Front Axle boot replacement.. completed but?

[Indrid cold]

This topic has been beat to death on the History board about if it's worth to replace the boot, $-vrs-replacing the axle.. so don't want to go there... but I wanted too share this:

 

First, the disclamer: yes.. I have come up with some, Noobish, interesting , often rideculed methods in the past that others have corrected me on "this is a simpler way..." in which I go.. D"oh and look stupid as yea, there is an easier way, and this probably falls with in that .. "WTF is he thinking...." But hey.. it worked!

 

Bad front axle on my 88 wagon.(It was clicking bad so I took it too the hills and that did it in real good! ) No money for replacement so went to my parts rig and pulled the axle and noted a small tear in the outside boot. Hmmm... axle seems fine... so I stopped by parts store, yea.. they sell boots??? $18...never done that before. Guy in parts store says I will need special tools to expand the boot so it will go over the axle with out taking apart, interesting. The directions showed pictures of a Boot cone to streach small end of boot and a expanding tool gun of some type to transfer from cone to put over spindle/hub end, .. hmm.... tools... I don't need no special tools.. It's a Subaru.

 

Home, cut band on old boot and slid boot down axle (did not cut boot off till I was sure I could get new boot on) Inverted new boot inside out and sprayed inside of boot (which is the outside) and the end of axle (spindle end) with Lythiom spray grease... pulled boot over spindle and well ... it kind of stopped when the small hole end of boot hit the big, ummm..nob on the end, ... hmmm.. so I took a propane tourch and lightly warmed the rubber up and took a dental pick (wire with bend on the end worked too) and while pulling down with one hand, heating the rubber gently with the other I took my third hand? and used the dental pick to pull the boot wider to work it over the spindle hub/end on the axle... warm, pull down, work with pick to expand... not unlike putting a latex over..ummm......:-p , any way..pulled it over, re-inverted the boot, packed the hub with the supplied C.V. grease, clamped and then cut off old existing boot, installed axle and test drive down highway, no problems!

 

Yea, the cone expander and expander gun would have been great too have but for this,one in a life time? re-boot...I noobed it with-out the special tools.

 

 

My 1$ parts car does it again:clap:

[daeron]

Not that I am opposed to doing things the "Irish way" (three ways to do something: the right way, wrong way, irish way: as difficult as humanly possible)

 

BUT, the easy way is to remove the inner DOJ from the axle, but that requires cutting the clamps to that boot and replacing them and probably re packing the DOJ with grease. Which is, honestly a good idea when installing a used axle for longevity... but that isn't an "Irish" thing of me to talk about. You aren't the first to just throw used axles in as is.

[TomRhere]

Love it when a plan comes together!!!!!

[Reveeen]

so it will go over the axle with out taking it apart

 

This is akin to trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. I "knock" axles apart here regularly, and find it harder (and more time consuming) to get the things out, than to take them apart. It is dirt, water, and rust, that "eats" CV joints, how do you get the dirt out without disassembly, and cleaning?

 

Like "staked in" U joint replacement, why are we making this harder than it is?

 

BTW: boots are $12 here, though I wouldn't want to try installing one without at least popping the CV joint off of the axle, isn't that why you get replacement clips in the boot kit?

[Indrid cold]

so it will go over the axle with out taking it apart

This type of boot does.. it is meant to pull over with out busting axle apart... if you buy the special tools to put it on, ... ergo... I did it with out buying their tools.

 

This is akin to trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. I "knock" axles apart here regularly, and find it harder (and more time consuming) to get the things out, than to take them apart. It is dirt, water, and rust, that "eats" CV joints, how do you get the dirt out without disassembly, and cleaning? Since I have never taken one apart didn't want to go there this first time and possibly learn to do that another day.. (baby steps). Yea.. I can see how taking them apart one could remove all the water, rust etc..

HOw I did it, I pulled the boot back, took degreaser to loosing the main goop, carb cleaner in a spray can to flush the remaining and for final rinse I flushed it with 90% alcohol.

I did note that packing with grease would have been more effective apart then trying to squish it all in after but that's what I did and seemed to get good coverage...

 

Like "staked in" U joint replacement, why are we making this harder than it is? It actually wasn't that hard.. easier if I had the tools. When I have time I may bust one down and see if it worth the effort etc.. I will see in time and see how long this axle runs..

BTW: boots are $12 here, though I wouldn't want to try installing one without at least popping the CV joint off of the axle, isn't that why you get replacement clips in the boot kit?

That is why this must have been $18. comes with cv grease, clamps and a boot that pulls over with out breaking down......... which in my case it seemed to work ... with out buying their special tools.

[Reveeen]

The outer CV joint pops off the axle almost as easy as removing a broken bolt in a socket.

You clamp the axle in a soft jawed vise, no vise you say, I use an el-cheapo workmate clone. You cut the boot away. Taking a soft punch you tap the center off beside the axle (the piece is hardened, you don't want to use a hard punch, in a pinch I have used a nail). Very rarely have I had to replace the outer end retaining clip.

 

The inner end simply pulls out after cutting the boot away. You then have a lump left on the end of the axle, that when you look at the axle end it is retained by a circlip, whacking the circlip with a screwdriver makes it real easy to remove (you get a new one in the boot kit that you sneak on with a screwdriver).

 

Until you gain some experience at what you are looking at I recommend you stick with replacing assemblies, ie: complete joint assemblies.

[Gloyale]

The outer CV joint pops off the axle almost as easy as removing a broken bolt in a socket.

You clamp the axle in a soft jawed vise, no vise you say, I use an el-cheapo workmate clone. You cut the boot away. Taking a soft punch you tap the center off beside the axle (the piece is hardened, you don't want to use a hard punch, in a pinch I have used a nail). Very rarely have I had to replace the outer end retaining clip.

 

The inner end simply pulls out after cutting the boot away. You then have a lump left on the end of the axle, that when you look at the axle end it is retained by a circlip, whacking the circlip with a screwdriver makes it real easy to remove (you get a new one in the boot kit that you sneak on with a screwdriver).

 

This is similar to the way I do mine. But he forgot to mention that to separate the inner joint you have to remove a clip just inside the lip of the CV cup. It's hard to see from the grease, but run you're finger through a ball groove and you will feel it at the lip. It's about 3 1/2 in. in diameter.

 

When you reinstall that clip, make sure not to leave the end gap in a groove, the clip must block all of the bearing grooves.

 

I can't imagine trying to stretch the inner end of a CV boot over the entire joint.

[Indrid cold]

good info, I will save to my subaru file, .... possibly next time I will try breaking an axle down.... however;this boot was meant to pull over, thus not having to break it down.