I found a small hole in my outer D/S CV boot and all the grease has been sprayed out. I have heard that if the tear is bad or has been there for a while then you should replace the entire axle but the hole in mine is tiny and was only there for three days at maximum. Therefore I have decided to only replace the boot itself, which is a $10 part from subarugenuineparts, yet SOG has quoted me $270 for the repair. Needless to say I will be doing the repair myself so I wanted to know... 1) Anybody got a GOOD writeup on the repair? 2)What parts do I need to order, besides the boot itself of course? Grease, clips, etc... Any special tools? 3)Will I need an alignment afterwards? 4)Anybody want to help? :sx: Thanks everyone.
never done it but i would think you would need some special tools to tighten those hose clamp looking thingies around the boot. my theory is however, just replace the entire shaft as well. they are only $60 with lifetime warranty from autozone/advance. and its probly a lot less time consuming.
I have heard that those refurbed axles from NAPA or whatever are prone to breaking, lasting roughly a year or slightly more. I know they have lifetime warranties but I still wouldn't want to have to swap an axle every time of of these POS broke. Plus, like I said, the axle, and the joints are still fine. The hole in the boot is literally the size of a ball-point pen head and I haven't been driving the car. It is on jack-stands in my buddies garage so it isn't getting worse.
jason (jason on the boards) has 2 or 3 reman $60 axles on his 340/370 wrx and they have been holding strong for over two years. i help another friend (car has since been sold) put 2 on the rear of his world record holding (509whp) FP RED STi and he didn't hesitate. from previous experience of installing numerous axles on numerous cars, i'm just saying it looks way easier and less involved to install an entire axle versus just replacing a boot. but by all means if you've done it before or know someone who knows how, then do that, since it is a little cheaper.
you could always buy a reman'd one to get the car mobile again, then replace the boot at your convenience and replace it at will.
It is a PITA to change out the boot from what I understand. I would find a reputable reman one and just replace it.
i have not put a boot on my subie but i have on my honda before and its alot simpler to get a reman unit... the time it takes to pull the cv and stick another one in is nothign compared to trying to get the boot to seal good and the clamps and clamping tools they have are a pita... im not saying it cant be done but i learned my lesson and will just buy another cv next time
no, depending on how you take the axle out. as long as you dont mess with the strut tower -> knuckle you'll be fine. or just mark the bolt position for the front
haha, I just noticed the front right axle boot is torn on my 95 Legacy, so the best thing to do is just replace the axel? I figure I should be safe to drive home from work right?
ok since this seems to be a damn epidemic I will post up a write up today after I do mine. (DOJ = double offset joint, the big green thing on your axles) you'll need some snap ring pliers and basic hand tools to do this. and a 32mm socket for the axle nuts. Many recommend replacing the axle nut but I've never had a problem with it. it's a grade 8 nut FFS. order a new boot, grease, and clamp from the dealership. should be 30-40$ for the whole shebang. if you can get OEM remanned axles, just do that and save yourself some headache. however, they don't have them for sedan rears so you're SOL like me. basically, it goes like this: Remove axle disassemble the CV joint or DOJ depending on what side it is. clean all the old grease out, inspect the joint, ball bearings, races, etc install the boot over the shaft repack with grease and re-assemble the joint. use the clamps on the axle boot ends. re-install axle and check for grease coming out the process for removing front axles will vary by car depending on the transmission type and year of the car. this is for front axles: for 5MT: there is a pin that holds the female DOJ into the transmission. use a punch or screwdriver to drive this pin out and disconnect the axle from the transmission. NOTE: it has a chamfered end, this is where you drive the pin in and out of for 6MT: axles are held in with c-clips. disconnect the hub end of the car by whatever means you want, and just yank on the axle. avoid unbolting the strut tower from the spindle to avoid having alignment issues for REARS: pull the wheel, unstake the axle nut and remove. pull the 7" long 19mm bolt that connects the lateral links to the spindle. this will allow the spindle assembly to rotate out slightly. pull the axle out of the hub, and yank on it to remove it from the rear diff. install in reverse order and be careful not to damage the seals in your wheel bearings.
Thanks for the help but I decided to bring the guys at Topspeed some business. I have some boost issues to deal with so I am going to let them handle it all in one fell swoop.