I recently replaced one of my axles with an EMPI on my 84 brat, and the boot is already torn, maybe 2000miles... I can see all the grease has pretty much shot out all over the lower bay and transmission. The cut is about 1" long. The other axles boot is in the same condition but has never had any issues... I really don't plan on changing the boots since the other axle has been busted since I bought it and never has had a problem yet, been a year since a bought the car. But in the future if I do get replacement axles is there anything you can do to prevent those boots from tearing? I tend to do light off roading as well which could be a the culprit, but I've seen sub guys beating their old subs a lot harder.

I'd get a new boot on there ASAP. When you get sandy salty road grit in the axle, it's all over.

 

Are you lifted?

There are many grades of boots. Napa seems to have a stronger more heavy duty boot than most.

 

I've found that the inner boot on the side just above the catalytic converter is more prone to failing due to the heat of the catalytic converter. I fabbed a heat shield to re-direct cooling air over the boot and deflect the heat from the cat as much as possible.

 

Good advice from the previous poster. If you have a torn boot already, reboot as soon as possible to prevent actual joint failure. Used axles with good grease and boots have been more reliable for me than newly re-manufactured axles from many of the after market sources.

 

As for re-manned axles, MWE seems to have the best reputation here on the USMB.

Check and see if you have grease spewed on the heater hoses also. The axle grease will soften the rubber (if you have plain rubber hoses) and eventually lead to failure. This is what caused one of the heater hoses to fail on my 87 Brat, leading to HG failure one day. It takes a while though. Wipe off as much grease as you can.

luckily I live in columbus, GA. No salt... honestly don't feel like rebooting if its just going to tear in a few thousand miles... its a beater now anyway I got another DD.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=118248

 

Bill

Boot failures immediately following replacement of the axle is *almost always* a result of damage durring installation.

 

GD

Never drive the car.

I talked to the local import parts house I had gotten my EMPI axles from, as my boots rotted and cracked within only several thousand miles. They said that they had enough complaints from boots failing in a short time that they switched from EMPI to GCK (boxed as "OP Parts" axles but the axle is a GCK inside). But they also told me that the replacement EMPI boots are better quality than the ones the axles come with, and have never had a complaint from customers that rebooted. Though I would think it's the same boot...... (unless they get the boots from a different supplier than the company that makes their axles..)

 

Anyway I ended up just popping in two new GCKs. Gonna reboot the EMPIs and keep 'em as spares.

 

(I've also had two EMPI inner DOJs grenade on me after only about 5,000 miles as well..... second set that needs boots seems fine though.)

if the axles have any angle to them at all, lowering the vehicle would lessen articulation and put less stress on the boots. but if you're offroading it's doubtful you want that.\

 

it should be booted right away....but i've put a ton of miles on busted boots before. like 50,000 miles on fronts and 100,000 on rears - a lot of highway miles though. i lived in georgia 9 years and found it a rather forgiving place for axles (sort of surprising given the summer heat), probably because they don't use any rock, salt, coal, whatever on the roads. i never really had any CV issues during that time even when driving with broken boots which i did a lot because i was in college then and didn't want the time and $ expense.

 

if you're offroading it though, the grit will ruin the joint quickly. i was driving my broken boot XT6 in the sand in south georgia a couple years ago and they went down hill REALLY fast once that sand got up into the joint. started making noise immediately, like a day or a few days after driving in the sand, before i even made it home they were hammering away.

 

the comment that it was damaged during install is a high percentage one.

yeah I'm not too worried about it honestly because the driver sides axle boot has been torn since I bought it. The tear is not that big. I'll look into the napa boots though because I'm going to do a lot of work on the brat in a couple of months.

I replace a lot of boots and I install a lot of axles - I've used the EMPI boots for years and not had a problem. I also use a lot of the OP-parts axles and I've had a few that had torn boots relatively quickly. I've changed my installation routine to insure I am very careful with the boots durring installation. They are VERY soft and just scraping the boot along a bolt-head will damage them. I didn't think anything of it when I noticed it but sure enough a few months went by and it ripped open in the same spot.

 

This is a lot like the cone washer business - no one notices how bad they are till they have to fight with one that will never tighten down due to being worn out and it results in hub spline failure.

 

GD

installation damage an/or crappy quality aside

I hose my cv boots down with silicone spray on a fairly regular basis. it soaks in and (in my mind anyways) helps to keep them pliable

installation damage an/or crappy quality aside

I hose my cv boots down with silicone spray on a fairly regular basis. it soaks in and (in my mind anyways) helps to keep them pliable

 

That's really interesting. I'm going to give that one a try. I have crappy napa axles that click out of the box anyway...... so it won't hurt anything.

I replace a lot of boots and I install a lot of axles - I've used the EMPI boots for years and not had a problem.

i point others to EMPI based on your recommendations as an add on to my own recommendation which is MWE or rebooted Subaru. but there have been a couple of EMPI complaints, here's one:

 

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/65-parts-accessories-performance/35397-2007-empi-am-axle-vibration.html

 

a 2007 with 62,000 miles though...???

I installed rubber guards on my tie rods (similar to atv's) seems to work well

No harder than it is to pull a front axle I can't imagine driving with a busted boot. May take a half hour to properly clean and reboot but I have replaced axles in 15-20 minutes. You are talking a hour or so work and a $10-$15 boot.

i point others to EMPI based on your recommendations as an add on to my own recommendation which is MWE or rebooted Subaru. but there have been a couple of EMPI complaints, here's one:

 

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/65-parts-accessories-performance/35397-2007-empi-am-axle-vibration.html

 

a 2007 with 62,000 miles though...???

...I had vibration the first time I did this job...the axle nut was't tightened enough..my torque wrench lied to me...

My first set of EMPIs vibrated a lot while accelerating. But I'm thinking it was a bad run of them. Those were the ones that grenaded the inner DOJs after only several thousand miles (still have one of the roller bearings out of one of them on the desk. They use little roller needle bearings instead of the usual balls in a cage). The second set was/is fine. But the boots dry rotted. No tears, just dried out and cracked along the outer edges of the ribs.

like i said before... the vehicle is just a fun mobile... I'm not too worried about it just wanted to advice for when i do decide to fix it.

Like pretty much everyone has said before... If you replace the boot now you won't have to replace the whole axle later when it's ruined. It's almost always cheaper to replace stuff when it first starts rather than when it blows up and makes a mess/leaves you stranded.

I hate to say it, but as the axles are pretty easy to swap in and out, I just use the cheapo axles from O'Reilly's cause they have a lifetime warranty. I just keep the receipt in the glovebox, and once or twice a year when I start smelling grease on my catalytic converter cause a boot tore, I just return it for a new one.

 

Luckily this is just an around-town and offroad car. If I did much highway driving I wouldn't mess around with cheap axles.