Axle boots as regular maintenance?

[civhatch90]

Why not make the axle boots a normal wear item to be replaced at say, 130k miles?

Remanufactured axles are very cheap to purchase but I have had no good luck with them. The few I have installed on a couple of different vehicles started clicking within a year. Compared to the OEM axles which are of excellent quality and usually last a long time but cost a pretty penny, wouldn't it make sense to encourage everyone to replace the axle boots before they tear? I guess most people would choose not to do it and only fix them once they have let all their guts out.

 

[stephen9666]

Rather than that, I would suggest regular inspection. That will let you know when they're starting to go and you can replace them.

 

[rslifkin]

I'd agree they should be inspected and replaced as necessary. That'll keep them from failing due to age / weather cracking. Unfortunately, it doesn't protect against them occasionally getting hit with debris and being torn unexpectedly.

 

[NHGUY]

The proposed Ford Cardinal,that eventually was cancelled for US sales,but was sold in Europe....featured front wheel drive and removeable CV boots.It had a regular scheduled maintenance interval for regreasing (and potentially replacing boots)at something like 12-15K miles.Obviously the thought of having that done every year would have been a sales issue at the dealership....so maintenance free sealed boots have been the standard of the industry ever since.

 

[Trav]

Not a bad idea if the axle uses neoprene boot and you can do the job and lay the car up long enough to do the job right.
I have done it on a few car due to their age, although not ripped yet they were noticeably tired.

Some cars come with composite boots OE, these i leave alone and just inspect them, its very rare they fail.

 

[440Magnum]

I've never personally had a CV boot fail, including on the 250,000 mile 1993 Vision we had for many years.

I say "inspect routinely / replace only as needed" is better than "replace on a schedule" for this particular component. Heck, even if one FAILS and you miss it for a whole OCI, the joint won't wear itself close to the point of failure that quickly.

 

[Trav]

In northern climates rubber parts have a habit of failing from extreme cold at the worst time of year, when salt, sand and water is on the roads.
A CV joint or any other bearing for that matter with a torn boot/seal and subjected to salt, water and sand will fail in short order long before a full OCI.

 

[Bluestream]

If it tears just replace it,,,its pretty simple

 

[dishdude]

I didn't know CV boots tore any more, used to be common in the 80's - when was the last time you heard a clicking CV joint on a car turning in a parking lot? I used to hear it all the time now I couldn't tell you the last time.

 

[Pepsibottle1]

Maybe it's me but I see them on a regular basis. But the thing is, it's almost as much in labor to replace a boot than it is sliding an axle out.

I hate reman [censored]. It's just that, [censored]. Working on the frontline, I can see the drop in quality firsthand and it sucks. Won't throw out any names but some parts houses are bigger offenders than others.

 

[meborder]

The only boot failure I've seen personally was a failed boot band clamp on my 94 escort.

I simply added more grease, replaced the band clamp and carried on for the next 100k or so.

Even up here I haven't had a failure .. Even beyond 200k miles.

 

[Nick1994]

Aftermarket axles are just junk. I had the axles replaced on my VW last year and one of them had a pretty bad vibration. I sold the car.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Some cars come with composite boots

Would these be the ones that have a radiused "divot" in the bottom of each pleat?

 

[Chris142]

Rebuilt axles are junk. They bore out the grooves where the balls run which removes the hardning. New axles are not much more than rebuilts.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: civhatch90
Why not make the axle boots a normal wear item to be replaced at say, 130k miles?

Remanufactured axles are very cheap to purchase but I have had no good luck with them.


Then replace them with new axles, not rebuilt axles. New ones are pretty cheap too. It's a wear item anyway.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Trav
Some cars come with composite boots

Would these be the ones that have a radiused "divot" in the bottom of each pleat?


I don't know what you mean. The composite boots are harder and are a thermoplastic.
If it feels like plastic and not rubber its a composite boot. Many VW cars use a composite outer boot with a neoprene inner.

 

[Ducked]

Anyone tried "armouring" them, say with an old bit of fire hose? Might be worth doing if it sometimes sees some off-road use, for example.

 

[Lolvoguy]

I regularly coated my boots on our 97 Escort with a liberal spray once a year with Silicone. After the excess flung off, it protected the boot.

Sold the car after 10 years and 150k miles on the OEM boots and never a leak or issue. If I lived in the prairies I'd do it again!

It's like adding a liberal coating of lotion to you skin on a cold, dry winter day. It nicely hydrates and keeps things soft and supple

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
I regularly coated my boots on our 97 Escort with a liberal spray once a year with Silicone. After the excess flung off, it protected the boot.

Sold the car after 10 years and 150k miles on the OEM boots and never a leak or issue. If I lived in the prairies I'd do it again!

It's like adding a liberal coating of lotion to you skin on a cold, dry winter day. It nicely hydrates and keeps things soft and supple


Your spray likley did nothing. My 25 year old BMW has original shaft boots and they still look like new...no cracks at all

 

[freetors]

The only cars I know of that regularly go through CV boots are Subarus, particularly the fronts, especially the right front which is very close to the exhaust.