CV joint.

[MT4runner]

so im pretty sure my drivers side CV joint has gone bad. when i de-accelerate the front vibrates bad. only when im in 4 wheel drive also. when i was putting my winter tires on i noticed a rip in the boot also so that could be a problem. it usually only does it when im going under 25. i havent noticed it at high speeds. so what do you guys think?
Thanks

 

[fourwd1]

Should be worse when you turn to that side if it's a CV.
Is vibe coming from that side too?

 

[MT4runner]

ya its definitely from that side.... i havent really noticed it when turning though... i keep that in mind next time i drive it. which will be tomorrow.

 

[imike420]

I think my CV is bad too. It makes a thumping sound when I turn and again when I straighten out. I was wondering if it's ok to drive it in 2wd for a while till I save up for a new axle or if that might make something else go bad?

 

[MT4runner]

you shouldnt have to replace you whole axle though. just replace your CV joints.


anyways. i noticed that it did sound worse when i turn that way....

 

[MikeFromShiloh]

Mine is shot too, drivers side. It is completely gone, will not pull when locked in.
Looked around for parts. I found the half shaft assembly Napa, autozone, Orileys, most list for 60-80. jobshop price from napa was 51 (list 61) looks to be like this is best. i would bet the boots and cv joint would be this much.
anybody have any prices on the parts?

 

[imike420]

Does anyone know if it's ok to drive with the cv broken if I just keep it in 2wd or will it damage something else?

 

[ovrrdrive]

I bought my CV's from Autozone... $69 each with a lifetime, no questions asked warranty. You can't beat it and at that price with that warranty it isn't even worth rebuilding or trying to change boots.

And yes it's fine to put off changing them if you only drive in 2wd. If you had manual hubs they wouldn't make any noise at all but with auto hubs or ADD they're going to be pretty loud until you change them. If it's too bad you can try greasing the joints and maybe duct taping them or something. They're not going to blow out or anything like that if you ignore them...

 

[imike420]

Thanks! Also, is it very difficult to change the axle? I also agree that it would be easier and more cost efficient than just replacing the joints and boots.

 

[ovrrdrive]

It's an involved job but not really bad. You have to take the hubs off and deal with the cone washers there. Word has it that if you knock out the studs from the diff you can change the CV's without undoing anything else. A lot of people knock out the studs and either grind the flanges off or replace them with grade 8 bolts. If you leave the studs in it's hard to get the CV past them so it will drop out.

If you don't want to mess with the studs you can just unbolt the lower ball joint and you can lift the spindle out of the way to make it easier to remove.

I did mine when I did my lift and the spindles were loose anyway.