hohieu Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 1999 Forester, 170K miles I just installed a rebooted OEM halfshaft on the front right side. I'd like to reboot the one that came to have it ready when the other side goes again, but there's a little axial play in the outer joint. I don't think this is normal or is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hohieu Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 After further inspection, I decided that it was still good. The play I noticed is just some clearance between the circlip and the groove into which it seats. Otherwise, the joint felt tight. I rebooted it with new grease so it's ready to go when I need it. I have a rotation of 3 front half shafts. Rebooting is such a messy ordeal that having a third one ready to go makes replacement much more pleasant. Rotating them will also extend their service life. If you don't drive with a torn boot for too long, I'd guess that these NTN units should last the life of the car. I know some Porsche guys who regularly reboot, regrease, and rotate the rear half shafts every 2 o 3 years. For those interested, here's a little service history: - 6 years/90K miles: While my wife had the car in VT, an independent shop replaced the front right unit due to a torn inner boot. Knowing the varying quality of rebuilt units, I was a little upset that I wasn't around to salvage the original half shaft. - 7 years/107K miles: I rebooted an OEM unit I purchased on Ebay, and installed it on the front left side, again due to a torn inner boot. - 170K miles: The rebuilt front right unit installed at 90K miles hadn't torn open after 7 years/80K miles of service, but I'll say that it was certainly on the verge. Both boots showed cracking between the pleats, particularly the outer boot. Still, not bad for a rebuilt unit. I just rotated in the rebooted original unit that I had saved from the left side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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