http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/f...t=CIMG0760.jpg

http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/f...t=CIMG0757.jpg

The outer on the left and right have been replaced before. Now this is the right one out again. I think I probably had this done last about four years ago. And the breaks never look like this. It's always deep in the valleys or the creases. Makes me wonder.

 

BTW, while you're looking, what kind of tool is needed to get the boot off? I've read about some banding tool, but I've seen nothing conclusive.

 

I never thought it made a difference, but I still try to work out any kinks in the boot (ya know, when it like pops inward on one bellow and when you try to pop it out it moves to the other side) Sometimes it can be a pita, I never thought it mattered, sorta assumed they would always pop out on there own, but I always worked them out anyways. But from looking at those pics it looked like that might have caused it?? Definitly doesn't look like one I've ever seen before either.

 

Banding tool can be rented at local part stores and is needed to tighten the clamp.
Just cut old clamp off.
Boots should have air released when they are installed and all bellows shoud be popped out.
I use the handle end of a 1/4" ratchet to release the excess air. Also, there is a measured distance between the ends of the boots. These tolerances are in the Haynes Manual.
Your other option would be to replace half shaft. Around $60 at autozone withe lifetime guarantee.

 

What suspension do you have? How much of a drop?

 

"Half shaft"? That is the exact terminology to tell the autozone dude? (Or dudette) What exactly are we talking about here? You can buy something less than the shaft from outer joint to inner joint? And do you not have to worry about packing the grease in or banding or anything if you buy this "half shaft"? Thanks.

EDIT: I guess you're talking about specifically the right side shaft. Looking at this pic of one on ebay, I can't see how any piece of the thing could be bought and installed individually and be any less tiresome than putting on and banding another boot.

 

What? I know you're not talking to me with all that gap you see in my pic. But I don't see any other pics posted in this thread just yet. I have no drop. If I could get my car to the point where nothing's falling apart or breaking, I would think about those illuminas or eibachs or whatever. But I wanna get my G lowered and kitted first. The maxima is on punishment

 

Gotcha. At first your sig and pic didn't show for me. Now it does. My bad.

I agree that it's odd that you're blowing CV boots so often. Weird.

 

True that... I've often wondered if there was some sort of product waitig to be made that provided a mesh or screen for the boots to prolong them.

Sort of like a flexible mesh that sensitive fruit is wrapped in or a kevlar sock or something.... It sure seems like these things would last a LOT longer if the boots stayed intact... doesn't it?

Minimal, what's your location?

 

ATL.

 

Need something like this:

http://www.monsterpowersports.net/in...oducts_id=2767

or these kevlar 'sock' ones

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/accessori...m=2887&group=A

The 2nd type might not be too bad to fabricate if you could get the fabric (these links are both for ATVs)
Just read that GM makes kevlar cv socks in some other forum, no further info though.

 

Half shaft being the axle.

Replacing damaged boots over and over isn't that great of a thing to do, whatever dirt and grime that could've made it into the joint could eventually cause it to fail.

 

It was sabotage! If you tell where you live I'll tell if it was me 2 nites ago.

 

If they really wanted to sabotage you, they would have just removed your oil.

 

u think thats BADD!!!!

about 3 weekends ago i changed my axle..... IT AGAIN WENT same side.... it didnt rip but its starting to clank on turns again.

 

what replacement boot do you use ?

Advance , Car quest, OEM

 

i just removed my cv a few weeks ago and i see some leaks.
I think they sent me an incorrect cv, which ones are you guys using?

 

Hey that'd be way too obvious, right? Funny thing, though: about maybe two and a half years ago, they did leave the plug loose or out altogether and I saw smoke trailing behind me and I stopped on the I-state and saw that oil was all over the underbody and cooking on the exhaust (the smoke). They refunded me the oil and plug I bought and AAA did the towing at no charge.

 

i think my cv's are goin out too, my car vibrates around 70 mph but only when i push the gas pedal.. wierd huh

 

You want to swap the entire halfshaft so that the joint is sealed. Unless you know exactly when it ripped and want to tear down and rebuild the axle yourself....

 

I got the old boot off and there was still plenty of grease in there. The joint is still smoot rolling and there's no gravel or grit in there. What tearing and rebuilding is there to do? What would make it necessary? I'm not thinking I really need to do that. If you see the hole in the pics I posted above, I'm not thinking much junk could have gotten in that little hole anyway, and I caught it pretty soon and stopped driving it. (I should have made a vid. Grease is on all my tools now, though, and I wouldn't want that on the camera.)

And people keep saying it's easier to just change the whole half-shaft. I'm not seeing that. How do you get to those three bolts holding the inner side of the shaft? That ain't easy. Do you have to take off the y-pipe? Man that old ratty thing on my car might fall to pieces were I to take it off.

 

Oh yeah, and what is the exact name of the banding too? I went to Autozone and they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about. And do they sell the grease with it? How would you do all that packing without some sort of gun.

 

http://www.autozone.com/in_our_store...wheel_axle.htm

 

If they were cheap aftermarket replacements when you installed them, thats probably why they ripped

 

I just noticed I have a split cv boot as well. I totally don't trust autozone to give me ALL the CORRECT fasteners, so I picked my boot kits up from the Dealership. It was about four times more expensive ($50 each) but at least I know I got everything I need.

Regardless, your cv boot kit should come with ±5oz of grease, and at least the clamps (bands—whatever) to hold the boot on.

I did read a thread that related the woes of a failed boot replacement that chalked the failure up to reusing the old spring clips from the cv joint.

Here's a great write up if you don't want to replace the entire half-shaft:
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/401

Good luck—to both of us.

*Edited for repetition*

 

Sorry for hijacking didn't seem worth it to start a new thread but I noticed a ton of grease on the inside of the driver's side wheel well and on the bottom half of the coilover and control arm. I cleaned it the areas up and inspected the boot. No discernable rips. Looks like axle grease to me. How else could it have leaked out? Odd as the driver's side's been fine it's the passenger side that's been clunking.

 

I think I saw you this past Monday on Peachtree Ind around 3AM. It was at the corner or Holcom Bridge and Peachtree. Did you see me? You pulled right next to me at the light.

 

Thanks, dude! I'm checking it out now.

 

Okay, well thanks for this link. I'm assuming this tool is the one that you're referring to. How exactly do I use this thing, if you can explain that to me with words. I may have screwed up the larger clamp. I fatigued the quarter inch or so I had in the slit of the tool and it broke off. I did the bigger one first in case I did screw up one of them cause I didn't want to have the take the cv joint and boot off the axle and put another small clamp on. Help me somebody with this last step! Hopefully I have not totally screwed up the clamp. It would seem to me that since there is still some of the strip to grab hold to with the tool, I'm still in business. But I'd like some input before I try again.

 

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/f...o/CIMG0784.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/f...o/CIMG0787.jpg

Here are pictures of those darn clamps. One I messed up and the other waiting to be messed up. How do I use the tool in the pic I linked?

 

Why not just replace the axle?

I hardly ever do boots at work we just replace them if the grease has run out quite abit and they look dry.

Sure replacing the axles are a little bit more expensive,but in the long run you have an axle with no wear on the joints.

I can get whole axles for around $80 bucks just let me know.

 

Busted CV boot on driver's side of my 1997 Maxima. Not sure how long it's been busted, although it seems to continue to leak. It's definitely less than 1000 miles since last time I looked but don't really know if it's 10 or 900. Any opinions on whether to just replace the boot or the whole half axle?

I've been looking at the different posts and the motorvate website, but I am not completely sure how exactly the axle comes off from the transmission (mine is an automatic)
- Do you have to first take off the passenger side and then the driver's side?
- Do you just pull the shaft after you remove the steering knuckle? Are there rings/seals that need to be replaced on the transmission side?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

-Jim

 

Get raxles, problem solved

 

agreed, thats what i did when my cv boot ripped. it's definately more expensive but you'll notice a major difference with raxles.

i'm not sure what my friend told me about the cv boot, but i think it may be made of something different with the raxle axle so that it doesn't tear as easily.

http://www.raxles.com/

give them a call and more than likely you'll talk to marty. they really have the best customer service and you won't be disappointed either.

 

Raxles are more than double than what Autozone charges - is it really worth it? Will they last more than twice as long? I have 63K miles on my '97 Maxima and the original CV boot just ripped. My guess is that whatever axle I put on the car now will outlast the remaining useful life of the vehicle. I'm inclined to use the ones from Autozone or equivalent unless someone can point out a flaw in my logic. Thanks

Also, any pointers on the installation?

 

Those ones are junk, half the time they cause vibrations right out of the box.

Three options, from cheapest to most expensive

Car-part.com Used oem

Napa New aftermarket

Raxle

 

Well, again, how do you get to the bolts holding the right half axle in the transmission? I can't get my wrench or ratchet in there and it looks to me like I'd have to take off the y-pipe. Is that right? I still wanna know who can tell me exactly what kind of tool is necessary to tighten the bands. I don't think I had the right one.

This looks more like the tool that would be needed to tighten down the band/clamp: http://www.gmccoop.com/images/CV-boot-clamp-tool.jpg
http://www.gmccoop.com/images/CV-boo...p-tool-use.jpg

I don't know where to find this thing, though.

 

Bump check, 1-2, 1-2.

Still trying to figure out how to tighten these clamps. Well, I also need a new one of the big ones. I just called Nissan, and the dude told me I could get the pair for 10 bucks. Anyone know where I can get just the one I need, and also the tool I need to tighten these things? I'm convinced that the Autozone tool linked above is not it.

Thanks.

 

the passenger side is the one with the 3 bolts. I just changed mine a couple of weeks ago. I was able to get the 3 bolts off with a wrench after that its supposed to slide out of the bracket, for me it didnt, I ended up takin off the bracket also(while attached to axle). Im also soon gonna have to change my driver side its starting to click and has a small tear somewhere.

 

HAHAHA You need to PM man, I didn't see this until now.