Hello,

I am repairing a friend's 82' 300D which has a torn right inner CV boot. I have already removed it and inspected the joint, and it looks good. He doesn't have enough money to replace the whole axle assembly, so I thought I would try a "split boot". Have any of you done this before, and if so how does it hold up?

I am assuming I will have to use CV axle grease instead of the oil that came out of the joints, will that cause any problems?

I appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks!

I've never replaced a boot in well over a half million miles of maintaining 123 cars.

What I might suggest, however, is finding a 240D in a salvage yard and getting the entire shaft. The reason that I suggest that it comes from a 240D is that the limited torque available allows those shafts to last FOREVER. If you get a shaft from a late turbo 300D, on the other hand, it could easily be worn out.

Good luck,

Split boots are of limited sucess. Some ppl report sucess , but many find they are redoing the job within a year or so. I use to keep on in my W123 because a failure on the highway could leave me stranded for days /$$$.

If you have the axle out of the car... Larry's suggest in reasonable. Remember -regardless of axle wear- the boot is 20 years old and how many more can it last??

You can get a split boot kit- I believe Carquest can order one.

As for the liquid that came out- all grease is oil with thickening agents/high pressure additives. Old axle grease is ussually broken down. Use the new c/v grease with the kit.

I personally have had really poor sucess with rebuilt axles in the long haul. But, it might be the perfect ticket for 2-3 years of service. I think carquest sells the axles for $99 exchange.

If you search the archives- someone has a link to replacing the boot without the factory tools. You'll probably still spend $40 for boots and grease.

Michael

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Michael McGuire
83 300d
01 vw A4 TDI
66 Chevy Corsa
68 GMC V6 w/oD
86 300E

Update:

I found remanufactured axles available through a parts dealer near me for $75.00 with exchange, so we've decided to go that route. Thank you all for the advice. I'm going to give my friend the URL to this site, I'm sure he'll love it.

I paid $69.00 plus core. ($120) for a reman axle from Carquest. Have yet to install it....

Hopefully this weekend.

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'84 300CD Turbo 132k (Anthracite Grey) - WVO - My daily driver - Recently named coo-coo-coupe by my daughter.
'84 300D Turbo 240k (Anthracite Grey) - Garage Queen
'83 300D Turbo 220k (Orient Red) - WVO - Wifes daily driver

I'm not a certified mechanic, but I did stay at a HolidayInn Express last night.