i ripped my cv boots about a month ago installing new suspension. the clicking noise is starting to get worse on turns, and when the car lurches after upshift or downshift.
i spoke with a mechanic, that is also a family friend, and he recommended that i replace the whole axle and not just the cv boot because over a month's period, they are probably damaged anyway from being dry for several weeks without grease.
have any of you ridden with ripped cv boots for a while and replaced them yourselves, using the original axle? i would rather replace just the cv boot, but i dont want to spend the time and money twice, if the axle will need to be replaced anyway because it's damaged by now.
besides, the labor for putting in new axles is less than replacing just the cv boots.

 

If its been ripped for that long and its clicking, just replace the whole axle.

 

I would replace the whole axle if I where you. It's not any harder than doing the boot honestly, and it is just going to get worse.

 

great, i just got the boots from a dealer 3 days ago. they had delayed shipping for about 4 days, and i did not get them for an extra week. i wonder if i can return them for a refund, and just get the axles.
any suggestions on using oem axles from a nissan dealer, or any generic axle is ok?

 

I've been told that if it has ripped and has not been clicking, it's alright to just replace the boot. But since yours is clicking...

 

People seem to like using this site: http://www.raxles.com/

 

I know a few people with Raxles. http://www.raxles.com/

Edit: Darn puppetmaster beat me. Hope this helps.

 

the nissan dealership will cost you $400 something per axle...

I'm sure you can pick one up from raxles for alot less....plus it's a lifetime warranty

 

drivewire is great place to get them too, after core ur spending like 80bucks or so, mines been perfect, had it a lil over a year.

 

what is drivewire? do they mass produce CV axles or something? I am interested...

 

I don't know why would people waste money on the whole axle when they just needed to replace a boot. Mine outer boot was riped, and I just took the nuckle off, replaced the boot and that was it for me. Altogether for greese and the boot was like $25, sounds better then spending $125 for the whole axle.
No problems sence then.

 

Because if the boot has been torn and grease has been leaking for an extended period of time, its likely that the CV joints are damaged and have to be replaced anyways. If your CV joints are damaged and you just regrease and put new boots on em, it doesn't fix the problem. What he should do is verify that his CV joints need replacement first before going ahead with this, because like you said, he may only have to replace the boots.

 

The idea is, if you are going to spend the labor, replacing the whole axle might be worth it. In this case, the joint is already clicking, which means it is already damaged. It would not be wise to replace the boot at this point if the joint is damaged. Replacing the axle is actually less labor than replacing the boot (unless you use a split boot, which is always a bad idea). If you're doing it yourself, then I could see that replacing the boot *might* just be worth it (depending on how much your time is worth). In either case, if the axle itself is already fairly used, it's usually better to just replace the whole axle so you don't end up having to replace it later down the road because it is damaged.

 

i hear the clicking more when the car lurches after a gear shift, more than when its turning. when i make a turn, there is no clicking. you know, when you upshift, and the car sorta settles/lurches back a little, that's when i hear a click. it's almost like a muffled metal on metal hit. not real sharp. does it sound like the cv joints?

 

i emailed marty at raxles today...damn

"The axles for your 02 Maxima 6sp MT are $174.95 for the driver side and $174.95 for the passenger side."

damn that is one pretty penny...i dunno if it includes shipping either...i hope it does

 

There seems to be a rule of thumb here. Once there is clicking, the CV joints are damaged. they need to be replaced.

 

Yea, when you hear clicking the gears are slipping. Once this happens, even if you replace the boot, the axle itself is damaged. Also, in order to do the boot properly you must remove/uninstall over "half" the axle anyway, so you do not save much on labor by only doing the boot. I've seen CV's on ebay for less than that, though I dont know if I'd buy them.

 

can anybody post up other places to buy axles for an 02 maxima? From what I know, most of the local stores in my area don't carry them becuz the 02 max is still fairly new...its a dealer only item...if someone knows a place, then please step in so I can get a quote from them....raxles is a pretty penny