cv boots ripped

[don's 4runner]

I own a 91 4runner 4X4, 3.0 auto with 360k

My cv boots are ripped and leaking and have been for quite a while now.

Should I just put new axle halves in it and be done, or just replace the cv boots only? I know someone that will replace the axles for 60 bucks a side.(is that a fair price)

If I'm going to buy new axles, who sells the better axle. I have carquest, auto zone and napa, close to me.

 

[90 t4r]

auto zone has lifetime warranty on theirs so if they go bad again you just swap them out. and i would just do the whole thing for this reason as well because you basically have to take the axles out to put new cv boots on and you run the risk of the the joints being messed up since you say they have been ripped for a while.

 

[run4yota]

dido.. just replace them, you'll be glad you did later. to make the installation and removal of the old ones incredibly easy punch out the 6 bolts on either side that hold the cv to the differential.. the cv's will drop out much easier.

 

[glideraz]

dido replace them and yes autozone has the lifetime warranty i just ripped a boot last night wheelin and they say boots and all are covered:biggrin2:

 

[ChoochCharlie]

The mechanic I started with when I was 16, he used to charge the same price to change the boots or install new halfs, parts and labor. He told me it was to emphasize the fact that it was better to just do the axles.
I took his advice... and did them myself.

 

[fishrod]

$60 bucks each side? bargain.

Up in Canada here I paid $30 or $40 a side for the boots only (shafts were more like $120 each) and now one of my CV's I can hear is going.

Wish I paid the extra and did the whole thing.

 

[coreman23]

dido.. just replace them, you'll be glad you did later. to make the installation and removal of the old ones incredibly easy punch out the 6 bolts on either side that hold the cv to the differential.. the cv's will drop out much easier.

I'm getting ready to do this and have heard of punching out the bolts before, but can't really get the concept. Does anybody have a picture of where you would do this?

Can they install, if you punch out the bolts?

Sorry, I'm a newbie. I've done brakes, and think I can replace the CV, just want to know everything before I get into it.

 

[coreman23]

I'm getting ready to do this and have heard of punching out the bolts before, but can't really get the concept. Does anybody have a picture of where you would do this?

Can they install, if you punch out the bolts?

Sorry, I'm a newbie. I've done brakes, and think I can replace the CV, just want to know everything before I get into it.

Can anybody explain this further?

 

[run4yota]

the cv's are a major pain in the A$$.. i mean MAJOR PITA... you have to do like 6 extra steps to work them out of the hole and off the bolts.

the bolts have a splined shaft that is wedged into a splined hole. remove the 6 nuts that hold the CV to the differential then take a punch and put it on the side of the bolt that had the nut and hit it with a big hammer a few times and the bolt will pop out.

after all the bolts have been removed the cv will literally drop out with no effort. you can put it back together with the original bolts, or get some at a hardware store that are not splined so in the future you dont have to punch them out with a hammer

hope this helps!

 

[run4yota]

dont forget to remove the hub and take off the big snap ring and nut that hold the chaft to the hub side. be sure to re grease before re assmbling... i'd give the whole job a 3/10

if one were changeing oil and 10 was and engine rebuild i'd say 3/10 if you remove the bolts. if you leave them in it's about a 5-6/10.. much more complicated

 

[Ape Runner]

I JUST did one of my inner boots that got the tiniest hole in it. It was absolutely cake, not that messy, and rather than have an aftermarket CV or halfshaft in there, I still have the OEM, which I think we'd all agree is a hell of a lot better.

This is a better option (replacing boot only) IF you catch the tear right away, so as to prevent dirt and.or moisture from damaging the joint. Such was the case for me. I know most say go ahead and replace the whole thing, but it's worth posting that it's not any more difficult to replace the boot(s), and it's a half the cost.

 

[havenoclu]

I replaced both half shafts on my 95 without removing any of the 6 studs on the differential flange. If I ever have to do it again, I will be punching out at least 2 of them per side. Major pain in the ass.. Oh and if those nuts haven't been removed in a while, pb blast them the night before really well. Mine were extremely tight.