paulpicard Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Well, I ran a search but I couldn't get a specific answer to: Why does the right front cv boot keep tearing? More important - is there a h.d boot out there that anyone can give me a name/part #? This is a rust-bucket 84 wagon 5-speed 2wd. that I put a reman axle into a year ago and it has torn 2 boots since in less than 5000 miles of 90% highway use. Or should I just do the el cheapo split-boot thing every 6 months? Thanks up front, people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 split boots are crap check your mounts engine / trans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 IF you go with the split boots, I would check them every week or so. They don't tend to last, at least not ones that I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Roberts Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I read somewhere that the right front boot fails so often because it's cooking, placed right over the hot catalytic converter, and is in kind of a dead area for airflow even in motion. Plus when you stop the car, it gets baked for a while. Makes sense to me. Wherever I read that, the person said he'd made a sheet metal piece that fit in between the converter and the boot -- which makes a lot of sense to me. Having just had to replace one on my 1988 GL, I'm going to look into it. Don't want to put anything in that might fall off and screw up the steering, of course. Ideas welcome. Heck, the best thing might be a double-walled aluminum baking pan from Target -- I use them all the time under laptop computers, they're rigid, they transfer heat away real fast, and the double layer with air space means that even when one side is getting a lot of radiant heat in, it spreads out rather than just heating up and radiating on in the same direction. Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Haven't done it to any of mine yet, but I've made heat-shields out of aluminum roof flashing in the past. Comes in various widths, easy to work with, and fairly low on price for the amount you get. Want to wear some heavy gloves when working with it though, slices skin real easy. Cut it longer than you really need, then cut a couple of tabs into it where it would be over the pipe(s), bend tabs as needed to reach pipe(s), use radiator hose clamps to hold tabs to the pipe. Want to leave about an inch of air space between it and the converter. May last for awhile, may fall off under some heavy off-roading. But you have enough left over to make more, and it's not real difficult to do. 1st one may take you a bit of time, but any after that will be quicker. If you get it wider than whatever it is you're shielding, you can bend the sides down a bit to stiffen it up some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulpicard Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 Thanks, people. TomRhere, are you trying to corner the Brat market?? Anyway,, I happen to have some 30 gauge galvanized flashing and I'll cut a shield as Tom described. And, I will check engine mounts as well. Plus I'd still appreciate any input on quality brand boots, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iteamsubaru Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Dont know about quality but i can get ya the factory subaru ones at cost... i normally have better luck with the factory parts rather then autozone or carqrap lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 TomRhere, are you trying to corner the Brat market?? If I had my way, I'd have one of each year. But the Mrs. has put the kabosh to that idea. Any sheetmetal will work for a heatshield, the aluminum is just easier to work with, for me atleast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Roberts Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 I'd love to see a picture -- though I may go ahead and try it. Hadn't thought of attaching the heat shield directly to the exhaust, but it makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rol1 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 What about color coordinated silicone boots and polly bushings? Yellow, red? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Well, I ran a search but I couldn't get a specific answer to: Why does the right front cv boot keep tearing? More important - is there a h.d boot out there that anyone can give me a name/part #? This is a rust-bucket 84 wagon 5-speed 2wd. that I put a reman axle into a year ago and it has torn 2 boots since in less than 5000 miles of 90% highway use. Or should I just do the el cheapo split-boot thing every 6 months? Thanks up front, people. I tcan be cooking from the cat. In my car ut was frame rot ..... the big c .... cancer the frame wa so far out and flexing from the rust the same axke biit kept going. finally the car went to the junkyard nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Roberts Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Well, I put about 120 miles on my car with the replacement boot. The shop that replaced it didn't clean off the stripe of grease the split boot had thrown out along the top of the catalytic converter (nor the firewall, underside of the hood, etc). By the time we got home we had quite a column of smoke rising off the top of the catalytic converter -- that grease takes a LONG time to burn off. It was very obvious it was coming up right around the new boot, on both sides, just covering it with the heat and burnt grease from the top of the converter. So -- besides going in with a wire brush and cleaning the thing off sometime soon, the idea of a heat shield sounds VERY attractive now. I do not know how much things move around in there when the vehicle's in motion -- I assume the boot and axle move a lot and the catalytic converter moves as much as the engine does compared to the frame. So I'm worried about spacing. Anyone got any expertise to offer, or design advice? It's certainly clear the heat from the catalytic converter --- just an inch or so below the boot -- is going to be baking that thing dead very fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakertom Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I've made a heat shield for my '87 dl wagon. Made it from scrap roof flashing, about 7" (wide with 2 small angle folds) and 12" long with a tab - bent, that attaches with a hose clamp to where the heat riser pipe connects with the cat. The folds allow it to dip down below the boot for maximum clearance. It's been on for 3 months and has held up well and the boot is never hot. Tom Well, I put about 120 miles on my car with the replacement boot. The shop that replaced it didn't clean off the stripe of grease the split boot had thrown out along the top of the catalytic converter (nor the firewall, underside of the hood, etc). By the time we got home we had quite a column of smoke rising off the top of the catalytic converter -- that grease takes a LONG time to burn off. It was very obvious it was coming up right around the new boot, on both sides, just covering it with the heat and burnt grease from the top of the converter. So -- besides going in with a wire brush and cleaning the thing off sometime soon, the idea of a heat shield sounds VERY attractive now. I do not know how much things move around in there when the vehicle's in motion -- I assume the boot and axle move a lot and the catalytic converter moves as much as the engine does compared to the frame. So I'm worried about spacing. Anyone got any expertise to offer, or design advice? It's certainly clear the heat from the catalytic converter --- just an inch or so below the boot -- is going to be baking that thing dead very fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I have a Heavy Duty universal CV/DOJ boot that I got out of the JCWhitney catalog....I'm not sure about the heat, but I got mine to be used in the rear DOJ's where there is a little more telescoping force (from the lift) and these allow for more play. They're great, and I think cost the same as a NAPA boot kit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 or just don't worry about it? broken boot aint no thing. 50,000+ miles on front broken boots and more on the rears.....never had one break yet. that whole smoke thing is annoying, but once it's all thrown out it stops! might start clicking, just turn the radio up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 or just don't worry about it? broken boot aint no thing. 50,000+ miles on front broken boots and more on the rears.....never had one break yet. that whole smoke thing is annoying, but once it's all thrown out it stops! might start clicking, just turn the radio up. just dont go in the mud....torn boot + mud = broken CV....right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Roberts Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Tom, can you sketch how you did yours? I can't quite figure it out from the description -- sounds like a 7 x 12" piece attached only at one point with the tab, sticking out and dipping down under? Doesn't it flop around in motion? Sounds like you're describing something like this drawn in 'cross section' but I'm not sure where the heat riser is in relation to the converter and boot. (periods should be spaces, the software here seems hostile to 'ASCII art') Heat riser>|| ..........tab =___ .(O)----axle and boot ...............||.... \___/.......bent sheet metal between stock parts ........____||~~~~~~~~~ ................hot converter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaRube Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 I found this on Carquest's site a couple of years ago. It's a tech bulletin about Subaru torn boots. It has part numbers for high-temp silicone boots. Check it out - http://www.carquest.com/techbulletins/RDS/TC_2004.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Roberts Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 That is VERY HELPFUL, thank you. Now I've got to find a picture of the stock heat shield and figure out if my 1988 has one. Seems like going with this high-temp boot is going to be a good idea anyhow -- either I'm missing a stock heat shield, or it's inadequate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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