Changing CV boots.

[GeoffM]

A while back I had my car up in the air and noticed the CV boots were starting to crack. AFAIK, they haven't split or started leaking.
Ideally, I'd like to replace the boots, instead of the axle.

How hard is it? I searched for a DIY and found nothing. I'm assuming you'd just undo the clamps, slip it off, slip a new one on, redo the clamps. Is that about right?
What do I do about the grease? Should I pack some more in there?
Suggestions for boot brands?

[Tippey764]

Its a nasty pain in the ass

If you want to rebuild the outter joints boot then you need to take apart the inner side as well and slide the new boot all the way down.

I'd opt to replace the whole axle before i tried to do a boot.

[GeoffM]

But I think they're OEM. That's why I'd rather do the boots then risk a autozone one.

[bobbycos]

Dorman makes a replacement boot that does not require you to remove the axle

they call it their "Split-Boot" or "Speedi-Boot"

part # 614632

check on rockauto.com, thats where i got the part # from

[YK86]

It's not hard to do, but it is messy for sure. I am also one to put new boots on good oem axles that have boots cracking but not leaking but everything else I get remans or new. I was told to stay away from the split style boots as they tend to be quite hard to work with (getting both sides totally sealed together after install).

You will need snap ring pliers, gloves, newspapers/rags/cardboard to lay on the ground, side cutters or special boot clamp tool, and flathead screwdriver.

Take the clamps off all the boots. Most of the time, the aftermarket clamps are crap so I like reusing the old ones if possible (just a better design when tightening). Pop the inner joint off. There will be 3 rollers that will slide off, just make sure you remember the order and which roller went in which part of the joint (not sure how critical that is but the manual says so probably since they might have different wear patterns).

The spider (the thing the rollers were on) is held by a snap ring OR c-clip, take it off and the spider should slide off. If not, use a hammer and tap on the sleeve (not the arms on the spider) and it should come off. Remove the inner boot, then the dynamic damper, and then the outer boot.

Install is the reverse, just make sure you put enough grease in but don't overfill. The old grease on the rollers and stuff can make this job so messy but having newspapers to wipe your hands helps keep it sane. The cv grease can be very hard to get off the hands (it's kind of like the grimy pasty grease on engines) so I highly recommend gloves.

[4CYLPOWER92]

I've done mine twice since I got the car in '93. The oem boots last around 9 years or more. I still roll on the original axles.

Honda sells a boot kit that comes with outer and inner boots along with outer and inner grease and clamps and new axle nuts too. The outer grease is dark grey or black colored while the inner is a cream or yellow color. The oem clamps work great as they are tight when you install them...there is no adjustment or tightening.

When I do mine I get all of the old grease out of the joint completely. I use paint thinner or mineral spirits to do this.

After packing the joints with new grease be careful not to over pack them (Honda gives you a little more grease than you need) and you need to get any excess air out of the boot.

As YK86 says when disassembling, you need to get the spider thingy off. Use a tap when you do this and it's helpfull to hold the axle in a vise.

Edit: looks like I repeated some things YK86 said. I would do a full DIY with pic's but it seems people never want to do this. You always hear about people buying cheap axles from Autozone or wherever.

Oh yeah, I would never trust one of those split replacement boots. How are those going to keep the grease inside and keep the dirt out?

YK86, what's this dynamic damper you mention? I don't think it exists on manual axles.

[GeoffM]

Thanks everybody, a few questions:
Where do you get the Honda boot kit?
Can you use brake cleaner for the grease? Or is it better to just soak it with acetone?

Also, I think the dynamic damper is a rubber thing on the drivers side axle. It looks like it might be there for a weight.

[Accrdwgnguy]

Also, I think the dynamic damper is a rubber thing on the drivers side axle. It looks like it might be there for a weight.

I would say its for balance since the drivers side axle on an auto is twice as long as the passenger axle

[YK86]

Yeah, the damper is that rubber thing on the shaft on auto driver's side axle between the joints. I only see them on auto OEM driveshafts though but wanted to mention it since it is something to remove if you have it. I heard it's there to help balance it (less vibrations) when it's rotating as it is quite long.

As for where to buy the Honda boot set...I think Honda ? It's listed online for $22 each side.
44017-SM4-A00 boot set inboard
44018-S84-C01 boot set outboard

If the boot hasn't ripped yet, I usually don't bother cleaning the old grease off so I wouldn't know the answer to if brake clean is ok or not.

[4CYLPOWER92]

Break cleaner would probably work. It's not going to hurt metal thats for sure. Make sure the joint is completely dry before adding grease.

Yeah that dampner is not on manuals because there isn't a super long shaft. I think both left and right shaft on manuals are the same length.

[HondaFan81]

I do not disagree with installing a new OEM boot, given the rest of CV shaft is in good working order. Keep it clean and regrease while in there. You will have to remove CV shaft from vehicle and diassemble it completely to do this.

Make sure you get new OEM CV grease and bear in mind that the inner and outer have different types of grease.

[magicdragon]

EricTheCarGuy did a video on this, here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-ofMoWsr0

[4CYLPOWER92]

EricTheCarGuy did a video on this, here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-ofMoWsr0

Nice vid. I never knew the outer joint could be taped off the axle like that. No need to take the inners off to get the outer off. The inner boot will last way longer than the outer.

[GeoffM]

I do not disagree with installing a new OEM boot, given the rest of CV shaft is in good working order. Keep it clean and regrease while in there. You will have to remove CV shaft from vehicle and diassemble it completely to do this.

Make sure you get new OEM CV grease and bear in mind that the inner and outer have different types of grease.

The only other problem I can see is some of the paint has peeled and allowed rust to form. I'll probably sand it off and repaint.

EricTheCarGuy did a video on this, here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-ofMoWsr0

Thank you sir. I'll be following that.