CV axle

[Steven Petersen]

I was bleeding my brakes yesterday after replacing some parts and noticed a huge tear in the right side CV boot. I think. I can see corrosion inside so I’ll go ahead and change the axle. I looked in my parts catalog and GM doesn’t list the whole unit, just individual parts. Are the part store replacements rebuilt GM units?

 

[Erik the Awful]

If it's not making noise when turning, just reboot it. So long as there's not a lot of moisture in the grease, don't clean it out, just add a bit more grease to replace what's leaked out. CV joints aren't finicky about a little surface corrosion inside.

Don't get an "easy" split boot; their lifespan is measured in minutes. Get the factory-style boot.

My son wrecked his 2005 Altima a couple years ago, bending the driver's control arm and strut, and breaking the outer CV knuckle. We got an axle out of a 2008, and then found out the inner knuckle is different. We disassembled both axles and made a hybrid. We didn't change any of the grease, and I didn't have any CV grease on hand, so we scooped extra grease out of the unused 2008 inner knuckle. We put it back together and it ran great... until the head gasket blew. I would not hesitate to do this on a vehicle I rely on. CV's aren't rocket science.

 

[454cid]

If you've still got OEM, I'd get new boots.

 

[Steven Petersen]

If you've still got OEM, I'd get new boots.

How can I identify if it’s OEM?

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

How can I identify if it’s OEM?

You should be able to look at the bolts that hold the shaft to the differential stub shaft. See if they've been removed previously. If they appear rusted the same as the rest of the adjacent parts, the shaft is original.

If you see rust, or grease, etc, has been disturbed, then the shaft likely isnt original.

 

[Supercharged111]

100% tear into it and see if it can be rebooted. Don't get a rubber boot either, I got some kind of thermoplastic Moog boot on there that feels like the factory stuff. Found the PN at O'Reilly, it ended up shipping from Canada. This was mine at over 270,000 miles this past summer.

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Looks like the boot is backordered.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00PKQFWRA?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[Erik the Awful]

That looks pretty nice, but I'd be real hesitant to clean the old grease out. When I was a Nissan tech, if we cleaned the grease out and put in new, they always started clicking. If we left them alone and just added some new grease with a new boot they always ran quiet. YMMV. Maybe the CVs were worn and the grit was taking up some of the clearance? I dunno, but that's how we did them.

 

[Supercharged111]

That looks pretty nice, but I'd be real hesitant to clean the old grease out. When I was a Nissan tech, if we cleaned the grease out and put in new, they always started clicking. If we left them alone and just added some new grease with a new boot they always ran quiet. YMMV. Maybe the CVs were worn and the grit was taking up some of the clearance? I dunno, but that's how we did them.

In the instance where the boot is torn and foreign material has entered the joint this seems like a bad idea. Maybe the new grease was inferior?

 

[Erik the Awful]

If I remember right, the quality of the grease didn't make any difference. More likely the cup was worn and the old grease was thicker with sand and grit. Either way, CVs aren't like automatic transmissions. A little bit of sand quickly becomes a little bit of powder, thickening up the grease. If we re-booted over the old grease, they lasted. If we cleaned them out and re-booted them, they'd be back in a week making clicking noises.

 

[Supercharged111]

If I remember right, the quality of the grease didn't make any difference. More likely the cup was worn and the old grease was thicker with sand and grit. Either way, CVs aren't like automatic transmissions. A little bit of sand quickly becomes a little bit of powder, thickening up the grease. If we re-booted over the old grease, they lasted. If we cleaned them out and re-booted them, they'd be back in a week making clicking noises.

Kind of hard to argue with a first hand observation.