Quote:
Originally Posted by torsionbar
split boot suck. i won't use them even on my old vw beetle. the normal one piece boots are not difficult to change at all, just messy. rebuilding an axle is a good opportunity to clean and inspect the cv joints for pitting or scoring.
plus if you do have a torn boot, sealing it back up with a split boot is foolish, as you'd be sealing in all the dirt and grit its picked up from the road, and the joint will fail in short order. any time you have a torn boot, you really need to clean and repack the affected cv joint if you want it to last.
buy two new boots (no sense in replacing just the one, the labor is same to do both), buy two new circlips for the ends of the axle, buy good moly cv grease, and make sure you have the correct socket (allen head or triple-square, depending) for your axles. also be sure to use some loctite and torque the axle bolts to the correct value when re-installing. a torque wrench is required.
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I used a Split Boot on a Chevy Citation over 15 Years ago and that Boot and Joint are still intact.
I used a Solvent Gun/Sprayer and hosed out the CV Joint with that, let it dry a day and packed it with grease and re-booted. So it can be done.
However, I am a person who uses Gasket Sealant on things. I cannot remember exactly what I used but there is no doubt I used something on the Split Joint besides what was supposed to keep it close.
Before I worked as a Mechanic I was a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic in the Army Reserve. On the one 2-1/12 Ton Truck I changed a Boot on. The Boot was a Spit one and the Split was held together with a Zipper (Ya a Zipper!) and the kit came with a tube of Sealant that you spread over the outside of the Zipper to make it Water/Grease Proof.
Note: When I was on Active Duty in the Army I was a Medic.
After I got out of the Army I went to a Trade School and took Diesel Mechanics. While I was in Trade School I joined the Army Reserve but as a Wheel Vehicle Mechanic (they were supposed to re-train Me).