Axle Boot Failure -- nicely handled by CVJ - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Jeremy5848 · #1 07-23-2007, 02:39 PM

Saturday (7-21-07), while I was under the 123 car pulling the fuel tank screen... (details at post #33 of the following thread)

Tank Screen Removal - Pictorial

...I discovered a trail of grease on the underside of the car, above the inner boot of the left axle.

Uh-oh, trouble. Sure enough, there was a tiny hole in the boot. Hard to imagine, since I replaced both axles a year and 13,000 miles ago with rebuilt CVJ units. I took pictures, cleaned the surface of the boot, and applied a layer of silicone glue as a patch. Then I went in and sent an email to CVJ.

This morning I had a reply from CVJ:
"Hello Jeremy,
First, I am very sorry that you are having a problem with one of our axles. From the pictures, it certainly looks like a boot failure.
We can send out a replacement axle today. We will charge you for it. A refund will be issued upon receipt of the warranty axle and verification that it is our axle. Or you can send in the defective axle and we will send you a replacement upon receipt, etc..
Please call and let us know how to proceed.
Please write "WARRANTY" on the outside of the box and be sure to include your name, phone number with the axle you send. This will help insure a proper refund.
Regards,
Steve Skirrow
CVJ Axles, Inc."

I called Steve and worked out the details. They will ship another axle today. I'll have it by the end of the week, do the swap over the weekend, send the bad one back to them next week. In the meantime, the car is drivable. At least I now know how to do the work and won't have to besiege the Forum with questions.

Steve says that there could have been an air bubble in the rubber when that boot was cast (or extruded, or whatever the technical word is). He said that the boot supplier just laughs when CVJ complains -- they have to take their lumps and move on.

I was lucky to have found the boot failure when and how I did. Since the factory fills the boot with some kind of oil, it drips on the ground when the boot fails (I know). The grease that rebuilders use doesn't do that -- there is nothing on the floor under the car to tell you that you've got a problem until the bad noises start. Since I just completed an 1800 mile trip to Washington and Oregon, I was very lucky indeed.

Given the amount of work required, this is an unfortunate failure for all concerned (especially me!

). CVJ handled it as well as could be expected. I'll update this thread after I do the swap.

Jeremy

PS -- After all that, the fuel tank screen was clean and really didn't need to be pulled.

vstech · #2 07-23-2007, 02:44 PM

well done, good find, glad Cvj is handling it well.

junqueyardjim · #3 07-23-2007, 07:24 PM

Wow, lucky you caught that when you did. I will have to check mine if we take a big trip with it. Plan on doing that, to Edmonton, Alberta, then to Denver and then back to Cicero, near Indanoplace, about 6000 miles. Your write up sure helped me get through that job. Thanks

SD Blue · #4 07-23-2007, 07:45 PM

Wow! What kind of warranty do they offer? 13,000 mi. is above and beyond anything I would expect.

Jeremy5848 · #5 07-23-2007, 09:07 PM

Sam, the CVJ warranty is three years with no mileage limitation, AFAIK. I was lucky there, too -- it was just over a year and most warranties would have expired. I guess my "warranty Murphy" was asleep this time! (So what will go wrong to compensate?

)

MBeige · #6 07-23-2007, 09:52 PM

Jeremy, that's an interesting story. I had the EXACT same problem, with an exact same pinhole sized leak. The axle was replaced October 2006 and I saw the leak January 2007, I even had to force the mechanic to replace it under warranty for a defective part, I don't recall the brand but it was remanufactured as well. SAME inner left axle boot! I had it replaced under warranty, but dealing with a POS mechanic made it a horrible experience. Now I have still to clean up the mess that the bad axle caused...

Jeremy5848 · #7 07-23-2007, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBeige

.... EXACT same problem...

The left inner boot is over the exhaust pipe and subject to a certain amount of heat, I suppose. I wonder if that could contribute to softening of the rubber? Seems to me Mercedes would have heard about it and added a heat shield. (Just dreaming.)

Gurkha · #8 07-23-2007, 11:39 PM

Boot puncture is a bane to live with in any place where CV joints are there, I have independent front suspension on my Gurkha, it uses the same boot system as in the W123 rear, from time to time, I would have punctures like the one in the picture, most likely due to small stones hitting the boot and cutting them up, I do lots of off roading on hard, rocky terrains. Ironically, the boots on my Accord last much longer as compared to my W123 and Gurkha.

Jeremy5848 · #9 07-23-2007, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurkha

Boot puncture is a bane to live with in any place where CV joints are there...

I wondered about that and thank you for the observation. I would have thought that small rocks would simply bounce off of the thick rubber. The boot that has the flaw is partially shielded by the exhaust pipe and, although I have a 1/4 mile gravel driveway, my speed on it is very low. OTOH, I suppose it would be possible to pick up a rock with one of the tires, which would release the rock when the car reached speed on the highway. Hmmmm.

Jeremy

MBeige · #10 07-24-2007, 12:07 AM

Boot puncture is what the mechanic initially said, so I consulted another more trustworthy mechanic and he said no way will that be a puncture because the control arm, exhaust pipe and other underbody tidbits are in the way to have a small puncture hole like that from some small object.

FWIW, the old axle had the outer boot rip open after a while, not a small puncture hole. That same left old axle was the one replaced by the bad axle (with a puncture) and consequently replaced with a warranty replacement axle so I hope that holds much better now.

Gurkha · #11 07-24-2007, 12:20 AM

Puncture hole like the one in the pic is also a sign of manufacturing defect, small holes during manufacture are introduced to to faulty machines, these holes can't be detected by naked eye but when the boot is put on the vehicle and given a thorough workout, they stretch to form the hole as seen.

#12 07-24-2007, 12:27 AM

Good customer care, another reason why CVJ is the best MB axle shop around.

Jeremy5848 · #13 07-24-2007, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

Good customer care, another reason why CVJ is the best MB axle shop around.

Yes, not a hint of argument. Just "Sorry, what can we do to make it right?" You can't buy quality like that.

Breckman99 · #14 07-24-2007, 10:22 AM

I too can attest to the excellent quality and service of CVJ axles. They have stood behind their axles whenever I had a problem. It is too bad that finding quality materials in every industry is becoming scarce. If you look at the rubber used on the original axles you will see it is very high quality compared to that on any axle you can find out there currently. Since the original axles failed at ~200K I burned through a couple sets before I discovered CVJ.

Jeremy5848 · #15 07-27-2007, 12:59 PM

My replacement axle arrived from CVJ yesterday. I'll install it over the weekend. Checking under the car, I find no more grease splatter. Either my silicone sealer patch is holding or there's no more grease in the boot.

As I recall, the axle with the failed boot was hard to get into the wheel hub. When I installed it a year ago, I had to make a homemade puller to drag it in far enough for the 8mm bolt, spacer, and "clamping disk" to grab the threads in the end of the axle.

What do I do if the axle doesn't want to come out? I'd rather not beat on the end with a drift and I don't have a "pusher." I suppose I could build something that could attach to the wheel hub via the five bolts, with a big screw to push the axle out. Any better suggestions?

Jeremy