The front right cv boot has been ripped for a couple of weeks now. There is no clicking noise as of yet. Can I just clean out the joint, regrease, and replace the boot or should I replace the whole axle? I need an new inspection sticker.......would I fail the inspection because of the ripped boot?

 

I forgot to mention that a mechanic wants to charge me $300 to replace the axle......Im thinking of doing it myself as an amateur mechanic. He gave me some bs about the right side being harder to replace than the left, therefore the higher price.

 

If I remember correctly the right axle has 3 bolts in it, that is the only thing that makes it hard. If you like to work on your car go to autozone and pick up the Haynes book for your Max it is pretty much staight forward. good Luck.

 

Dont try to repair the joint, it's not worth the time and effort. Also, dont buy an $89 remanufactured axle from AutoZone or Pep Boys. They are NOT very durable.

Get a NEW axle for $125 from www.raxles.com and install it yourself. It's a 2 hour job in the driveway.

 

If it was open for couple of weeks,i t may be too late...The dirt is already in there. If you want to give t a try,you could do it . Just make sure that when you have (the CV) apart ,you get rid of the old grease. I ve done about 10 Cv boot replacements, and never had any other problem. As an advice, I would check the other side, and if the boot is already cracked, I d look into replacement BEFORE would open. Unless, you decide to go for new ones...

 

If it's open for 10 seconds it's already too late...

 

$60 for a replacement axle @ autozone. That would be the better deal. At least thats what I did.

 

How do you know its only been two weeks...? if thats all it is, its probably safe to just put a new boot on. However, my rule has always been if you car has above 100K to get the whole thing replaced. if you have 80-90K, and its only been two weeks, it will be OK...the steel in there is really really hard stuff...but clean it good and use a good grease. If you plan to keep it, Raxles.com is the way to go for a replacement, otherwise minimize your costs with a reman from AZ or PEP....most have a lifetime gaurantee anyway....

 

I agree with astil and ivelweyz....that the thing to do is have the cj joint replaced. Once the boot is ripped and allows dirt and junk to get in, its toast.....if the car has 100 k or 30 k......replace the cv joint as well as the boot. If just the boot was replaced, you would be dealing with a bad cv joint in no time. On a side note, one thing that I do to try to preserve the rubber on my Max, is to silicone spray the cv boots, rubber hoses, all rubber hoses in the engine compartment, and the rubber connection from the air cleaner box to the throttle body. The silicone spray gets absorbed by the rubber, and prevents it from drying out and cracking. ...just an idea. Anything will help with the extreme cold winters and hot summers here in New England.

 

I was installing my coilovers and accidently pressed into the CV boot too hard. It's leaking tons of oil from the boot now. Can I just replace the boot or did I damage something else?

 

I agree with everyone who has posted a reply. Get it replaced. If you live in the Dallas,Tx area you know the dealer charges $225.00 to do one side. There is a place in Plano who replaced both axle's with new boots for under $250.00. If you are interested let me know. I can get you the info. kcapper@hotmail.com

 

That's really easy to do! I say do it yourself! and save some money. All you would need is to jack up your car and loosen some nuts and bolts. When I was doing mine I had to invest though some money into jack stands and braker bar, but it's worth it since you would use it in other circumstances.

 

just happened to me, i didnt get around to it till 2 weeks after, cleaned it, new boot its fine, 12 dollar boot at advanced auto, and thats all it takes + 2 hours

 

$55 axle from autozone, and just replace it