them further about why they believed the reliability was so superior - they all unanimously said that ANY OTHER 4X4 HAS TO HAVE THE FRONT END REBUILT ALMOST EVERY TWO YEARS OUT HERE BECAUSE OF THE HARSHNESS OF THE TERRAIN - BUT NOT THE TOYOTA'S! When I returned from Africa, it wasn't long before I sold my 1998 Range Rover HSE and bought a 1998 T4R.

One last thing- I am a military guy and it always amazes me when people save their hard-earned money and buy a high quality firearm and then if they are fortunate enough to shoot it enough so they have to rebuild / or replace a part or two - THEN THEY BUY THE CHEAPEST PARTS THEY CAN FIND and wonder why their expensive brand name firearm is a piece of unreliable junk. POINT BEING = If you rebuild / repair your T4R with cheap non-Toyota parts from your local auto parts store - then you DO NOT HAVE TOYOTA QUALITY anymore - so why buy a toyota to begin with?

The ONLY time I have found aftermarket parts to be of higher quality than OEM Toyota parts is in replacing my rear sway bar "L link" end on one side. The dealer charged me 120+ but did not include a "stay". Since I really needed it done ASAP I bought one from a local Advance Auto Parts store made by "Noog" $50. or something like that. The "Noog" had a grease fitting installed on it and in my mind this is superior to one that does not.

I hope this was of some help.

 

[gannonrt]

I have driven many miles (500+) on a torn boot in a Cleveland winter. Eventually the water and salt got in and the joint itself "blew up". Unfortunately, at that time I didn't know how to replace a front half axle so I had it towed to the dealership and replaced. The total cost was ~$600. This past spring I broke my front half axle and bought a replacement from Advanced Auto Parts. It was GTP brand. The replacement took about 3 hours to do with a buddy but now that I've done it it could be done in 30 minutes. It is as technically difficult as changing a set of brake pads. I agree with Sgt above that you should not use non-OEM for this new CV. I regret using the GTP because the exposed metal has surface rust. Additionally, I've seen posts of non-OEM axles breaking off inside the front diff while offroading. No amount of money saved can possibly ever make up for that type of nightmare repair situation. You can order a remanufactured front axle from this site here: CVJ Axles - Remanufactured Axles & Power Racks. They'll give you a credit when you send your axle back to them with the torn boot. Several people on this site recommend them and I've spoken with the company owner. He does top notch work.

 

[JayRolla]

Ive driven thousands of miles on torn boots, not to mention launching an AWD car with 400whp over and over.

I have had a torn boots on my 4runner a few times and ran them for over thousands of miles through hell and back. Just make sure you keep them out of mud and sand, keep them clean. Replace ASAP. LOL

 

[LittleCaesar]

Replace when you can. It is not an Oh s*&t problem that needs to be fixed right away. If you have the tools to change them yourself, I'd go with some NAPA or Oreilys. You will become proficient in changing them.

Otherwise, if you know of a good axle shop that can rebuild them, try that avenue first.

 

[KidVermicious]

I'd go with some NAPA or Oreilys. You will become proficient in changing them.

Do this only if you don't wheel your truck. If you're hard at all on your rig, I'd go Toyota or from a reliable rebuilder like CVJ mentioned above. The auto chain rebuilds shouldn't be trusted in a truck that gets used.

 

[Dous]

Do this only if you don't wheel your truck. If you're hard at all on your rig, I'd go Toyota or from a reliable rebuilder like CVJ mentioned above. The auto chain rebuilds shouldn't be trusted in a truck that gets used.

If you don't mind changing them it doesn't really matter. I have one Autozone and one CVJ axle. They are both holding up the same, except the Autozone model was $50 for a brand new axle with life time warranty. The CVJ was $150 with no warranty.

 

[riffman12]

thanks a lot guys

drove it back down the mountain, safe on my driveway now.

I think I'm going to order a boot kit (inner and outer boot, clamps, and grease) and do it myself next weekend

 

[atalarico]

Yep, HungryEddy and I rebuilt my CV axles. It's a PITA, but it's doable. I went about a month before doing it and my CV axles didn't seem to mind. I went with the silicone boots from CVJ. They're durable...and a hot red color. =p

 

[PNWRunner]

Ive got 2 blown boots, and they've been ripped since the middle of winter. Theres a slight "whirring" coming from the drivers CV, but im not concerned. 210k miles on both before they blew, and Ive put about 10k since. I have OEM replacements and will get them in when I find the time. But for now, ehhhh its a Toyota. :hatsoff: