i was swapping out the drivers front axle on my 2.2L GT wagon yesterday and i put a little tear in the ball joint rubber boot. it has a snap ring on it so apparently it's removable. can i buy just the boot? i'm not looking forward to removing the pinch bolt and ball joint.

 

thanks, john

haven't ever heard of just replacing the boot, but i know of the snap ring you're talking about. so it looks possible.

 

did you try finding the part online - rockauto, thepartsbin, etc? or just google "ball joint boot"? try that.

 

i'd buy a new ball joint and replace it, they're easy to replace and cheap. if you find yourself doing that, buy a pickle fork, they make this job a breeze. now i just blow the joint apart with a pickle fork every time and replace the ball joint. my time isn't worth messing with those stupid things. without the pickle fork they can be a bear with rust and being seized in the control arm.

I would just change it out. I've done both of mine twice. Once with axel change and again when I put in a tranny. Their only about $20 I don't know about your luck but if I didn't replace them I would need to a month later.

is this a subaru part or will any kind do?

 

thanks for the replys.

The Subaru part # is 21067GA050 for my 97 leg wagon. I got mine at Napa.

i've had good luck with the aftermarket parts. seems like i usually get beck-arnley and they seem very good.

 

that being said - Subaru's are awesome with ball joints and tie rods, they are amazingly robust. they almost never fail under without extenuating circumstances. i've seen other cars have these parts fail much more often than Subaru's. it could be just a geometry/design thing though, not necessarily the part - but the bottom line is you can't go wrong with a Subaru part either.

 

ball joints and tie rods are probably some of the most important parts on the vehicle in terms of safety. they're essentially a SPF (Single Point of Failure) in terms of vehicle control.

that being said - Subaru's are awesome with ball joints and tie rods, they are amazingly robust. they almost never fail under without extenuating circumstances. l.

 

They are total junk. Mine went out at 220,000 miles. I tell ya they dont make them like they used to, those damn original parts.

 

 

And you kids get off my lawn!

 

hehehehehehe

 

(just had to do it)