cv boot replacement inquiry
 

On inspecting the condition of the CV joint boots on the right side (92 Accord DX), I see the rubber has some cracking but it's not all the way through (yet) anywhere. The left side half shaft was changed out about a year ago so boots are still fine on that side. So I was wondering about the idea of changing just the boots on the right side, before they crack all the way through and the grease inside gets contaminated. Some say just replace the whole half shaft but I wonder why do that (spend that much more for a new halfshaft) if it's just the boots that needs changing at this point. Any comments appreciated.

https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...ine=1376514893

I tried a boot only replacement on a different car;
replacement boot seal lasted maybe 10,000.
I felt it was a waste, took time out of my life to do and won't try it again.


It's not yet broken:
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If you have a new CV shaft installed then I would advise that you do the Boot replacement..

Wheelbrokerang :)

Is that cracking through the caked-on dirt? Or cracking partway through the rubber? If the rubber is cracking, I'd get those replaced before they split open. Kinda unpredictable how long they will last.

I've done boot replacements on several of my cars with good results. That's along with cleaning & re-packing the CV joints.

But for Hondas in particular, it seems that replacement axles are much cheaper than those for VW or Saab, so replacing the axle is a real popular way to deal with it.

That's cracking partway through the rubber, not just through cake-on dirt. Yes, that's what I was considering, going ahead and replace them (or the entire halfshaft assembly I suppose) before they split open (don't particularly want/like the grease slung out along the underside of the car when that happens, for one thing). I checked prices for a replacement Cardone axle assembly for the vehicle and it'd be 45 bucks which isn't too bad, although my location (in SE Alaska) shipping is another 30 bucks.

I'm not quite clear on that advice.

I definitely understand that line of reasoning, but we know it won't be long before the cracking rubber splits open, and the grease inside probably gets slung out all over the underside of the vehicle. I was thinking along the lines of preventative maintenance, just fix it now if I can instead of waiting until it gets worse and more than likely I end up having to deal with at a less convenient time. I could wait I suppose, until it splits open, and the joint starts "clicking". Not sure how well I'm going to be able to hear this clicking when/if it happens anyway, nor if I want to be having to listen for it.

As far as replacing the boots only, the above-quoted comment is definitely one I have to consider against the below-quoted one:

Pick up a new/reman shaft from the local parts store - I know there is one not too far from you......and call it a day.

You could just keep going until it totally goes but if your luck is like mine - that would happen in the dead of winter and your winters are something else.

Okay then. Will do.

Of course, in the dead of winter. My thoughts exactly. Yeah I'll just take care of now, in August instead. And call it a day.

If you have the skills to do just the boot than that is all you need but if you don't get the whole shaft. If you buy OEM Honda boots and use the correct tools to install the clamps than than the joints should last a long time. If there is water in the joints than you will have to examine the CV joint for damage before going the boot only route.

I ended up replacing the whole shaft instead of going the replace-the-boots-only route. Didn't have the correct tool to install the clamps, for one thing, and all in all it seemed to me not worth the apparent mess and hassle. I probably lack the "skills" necessary to do the boots only too, I suppose.

Honda's CV joints can be hell to get off the shaft and I have had to remove the inner joint in the past to do the outer boot when I worked at a Honda dealer. Some shafts have a damper between the joints also. The skill mention wasn't a put down. but I don't like the quality of the aftermarket rebuilt half shafts.

Yeah in regard to the skill involved, now that you've elaborated on what could be involved I don't doubt it isn't all that easy of a task and something I'd probably rather avoid having to try to mess with without proper know-how and/or experience. Also I don't doubt the quality of the aftermarket rebuilt half shafts is generally poor, considering what seems like rather low cost for those assemblies. Unfortunately I stuck myself with two of them because they're cheap (inexpensive) like that, and because I'm cheap (cheap) like that. But maybe next time around I'll examine/consider more closely and seriously the option of going about it differently instead. Thanks!

Okay, so now that you have that original Honda shaft off the car, try a little experiment. I did this on a Subaru and was glad I did. Take that joint apart on your workbench. If you are able to do that, order a boot kit and clean, grease and re-assemble it. You can get a clamp tool online pretty cheap that works well. The put your axle on the shelf, because if you bought a cheap aftermarket axle from Oreilly, or Autozone, etc., you are going to be needing it soon enough.

If you manage to repair (a big if IMO), then return AZ, OR shaft for a store credit. They accept returns w/o question since these shafts fail frequently.

In the long run, better shafts are a bargain, unless you have lot's of free time to replace axles.

good luck

Well actually I already turned in the old shaft to the auto part store (Car Quest) from where I purchased the cheap rebuilt axle so I could get refunded the "core" charge ($73). So although it would be interesting and probably worthwhile for me to try the experiment described above, I won't be able to. Out of curiosity I looked through my old records/receipts and found that the original Honda shaft on that side was replaced one time already, in 2004, with a rebuilt one. That means the original Honda one lasted about 12 years for me. And the rebuilt one lasted until now (about 9 years) until I noticed deterioration/cracking happening with the boot which prompted my decision to replace the axle assembly again.

I won't be attempting a repair one anytime soon, if ever. The joint itself on the axle I just replaced hadn't actually failed (yet) but I decided to replace it, instead of the just the boots, as the boots had obvious deteriorating/cracking ready to split soon.

Incidentally the brand of the recent "remanufactured" half shaft I bought was Cardone, but I have no idea whether that's any better than any other remanufactured brand. Probably not.

This is true!

Google "aftermarket axle honda vibration" and you will see what he is talking about across many forums. Most of the aftermarket axles are not "New" as they claim. However, if your car is a automatic you can get away with aftermarket store axles per my experience.

The aftermarket axle I got didn't claim to be new. It was a rebuilt one and that was no secret. My car is an automatic, and I put a rebuilt axle in it. Probably should've spent the extra money to buy a new one but as is usually the case with me there was no extra money.