CVU Joint Q?

duanemyhre

Registered User
I did a search and could not find even one article on or related to CVUs?? Strange?!

Making a long story short… I’m replacing my CVU boots and was looking for some information on cleaning them and repacking them. A while back, I asked a mechanic about doing this and he said that you don’t repack them; you just replace them when they go bad.

I guess according to his theory, I should just leave the torn boot on and let it spit grease all over the bottom of my car until the joint seizes and I have to pay (god knows how much$) to replace the whole shaft.

Not the most intelligent plan in my opinion!

But… my GREAT book gives me no info in this area. I don’t want to pack in too much grease, or not enough.

Do I need special grease? I would like to use synthetic.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Duane
 
if they click or if you have a vibration from the rear, no use repacking them. About 30$ for a kit

*remove shaft
*remove clamps
*beat the piss out of the joint to disengage it from the cir-clip
*keep beating
*more beating
*dont be surprised if you give up
*then rotate the cage to remove all the ball-bearings
*wash out the joint
*the tapered part of the cage and the star shaped inner piece have the chamfer on the edge pointing outwards(towards the shaft)
*do everything in reverse
*use side cutters or something to squeeze the new clamps(just dont snip them off:rolleyes: )
*wear gloves because the grease contains lead(new and old stuff)
*not worth it, just buy a remanufactured shaft:confused:

those are the steps, I think

the new grease comes pre-measured

oh yea, at some point you may want to slip the new boot on and remove the old:eek:
 
They are not clicking or making noise. I just noticed that the boot was leaking grease. So far... just a little. My guess was all it needed was new boots and fresh grease.
What do you think? Do you think I need to rebuild them?!
 
you have to seperate the joint to install new ones and clean out the dirt. The "split boot" things are a joke
 
JUST GREAT:mad:

A simple torn piece of rubber and Im sure it will probabily cost over $100.

It sounds like a real pain in the as* to rebuild myself.

I might just take it off and get a good look at it and then decide what to do. Someone else said that thoes split boots are a POS.

I thought I would just use a sealer or epoxy to seal them up.

Well... now for plan B
 
well you could just pump in new grease and wipe the outer surface with lacquer thinner and wrap them with duct tape and tie-straps:D
 
HAHAhahahaha

That’s a Great idea!!:D

I was thinking I should replace my muffler hanger with a coat hanger also. It would give me the right look!

That was funny!!

I don’t think I will go that far. When I do a job, I like to do it right... or as close as possible.

I only use duct tape to hold the mirror on the door.
:p
 
:D :p

a step by step CV rebuild would be the same in front wheel drive repair manuals, for a Ford Taurus etc
 
The reason the shop said to just replace it is b/c parts and labor work out to be close to the same and the replacement will have a warranty. Most suppliers out here don't sell the kit any more and only sell the replacement now (drivers side) which fits the right side to, but no fat shafts for 5sp pass side. My boot was good but the clamp was leaking. Good luck
 
I guess I will be buying some rebuilt half shafts? Does anyone know who has reliable products at a reasonable price? I really hate buying rebuilt stuff. You are never sure what you are going to get and half the time its Sh**.
 
Crimany..

There are kits at the auto part store to seal torn boots. Squirt grease in the joint , clean the outside, then use the special glue to seal it up.

And yes, just like any info for front drive kits.
 
That is a great idea for right now, since I have some more important things to attend to. But my guess is that the rubber is getting old and all the boots will need to be replaced soon.
What do you think?

If I could get another year out of them, that would be great!
 
My 89 with 150,000 miles on the odometer doesn't have cracked boots. So I don't think it's simply age. Likely it was struck by a rock or some object that started the tear. After that it is simply the force of the loose grease pushing against it causing it to tear more.

I think if you can fix the tear, it should last quite a bit longer, assuming no foriegn material got into the boot. If something like sand got in there, it will start wearing away on the joint, causing it to eventually fail sooner than if it had never been exposed to the sand.
 
Back
Top