500 mile trip with un-booted half axle?

[mystryda]

What are the chances I could complete a 500 mile trip with an un-booted half-axle? The trip is from Dayton to DC and I could take the PA Turnpike to keep the grades below 3%. Crazy or only a small risk?

Background:

So I made a 500 mile roundtrip between Dayton and DC (I-70, 79, 68, 70) a couple weeks ago. About 2/3's through the trip I started getting a clunk, clunk, clunk noise from the rear-end when I was climbing or at low (<35 mph) speeds. I couldn't figure out the noise.

On the way back (same route) I heard the noise more often, and when bad during long ascents it was like k-k-k-clunk, k-k-k-clunk, k-k-k-clunk. I still only heard it during climbs and at relatively low (now <45 mph) speeds. Once in Dayton I finally realized that I was missing a good bit of the boot from the passenger side rear half-axle, the one closer to the differential.

I've got both half axles off the car and am ready to the put the new ones in, but Autozone messed up twice (Thursday's were damaged in shipping, this morning's were the wrong part), and so I only have the old ones.

Update: Made it! Update on post 23:
500 mile trip with un-booted half axle?

[Aquaticedge]

I wouldnt. the chances of it breaking are VERY high, IIRC the boots are filled with grease to keep the working parts in the axle cool and lubricated. driving that distance you run the risk of getting stuck somewhere especially if the old ones are already making noise, noise means damage was done.

[kerry]

Just an unbooted axle for 500 miles would probably be ok. An unbooted axle giving clear signs of failure is something else.

[mystryda]

Would it make any difference if I stopped every hour and shot some white lithium grease or something into the joint?

[Aquaticedge]

I dont think so... it may buy you some time, but to risk a trip with bad axles even stopping to grease them is asking for a heap of trouble... considering how much damage happens when a flex disc does when it lets go, I dont know how much an axle would do not to mention leaving you stranded.

[mach4]

Personally I don't see a problem as long as you keep them well lubed. Obviously they will wear faster when exposed to the elements, but you're only talking 500 miles. I base my opinion on the fact that historically lots of mechanical devices were open to the elements. Here's two examples:

First, a shot I took a few months ago of a Bucker Jungmeister that flew into the EAA meeting with open valve train.



And obviously the old steam locomotives had open bearings that required oiling on a regular basis.



Keep 'em lubed and you'll be ok.

That's my $0.02 - and remember, you always get what you pay for.

[barry12345]

No forget the chinese axels and get a decent looking set or just the bad one used from a wreckers. You have the axels off the car already remember. Unfortuantly those chinese axels are not consistantly good is well known.

You want to put the opposite sides axel on the other side when reinstalling. So have the wrecker identify the side he pulled it or them from on the axel. Or tell him from what side you want it when ordering.

One of your axels with the boot still intact should only have a little 80-90 weight oil added before reinstalling. Same with the used axel or axels you get.

If you loose all lubrication say it rains or whatever with no boot. The parts could turn red hot from the friction perhaps. The cost of a road breakdown is not worth any risk as it can end up costing you a small fortune in comparison to doing what you still have time to do. Do not lose your spacers from the current axels in the differential.

[mystryda]

I called several yards this morning and couldn't find any axles.

It's really a choice between doing this or renting a car for two or three weeks.

What about buying a $15 universal CV boot for my naked joint?

[Volker]

Basically the problem is that you'll destroy the driver cups

that said without grease they will overheat and you'll lose the roller bearings and just have a lot of mangled crap in there

Honestly, if it was go or no go I'd just go. But throw some cheap grease in there and you can gauge how destroyed it is already.

The presence of the boot or not is not really important for a 500 mile drive, it is instead the lack of grease + ingress of dirt, but especially the lack of grease...

[charmalu]

With the ripped open boot, all the grease/oil has been slung out and you have been running fairly dry for too long. so you really don`t know how long it was running dry before the Clunking started, so the damage it there.

As mentioned about the Damage a Flex Disc can do when coming apart, I wouldn`t want to think the damage an Axle could cause or the loss of control of the vehicle.

If you had cought it early enough, you might have been able to pour in some gear oil and wrap the Boot with some Duct Tape to get you home.

Too bad you are so far away from where Iam, I could run some used Axles over to you, but the Peach Parts Emergency Road Service for this one is a bit far.

Charlie

[Volker]

I wouldn't expect much catastrophe from failed axle, lack of forward motion yes but shouldn't be spectacular. Flex disc has like 10 miles of steel wire that makes it spectacular (well not spectacular, only particularly inconvenient) the tripod is still kind of stuck in the cup...

[vstech]

Duct Tape... it'll hold the grease in, and get you to DC
then, keep driving and come to my house, and I'll install a set of rebooted ones on your car.

[ah-kay]

Been there and done that, from SF to San Diego. I would not worry about 500 miles but get it done at the first opportunities.

[t walgamuth]

I think it depends on how badly worn your cvs are worn. Put the car in neutral with the wheels chocked so there is no torque on the axles and see how much they wiggle up and down. If its a quarter inch or less I might chance it if more I would probably try to avoid it.

They'll take quite a bit of damage before letting go. My son brought one of my 280es home one time with the cv on one side almost ready to fall apart and he had driven it at a high rate of speed from Columbus oH with it in pretty bad condition.

[Jeremy5848]

You should be able to buy replacement universal boots at Autozone; they may not fit perfectly but will be better than nothing. Fill with grease and wrap with ducktape. I successfully drove my 1985 300D-T 1500 miles with a failed boot using such Rube Goldberg maneuvers.

Jeremy