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CV Boot Leaking

19K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  JKFJ08  
#1 ·
So here is the deal 159,000 miles passenger side CV boot is leaking.drivers side is starting to. do you guys think i should try and re clamp. it is not making any noise. lower control arms are original, cv joints and boots are original, wheel bearings are original. truck drives great does not wear the tires. just did the light racing upper control arm bushing they were worn out. front end is quiet.
i can not find any tears or holes in the boot.
so i am thinking of biting the bullet and replacing the lower control arms and alignment cams with the Moog units from Rock Auto. if i do that i think i will replace the CV joints also. would you guys use OEM CV joints or aftermarket. i have read that some of the non oem axle assemblies bind at full droop.i would also probably do wheel bearing also.
this truck gets wheeled on a regular basis and i live in Arizona. so what opinions do you guys have try and order clamps and re clamp. or bite the bullet and rebuild.

Photo as of today looks like the small end is leaking. looked at it 2 days ago and it was dry.
 

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#2 ·
From what I have heard, it seems like the OEM CV axles are the best quality, but I have heard of others having success with aftermarket parts. That being said, OEM cv axles are fairly expensive-around $300-$400 per axle roughly. They shouldn’t need to be replaced unless they have been damaged, or have a significant amount of play in the bearings. Your best option will be to get a cv boot repair kit, which run about $50 each and have both inner and outer boots, clamps and grease. I have done both driver and passenger and my FJ has a little over 115k on it. In fact, I just did the passenger side last weekend. It is a little involved, but it’s not too difficult if you want to do it yourself and save some money. There are lots of posts and videos here on the forum with good info on doing the repair.

But it’s up to you, if you want to spend the cash and get new axles, it makes the fix easier and you can either sell your old ones, or keep them as trail spares.
 
#3 ·
Take a look at CVJ Axle rebuild service. They only use OEM Toyota cores for their rebuilds and offer upgrade options on both boots. I recently (180k) installed a pair of their rebuilds and was very happy with the quality and the upgraded boots. Works out to about half the price of a new OEM axle and was a price and quality point I was comfortable with for my budget and needs.

http://www.cvjreman.com/cv-axles/
 
#6 ·
Take a look at CVJ Axle rebuild service. They only use OEM Toyota cores for their rebuilds and offer upgrade options on both boots. I recently (180k) installed a pair of their rebuilds and was very happy with the quality and the upgraded boots. Works out to about half the price of a new OEM axle and was a price and quality point I was comfortable with for my budget and needs.

CVJ Axles - CV Axles & Steering Racks for all your needs
Very interesting company - Thanks for posting the link!
 
#4 ·
That looks like a good option. i will call them and get some pricing. I am going to clean it up today and take a good look and make sure the boot is good replace the clamps. i think i am going to start ordering parts and get everything together and do the lower control arms , and CV joints within the next couple of months. i know my alignment cams are not frozen but they do not operate smoothly.i am going to use the light racing ones or the moog grease-able ones when i replace. i had them loose when i did the 6112/s. i did the floor jack spring compressor method when i did the 6112/s and front springs.
i think i am going to have the alignment checked to get the specs before i take it apart and see what kind of numbers it has. i have not had the truck on a alignment rack for over 100.000 miles. it does not wear the tires. does not pull. and the steering wheel is straight.


JKFJ08
 
#5 ·
Took the tire off and cleaned all the grease off of the boot and suspension. it has a torn boot on the small end looks like it will be coming apart for sure now. was surprised that the grease was still light in color being lithium for the amount of miles it has not as dirty as i expected.
think i will pull the RTT so i can get it in the garage and pull it apart and inspect everything. good thing is i have other transportation so i will not need to rush to repair. time to start ordering some parts since i am pulling it apart will replace the lower control arms. and just do it.

JKFJ08
 

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#7 ·
@JKFJ08 it looks like replacing your CV boots will solve your problem, as long as all the internals are ok. And I understand swapping cam bolts, but not clear on why you need to replace LCAs if the front end is “quiet”? You can swap OE LCA bushings, but balljoint would be non-OE.
 
#8 ·
debFJVT

was thinking about Murphy's law lol. you know i just do the boots and then something else goes south. just thinking that with the miles and amount of off-road activity it has seen. i am surprised every time i jack it up that everything is tight. my other trucks have had issues at much lower mileage but they were not Toyota's.
the other factor is the roads are much better here. when i go back to Michigan to visit you realize how bad the roads are being gone for 5 years.

i am going to contact CVJ and get some additional info i will let you know.

interested in this from there web site (Silicone CV axle boots made for the Extreme angles)




JKFJ08
 
#9 ·
I noticed those boots too and will be interested in the info you get from CVJ....especially if they’re red >:D :rofl:

I get what you’re saying about Murphy’s Law, but LCAs are pretty stout. Bushings and balljoints exhibit identifiable signs of failure, and it’s usually a slow process. My LCAs are original (except cam bolts) and I’m at 147k, wheel hard and often, and live in VT (working on relocating to AZ :grin)....Toyotas are tough!
 
#10 · (Edited)
took the passenger side apart today. i am just going to do the axles and boots. lower control arm bushing and ball joint are still tight.wheel bearing's are tight. going to order axles from CVJ with their high angle inner boot and OEM outer boot on Monday. i am going to replace the seals on the diff while i have it apart and the dust seal on the hub. could not get the axle out of the diff going to drop my skid so i can get better access.
it was 111 degrees here today even in the garage with the fan on a little warm. wish the garage had air cond.
 

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#11 ·
I totally feel your pain since I just did this a few weeks ago. I am glad I came across this thread so I can send my old Cv axle in to be rebuilt.

I tried to use my own home made slide hammer without success. You may try to see if your local auto parts store has one that you can borrow that is fit for purpose. I ended just using a crow bar to pry it open. I actually used my engine to skid to help give me needed leverage to finally get it loose. I hope that helps and good luck.
 
#12 ·
ordered CVJ axles with the high angle inner boot and oem outer boot today. may have them by the weekend. will post photos of them compared to the stock oem axles i take out before i install them.
 
#13 ·
Be sure to save the boxes & packaging the CVJ axles come in for the core return. For me, FedEx ground was the cheapest return freight option. Good luck with the installs, the high angle red boots look snappy once everything is in place :smile
 
#14 ·
received the CVJ axles. they were packed well. here are a couple of photos. the red boot has a small clear tube between the shaft and the clamp that gets removed after the truck is back on the ground and at ride height. it is to allow the pressure to equalize. put the passenger side in today. will do drivers side tomorrow.
 

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#15 ·
finished doing the drivers side today.had to use the gear puller to break the axle loose from the hub. replaced the dust seal on the hub put back together. anti seized every thing and torqued every thing to spec.topped off the diff. put 40 miles on it this afternoon.

here is a photo of the passenger side with the axle at ride height.
 

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#17 ·
Fjtant

what year FJ and how many miles. age could be a factor. are they OEM original boots. mine lasted a long time considering that my FJ has been lifted since 2009.
are you sure they are split or just leaking. a lot of people have had clamp issues and were just able to re clamp them to fix the issue.
 
#18 ·
08 bone stock fj with 187k. No lift std size tires. This the third time i’ve found them split at the small crimp ring. First time I bought Toyota boots and had a friend rebuild them. He has worked at local cv axle plant go ten years now. When it happened a second time I thought he most have over tighten the clip. I was able to get another friend to replace both axles at dealership with employee pricing (still not cheap). Those axles are only 13 months old. Now for the third time, they a split again. Took to dealership to ask about any warranty, they had two mechanics look it and confirm there split all the way around the clip. Of course the dealership said there was no warranty on the axles boots and no reason why it has occurred. Just to clarify this the inner boots.
 
#19 ·
not sure what would cause that. I only had the one tear and it had 159,000 miles on it. did yours tear at the same spot mine failed or right at the clamp.