Factory CV Joints: Longevity w/o factory oil?
 

I have one inner boot that has leaked out the oil. I have all new boots for both half shafts inner and outer. I just haven't had the time to get them installed? I have not driven the car since I saw the oil on the shop floor, I am wondering now if it is okay to move it and drive it a short way to get it home... I don't want to have to replace anything other than the boots. I ordered febi units that came with a large tube of molybdenum grease instead of the factory oel. Tips/suggestions?

Ian

It's about impossible to get grease into a CV joint without taking it apart.

I believe that is the plan. I will remove the halfshafts and disassemble the CV joints to pack them with the moly grease.

Unless you are going to be driving on dusty dirt roads or in wet conditions, you can be confident about driving the car home. There should be plenty of lubricant in the joint unless the boot is completely gone. I have driven a couple of hundred miles on a leaking boot & then just replaced it. The molly grease is better than the OEM stuff.

Okay good, I will limp it home the boot has one small tear in it, it is intact. Besides being messy, is this job difficult? I haven't checked out the DIY articles....yet. I really don't want to replace these OEM CV joints, they have 316K miles on them I am assuming. I have no record of them being replaced. The boot are obviously factory since that have a 126 part number on them and a three pointed star molded in.

I had a rhythmic thumping in the rear end of my TD . Thought it was a wheel bearing so took it to an indy to repair. He diagnosed dry CV joints. He put in grease/oil/?? and everything has been fine for about 3 or 4 years. Not sure how he got it in there.

I drove 2000 miles with one empty boot. It burst around October and I didn't discover the damage until Thanksgiving.

What I did was buy this gear goop stuff and I spooned a bunch of it into the boot. When I was done I wrapped it in duct tape.

The other boot was ready to burst so I sealed that in duct tape as well.

The goop in the damaged axle stayed in for the most part. My other boot finally burst a week before I replaced the axles.

If you put lubrication into the boot it can last quite a long time. Just listen and if you hear that thunk thunk thunk get excessively loud then it will be time replace it.

I was tempted to rewrap my axles and see how long the duct tape would last. :P

Ian, it's not that hard. But at the same time it is. I'd say budget in at least a weekend to replace them. Make sure you have all of the right tools (something i'm going to do from now on :P ).

If time is short at the moment do what I said above and wrap the joint in duct tape and put some gear grease in it.

When replacing the CV joints, is it necessary to replace the entire half shaft or is the CV joint replaceable? I assume they are a pressed together non serviceable deal.

They are a half shaft assembly. The boots can be a PITA to get on. I think you are meant to take the metal cover off the joint. I didnt, instead I was able to stretch the boot over. I used a champagne bottle's neck to stretch it, needs to be warm and well lubricated & no sharp edges. Some one else may have an idea or 2.

There's a thread on here with a link to a YouTube video of a guy putting boots on using a funnel. It's kind of auto porn complete with a female assistant, latex and lubricant.

4 years ago, the boots on both axles split on my 300D...
 

--So I grabbed a grease gun and emptied a full tube of grease into each split boot..thinking I'd have to replace the axles soon--

It's still running OK without noise, 70K miles later. I know I'm on borrowed time, but this is ridiculous.

I will need axles, but for now it's still holding.

Not recommending this, just sayin'

You can replace the boot, but if the joint is already making noise the axle will eventually fail. If you want to fix the boot dieselgiant has a guide on doing it.

In my case it was just cheaper to get rebuilds from CVJ and send the cores back to them. I don't own the flex boot gun so the decision was to just replace the entire axle shaft.

Edit: Mr. Stanley broke a record with duct tape joints :P

The joints are not making any noise. I'm just re-booting ...

I was kind of under the impression the long lifespan of the joints was due to the lower viscosity oil fill. The bearings would never be dry as long as the boot was intact.

I would install the boots with the outer clamps tightened down. Pour the recomended oil through a turkey baster or small funnel into the small end of the boot with the axel standing vertically or close. Install the clamp on the small end. Then put the axles on the opposite side that you removed them from. It may not do any harm to drive some of that grease into the cleaned bearings either. I would still add the recommended oil if they were my axles.

Before installing the new boots clean the old lubricant out by repeated flushing. Also feel for grit in the cv joint that had the split boot. If no grit in whatever lubricant is still left you should be good to go. As long as there is currently no clunking at present.

You have no way of knowing if the axels are original or replacements. Reversing the axels can give you a lot of new unworn surfaces though.

Now there was some discussion about there being a left and right side axle assembly. Make sure your car was manufactured later than when they were in vogue. Seems there was a guidance spiral to keep holding oil back from a seal. I would want to research this before swapping axels side to side. It is in the archives or perhaps a more knowledgeable member could quote.

There is something missing here.
If you have a Homokinetic Axle in order to use the stock style Boots you need to press the Axles Apart. And, may have to cut the Cans.

I am not sure on the Annular Axles (on the Differential end of the Axle it has bolts going through it).

In order to use the ATF Funnel trick to Install the Boots you need to use Flexx Boots or there is a similar Dorman made Boot.