Trying to save CV boots before they tear...

[ShooterMcGavin]

Yes, I have done lots of searching and reading...

Is there a solution, to stretch the CV boots or otherwise, that can be done without removing the CVs from the truck?

 

[All Pro Off Road]

You should be able to un-clamp the small end and slide it down the shaft until the fins are father apart, but not too stretch, then re-clamp without removing it. You may want to consider a hose clamp like the ones we sell with our long travel CV boots for lifted trucks. They also have rounded edges so they won't cut into the boot. The crimp style clamps are hard to re-attach without the proper tool. Good luck with the mod. It does help.

 

[BrianSD_42]

They get all the stretching they need everyday you drive the truck.

The best thing you can do is set aside some cash for the day when one or more finally tear.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Thanks for the tips.

Reading through the online search results for this problem, I'm inferring that the boots will slide back toward the CV joint over time since there is a lot of talk about clamping something under the boot. Is that true? ...and is there any way to prevent that?

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'll defer to someone more technical to answer that.

Here is my experience ... I've owned my 1997 4Runner since 67K around mid 2002. I'm now at 232K miles and it's been 13 years.

My first CV joint BOOT went out in mid 2012 with over 200k miles on the ODO.

My other CV joint BOOT started to leak due to cracks a few weekends ago in Moab.

When you look at a CV you can see that just with normal movement they get plenty of stretch so I don't understand what you mean by taking it apart and stretching it. The most likely thing to happen if you take off a 10 year old CV boot is it will fall apart and then you will be replacing it early.

When a CV boot leaks it isn't the end of the world. It doesn't even mean you have to stop your trip. Just drive it home at the end of the trip then replace the boot and fully clean and re-grease the insides of the CV. It is the kind of thing you fix within a week or two. Just make sure you don't go 6 months and let crud or salt get up in there.

The only real preventative maintenance would be to find a spare CV and bring it with you on trips (I don't do this but perhaps I should consider it) AND to check the boots for cracks and tears every few months.

If you want your CV boots to last another 200,000 miles then replace them with OEM Toyota boots.

 

[habanero]

Because my inner boot's lobes were rubbing holes into each other I looked into it same as you are doing now. When I stretched and reclamped mine while they were on the truck (aftermarket A1 Cardone by that point) I ran a little mechanics wire between the new clamps because I'd read over and over about the slipping. It was perhaps a bit hoopty, but they stopped eating themselves and it stayed like that for a couple of years or so until I went with manual hubs. Problem? What problem? (Actually rebooting those this month- the rubber's dead, Jim)

I don't know how much luck you'd have trying it with the original boots. You may end up having to reboot them anyway. Toyota does have nice reboot kits when you're ready to get really really greasy. It's not even real hard to do and there's a nice write-up around here somewhere.

 

[Chuckles89]

I ran a little mechanics wire between the new clamps because I'd read over and over about the slipping. It was perhaps a bit hoopty, but they stopped eating themselves and it stayed like that for a couple of years or so until I went with manual hubs.

Mine are leaking (and have been for a while- they are also worn out haha). Do the hose clamps and wire cause vibrations? I am pretty sure CVs are balanced, but it might not matter. I would do this if I knew they would be fine.

 

[GSPRunner]

I'll defer to someone more technical to answer that.

Here is my experience ... I've owned my 1997 4Runner since 67K around mid 2002. I'm now at 232K miles and it's been 13 years.

My first CV joint BOOT went out in mid 2012 with over 200k miles on the ODO.

My other CV joint BOOT started to leak due to cracks a few weekends ago in Moab.

When you look at a CV you can see that just with normal movement they get plenty of stretch so I don't understand what you mean by taking it apart and stretching it. The most likely thing to happen if you take off a 10 year old CV boot is it will fall apart and then you will be replacing it early.

When a CV boot leaks it isn't the end of the world. It doesn't even mean you have to stop your trip. Just drive it home at the end of the trip then replace the boot and fully clean and re-grease the insides of the CV. It is the kind of thing you fix within a week or two. Just make sure you don't go 6 months and let crud or salt get up in there.

The only real preventative maintenance would be to find a spare CV and bring it with you on trips (I don't do this but perhaps I should consider it) AND to check the boots for cracks and tears every few months.

If you want your CV boots to last another 200,000 miles then replace them with OEM Toyota boots.

What he's talking about is, depending on how much you lift the front of your truck there is more angle on the CV and it causes the boot fins to rub against each other, causing them to tear prematurely. Some people have been able to stretch the boot by pulling the end on the shaft down and clamping it so the fins don't rub together. I have this problem shooter, some people have been able to stretch boots with success. I will be going with CVJ axles in the near future that come with longer boots, ridding the problem of the boots rubbing.

 

[BrianSD_42]

In my case I lifted the front end 2.5" which is pretty close to the max.

This lift was put on around 2008 and it has been running lifted for about 7 years now via the SS 1.2 kit and I did not suffer any premature boot failures.

I think if you stick with only 2.5" lift in the front you will be fine.

 

[habanero]

Mine are leaking (and have been for a while- they are also worn out haha). Do the hose clamps and wire cause vibrations? I am pretty sure CVs are balanced, but it might not matter. I would do this if I knew they would be fine.

I wouldn't do it unless your boot lobes (or fins) are rubbing thin spots into each other. There would be obvious grooves. I did not notice a difference other than not dealing with holey cv boots. Most people don't do the wire, that was my own little bit of rigging. There's a great write up on here and Toyota's boot kit is very nice and not screaming expensive for what you get....
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/120439-reboot-your-cv-axles.html

In my case I lifted the front end 2.5" which is pretty close to the max.

This lift was put on around 2008 and it has been running lifted for about 7 years now via the SS 1.2 kit and I did not suffer any premature boot failures.

We have the same lift. I put mine on the 96 in 2009. Weird how some trucks are cool with the cvs and some, like mine was, are boot eating buttheads.

 

[Chuckles89]

I wouldn't do it unless your boot lobes (or fins) are rubbing thin spots into each other. There would be obvious grooves. I did not notice a difference other than not dealing with holey cv boots. There's a great write up on here and Toyota's boot kit is nice....

I am just going to squirt CV grease in the boots and do the clamps. That should hold me off until I can find some manual hubs. I don't think it would be worth rebooting them since the driver's side one clunks at 70 MPH when I change lanes to the left.

 

[BrianSD_42]

It could be the climate. My truck is in San Diego and the conditions are pretty good. Perhaps that helps the rubber to last a bit longer.