Rear Suspension CV Joint Boots... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Shorebilly · #1 09-15-2006, 06:46 AM

G'mornin folks,

I was just under my 300D-T....and one of my CV loint cover/boots is beginning to crack....a little.....I was wondering if anyone here uses a product like "Armour All", or some sort of silicone spray....or any other product, stuff.....to keep those boots pliable??

I want to do a little preventative maintenance here....before I get to the duct tape wrap that I noticed on another thread somewhere on here...

SB

rrgrassi · #2 09-15-2006, 10:19 AM

You really should not put anything on the boots. Time, usage, grit, heat, etc are the boot killers.

Get that boot replaced before it totally fails and the cv joint's grease is slung out.

Rashakor · #3 09-15-2006, 10:44 AM

yes, the job is pretty easy to do. It takes a little fidling with the jacks but nothing too bad. Try to just replace the boot.

Otherwise

O'reilly has the cheapest CV axle replacements and thet are actually pretty decent.

Jeremy5848 · #4 09-15-2006, 12:03 PM

The boot rubber is quite thick. It can be cracked for a long time before the cracks work all the way through. Once it does, however, as rrgrassis says you'll lose the lubricant, dirt will get in, and the cv joint will fail.

Although it's possible to replace just the boot, it takes special tools and for most of us, replacing the entire axle is the way to go. I used rebuilt axles from CVJ Axles in Denver. Three year warranty.

http://www.cvjreman.com/index.php

Some people have had good luck with cheapie rebuilts from the parts stores and some have not. I prefer to get a decent one and not worry. It's not that expensive a job anyway, unless you buy new axles from Mercedes ($900 each!) or pay to have the job done (I was quoted $1300 using rebuilt axles).

Replace the seals in the differential case while you're in there. Lottsa threads here about the R&R job. My total cost was about $325 -- axles, seals, shipping, new 14mm allen wrench for the diff plugs, etc.

Jeremy

punky · #5 09-15-2006, 06:55 PM

Go to your local autoparts store of your choice and look for 3M Professional Grade Rubberized Undercoating part#03584. Jack up a wheel at a time. Spin wheel while spraying 2 or 3 thin even coats(it goes on thin anyway) on your boots. Like I said, it goes on thin and is very pliable. They'll last for years. Mine have anyway, 3 years and still going strong. I do it once or twice a year, especially before winter.

Shorebilly · #6 09-16-2006, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

Go to your local autoparts store of your choice and look for 3M Professional Grade Rubberized Undercoating part#03584. Jack up a wheel at a time. Spin wheel while spraying 2 or 3 thin even coats(it goes on thin anyway) on your boots. Like I said, it goes on thin and is very pliable. They'll last for years. Mine have anyway, 3 years and still going strong. I do it once or twice a year, especially before winter.

G'mornin' Folks,

That's just what I was lookin' for......Preventative Maintenance!!!

For the rest of the folks who replied, I thank y'all as well, you may have helped someone without a lot of mechanical maintenance experience. I personally have no problem fixing stuff....any stuff....given the time. I am a retired Marine Engineer, spent 25 years as a Ship's Engineer.....the last 10 years were as Chief Engineer on German built Diesel Ships....but I did Steam as well.....

Someone around here has a tag line, telling y'all to turn off the radio and listen.....I agree, and then some......a Diesel engine will talk to you, and tell you what's going on......a 300D-T is really happy when you can just hear the turbo whine at 3000 RPM.......

If you take time, learn your vehicle/engine.....you will be able to pinpoint possible future problems, and make adjustments to either eliminate the problem or delay it for some time......like spraying those boots......I may get a few more years out of this boot.....not because I am cheap, but because I can.....and because I don't have access to a lift, I am a tad lazy, and I hate working on my back.

Thanx again.....this forum is great....
SB

pdrayton · #7 09-21-2006, 11:01 AM

Absolutely! Preventative maintenance, love it!

I was looking at new axles until I saw that post on the rubberised spray.

I'll be going to the auto store shortly! Thanks for the post.

Hit Man X · #8 09-21-2006, 11:58 AM

Where can the CV boots be ordered?

warmblood58 · #9 09-23-2006, 08:33 PM

I just cleaned my boots with a solvent brush and solvent, and then wiped clean with thinner and shot my slightly cracked boots with the 3M rubberized spray. . . .worked great, smart idea! In the past, I have used the rubberized tool dip for all kinds of projects . . handy stuff. I look forward to checking the boots from time time to see how the 3M coating holds up. It seems to me that it's pretty much the ridges that want to crack on the boots, the valleys always seem to look good. Good luck, try this, for eight bucks and change, an hour's labor, it beats the hell out of changing axles! Good luck!

James

Jeremy5848 · #10 09-23-2006, 09:01 PM

In my case it was the valleys that cracked. In any case, yes, we will want to see annual reports. Maybe I should start coating my new boots (although in another 20 years I may not care

).

pawoSD · #11 09-24-2006, 01:46 PM

Ok, if I were to get some remanufactured axles from CVJ, what all is involved in the removal/installation of those from the car? Or would I be better off taking the remanufactured axles to my dealer and having them do it. My dealer does not have the tool needed to replace boots, they said the only thing they can do is swap in/out entire CV axles.

I am just wondering about it, because my boots are pretty deeply cracked, and its probably not all that long till one or more of them split....

Jeremy5848 · #12 09-24-2006, 02:40 PM

This is definitely a DIY job if you have any mechanical skill at all. If you can change the oil in a car you can change the axles. People (including myself) tend to be leery of jobs that involve jacking up the car and getting underneath where everything is dirty, but if you can get past that part, it's not difficult and doesn't involve special (expensive) tools. There are a lot of illustrated threads on this forum (some of which I left when I did my axles in early July) so you can see how other people did the job.

Be safe! Find a level surface on which to park the car. Support the car on jack stands at the rear jack points. Block the front wheels.

Clean the underside of the car first. Lots easier to work on clean or at least semi-clean parts! Have lots of light so you can see what you're doing.

The only tool I didn't have was a 14 mm Allen wrench for the differential drain and fill plugs. A recent post suggested a 3/8 inch "coupling nut" (used to join two threaded rods or bolts) in a 14 mm socket wrench. That's a great idea. I ended up ordering a 14 mm Allen wrench from a local NAPA store. I used it with an 18 inch length of 1/2 inch steel pipe as an extender.

Remember to loosen the fill plug on the differential first. If the fill plug won't come out, don't remove the drain plug until you think about how you're gonna get the fill plug out. Since you have to take the differential cover off anyway, you can put the cover on the bench and carefully heat it with a torch. The plug should then come out easily. (The cover is aluminum and the plug is steel.) You can also heat the cover while it is on the differential. Be careful with the torch under the car near the fuel lines.

The manual says to remove the rear brake calipers but it isn't necessary. They aren't in the way but it is easier to see when they're off. Two bolts each (blue Loc-Tite). Hang them from a piece of wire, not from the hoses!

There are several bolts involved that come new from Mercedes with blue locking compound on them (brake calipers, differential rear support to floor of car). Mercedes says to replace those bolts but I found that cleaning them and putting on some fresh blue Loc-Tite was sufficient.

The axle bolts to the wheel hub with an 8 mm long bolt, spring washer, and spacer (unless you have an older car, in which case it's a 12 mm bolt). Mercedes says to replace the spring washer but I simply turned the old washer over and re-used it.

Torque all bolts to factory spec and remember to go back in a week or two and recheck all the torques, just in case.

Use the search function! Lots of good info, no need to re-invent the wheel (or the axle).

Jeremy

pawoSD · #13 09-24-2006, 02:51 PM

Thanks for the support!

I have done some crazy jobs on these cars...so I think I should be able to handle this one too...now I am just getting daring and wondering how much more difficult it'd be to swap out the diff with a 2.47 ratio one while I had the axles out...is it as simple as unbolting the flex disc and then the bolts that secure the diff/diff mount? If so It'd enter into my temptations list...

.....after I did the sway bar project on the '83 I feel confident to tackle most anything so long as I have the appropriate tools.

I'll be looking into it....

Oh, does CVJ axels give you a core-refund if you send them your old axles?