My driver's side CV joint boot broke and threw grease all over my wheel well and frame of my truck. What is my best bet for replacement? Should I rebuild with a new boot kit, use a OEM remanufactured replacement (around $120 @ dealer cost), or is there a heavy duty aftermarket replacement available? I am going to be spending a month and a half in Mexico this summer doing some pretty nasty offroading the whole time, and don't want to have it break on me again. My truck has the 3" OME lift (with differential drop kit) with 3/4" spacer to offset weight of ARB bar and winch up front.

 

IMO you should get the remanufactured OEM and rebuild the leaking one.

 

I just went through the same ordeal. I bought a new one from NAPA as I have had great luck with the reliability of their parts. It has a lifetime warranty as well. Break it, bring it in for a new one.

The old axle with leaking boot got cleaned, repacked with grease and is my spare to take along on serious trail runs.

 

I've heard good things about the NAPA ones.

 

Broke one about two weeks ago and I replaced it with a NAPA one because I heard their good and their closer to my house than advance autoparts. No complaints yet!

 

I would get the remanufactured OEM and then rebuild the broken one or just get one from NAPA as a spare.
Nothing more reliable than OEM in my opinion.

Fink

 

Since I'm a little short on cash right now I'm just going to have the dealer rebuild them. I'm friends with the head mechanic at the local dealer so he is only charging me $210 with parts and labor. I might get an extra pair of CVs to have on hand when I go down to Mexico this summer though.

 

I tore my outer cv boot a few weeks ago and ended up buying new boots off ebay cleaning the cv and then repacking it with new grease. it was very easy especially with all the write-ups online. the only major problem i had was a one of the included metal straps were too small. ive had no problems and it only cost about 30 dollars with the new boots and diff fluid.

 

did you guys get a new one from NAPA or was it a reman'd one?

I'm in need of one, and the local parts place can get me a new one for about $75 or so.

Are they easy to get out of the front suspension?

 

If your short on cash, its $40 for a rebuild kit from Toyota, and you can do it within 2 hours yourself with minimal tools.

 

x2. the new steel boot clips from Toyota are the best, you don't need special tools to clamp it down, just push with your fingers.

changing the boots is a messy job but it's easily done one person in an hour. piece of old rag or old T-shirts will take care of that part. if you don't have shop air, get few cans of Dust-off (compressed CO2) from BestBuy to clean out the old grease, trust me, that's the z.

you don't need to buy grease, the kit comes with it. i'd replace the snap ring with a new OEM one. you will need a pry bar and rubber mallet to get the inner back in.

good luck.

 

Same thing happened to me when I was strapped for cash and time so I threw on a slip-boot.....bad idea, I was back under it doing the job again after a month. Lesson Learned: OEM

 

I just purchased a new cv axle from O'reillys for 70.00 plus tax.... what is weird is they wanted 60.00 for a rebuilt one and a core charge of 100.00...so I said give me the new one so I can keep my old one and rebuild it for a spare
I hope I get good service from this new one so good luck
Dwayne

 

does it come with the metal dust cover on the inner end? mine from Napa doesn't. you can pry it out from your old axle, or order a new one from dealer, costs about $11. part# is 41336‑35020

 

TC4RNR....it is a new unit ready to install with boots factory clamps and grease cap or may be called dust cover on inner where it bolts to the axle studs...but boy what a PITA to remove from the axle....I forund out to late from mt goat that I should have pressed the studs out of the hub using heavy duty C-Clamp.That would have cut my time in 1/2 trying to get that datn thing around all the studs.
BTW...you have to replaced the removed studs with bolts to reinstall
Dwayne

 

check out Rockauto.com. they have axles shafts for only 56 bucks. and they accept paypal!

 

Ok first off DO NOT GET NAPA CV'S, they totally suck, i have replaced 4 of them. The only ones i have found that hold up are the ones from Autozone. They are little more expensive, but they offer a lifetime warrenty. Which I plan on fully using haha

 

NAPA remans are lifetime warranty as well. When I got mine, the inner boot was leaking a bit of grease from under the clamp. Seems they overpacked it, but once I tightened the clamp, it stopped leaking.

 

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good writeup to change the CV boot, possible the whole axle if the joint is in bad condition? I've found some write-ups online but most have lousy text and pics don't work.

Does Autozone sell a full rebuild kit....boots, grease, boot clips, and snap rings?

 

getting the thing out is easy

jack up

remove tire

remove cover on spindle

remove 35 mm nut

remove 4 bolts on lbj

swing out spindle

pry cv out with crowbar

reverse to install, and don't forget blue loctite on lbj bolts