Diagnosing bad CV axle

[watersna]

Last year, I put in a 2" lift on my 99 LTD. Turns out I should have read up on CV boot stretching back then because recently I've been hearing a rhythmic click-ish sound on deceleration. Looked under the vehicle and both inner CV boots are torn. So time for new CV Axles. I've had the car for about 75,000 miles and have no idea how old they were then so it would have been time soon anyway.

The complication is that it turns out reman CV axles are in very short supply at the moment and they told me they had one in stock they could ship me but that they may not be able to get a second in for several months. I figure I'll change out the one now so that I'm sitting one just one ticking time bomb instead of two.

With that in mind, does anyone know if there's a good way to figure out which of the axles is in more dire need of replacement? Just climb underneath and check for play? Any other good ways? and is there anything I can do for the other in the meantime to try to keep it going for another couple months?

Thanks

 

[Bad Luck]

Last year, I put in a 2" lift on my 99 LTD. Turns out I should have read up on CV boot stretching back then because recently I've been hearing a rhythmic click-ish sound on deceleration. Looked under the vehicle and both inner CV boots are torn. So time for new CV Axles. I've had the car for about 75,000 miles and have no idea how old they were then so it would have been time soon anyway.

The complication is that it turns out reman CV axles are in very short supply at the moment and they told me they had one in stock they could ship me but that they may not be able to get a second in for several months. I figure I'll change out the one now so that I'm sitting one just one ticking time bomb instead of two.

With that in mind, does anyone know if there's a good way to figure out which of the axles is in more dire need of replacement? Just climb underneath and check for play? Any other good ways? and is there anything I can do for the other in the meantime to try to keep it going for another couple months?

Thanks

Are you wanting OEM or a specific brand of cv axle? I don’t mind helping look for you if you can tell me what exactly you are looking for.

As far as determining which side is worse, the best way is to put it in 4wd and drive it on a lift and listen. Not exactly an option for most folks though.

 

[mtbtim]

They usually make a clicking sound on tight turns when they are going bad. Roll your windows down and turn tight circles in a safe area like an empty parking lot and listen. Whichever wheel is the outside wheel seems to be the one that will make the noise. If you make a tight left turn, it will be the right wheel. If it's a tight turn, it will be the left wheel.

People drive on torn boots for very long times without them failing. The axle can easily last you a couple months.

 

[JoeT4R]

If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend a diff drop kit. They're cheap and will save your axles some stress. I'll be completely honest, and this isn't good to do, or admit, but I drove around on a ripped axle boot since 2018 up until April of this year and had no issues, clicking/clunking, anything. Again, definitely would not recommend.

I ended up going with the Napa 1258 heavy duty axles (new, not reman) but they are basically Trakmotive axles, which can be found on RockAuto for about half the price I paid. Link is here: More Information for TRAKMOTIVE TO8043ET
These will fit your truck and are currently in stock, so grab them while you can!

So far, I've had great results with them. If/when you do your axle job, I'd also recommend doing your axle seals, no matter the condition of them. Might as well do them while you're in there, and OEM seals for both sides came out to about $50~ for me. Not a job you'd want to have to do after installing your new axles.