Ripped Inner CV Boot

[MiniStiGuy]

Yup I did have it covered under warranty.

 

 

I posted on post 13 in here:

 

 

 

I had my inner boot replaced under warranty only about 700 miles ago.

 

Car is at 72,800 miles right now and I have the GOLD warranty with $0 deductible.

 

At first they said $200 to replace it and I surprisingly asked "doesn't the warranty cover it" where they replied saying no the 60k powertrain doesn't and I said I have the GOLD and they said well then yeah its covered.

 

Go figure..

_______________

[enthusiast]

This will be my second time. First time the dealer just repacked it with a new boot and charged $220.

 

This time I am going with Axles Unlimited. My 05 only has 44K miles on it. I believe that my Invidia cat location is the problem (cannot wrap it). I am going to use some of this tape this time to protect the boot and fab up a cover too.

 

http://www.designengineering.com/images/products/Cool%20Tape300RGB.jpg

[2006Specb122]

UH OH, already had two CV boots go bad?

 

UH OH.... I may have to keep an eye on the new boot!

 

This will be my second time. First time the dealer just repacked it with a new boot and charged $220.

 

This time I am going with Axles Unlimited. My 05 only has 44K miles on it. I believe that my Invidia cat location is the problem (cannot wrap it). I am going to use some of this tape this time to protect the boot and fab up a cover too.

 

http://www.designengineering.com/images/products/Cool%20Tape300RGB.jpg

[2006Specb122]

So you are just going to wrap the tape around the boot?

 

Interesting....

 

It will definitely keep the grease from pouring out of a split boot...

but hopefully keep the boot from splitting to begin with.

 

Looks like they sell it everywhere... I may give this a try...

 

couldn't hurt right?

[DragnWagn]

DO NOT DO THAT!

 

I hope he meant to make a shield with it, or that he was kidding altogether. It would shred the boot, or just fly off if you wrapped it.

 

I was thinking more along the lines of forming a piece of sheet metal and finding a way to attach it.

 

I didn't get a chance to look it over again close...,

BECAUSE IT RAINED 2" ON ME RIGHT AFTER I POSTED LAST!!

[MiniStiGuy]

He's talking about wrapping the Cat with it not the boot.

[2006Specb122]

well I couldn't tell from his post what he meant... where is he

 

I wonder if it would help protect the boot if I just put that tape on the DP....

 

or is it going to make things worse and reflect the heat towards the boot!

[integroid]

Guys, there is a reputable reman axle that a few members have used on here with great success. I think I found it on ebay for $70 no core charge. It will take you 30 minutes to change out an axle or add another hour to change out the boot. I did a write up on how to do this. Search in this section for posts started by me. Trust me, get the reman...it is sooo much easier to change out the entire axle than to change out the boot. Save yor old axle and change the boot at your leisure.

[integroid]

PS - I have a link on the ebay axle on my home computer. I will post the link up later tonight.

[DragnWagn]

PS - I have a link on the ebay axle on my home computer. I will post the link up later tonight.

I'd really appreciate that. Little iffy about remans, but nothing like a recommendation to calm the qualms.

 

If popping out the axle from the diff is not an issue, I agree that a simple swap is much easier. I likely wouldn't be able to break it apart under the car anyway, just wishful thinking to avoid the mess I had working on that Escort.

 

Also, less time with a shredded car in the driveway, reducing the chance of getting fined.

 

Has anyone had, or heard of, a failure of any of the other boots? If not, it's almost certainly a heat issue from the DP. That whole side is just to tightly packed around the exhaust.

 

Combined with the OB having that plastic underliner blocking air flow, and the high ambient temp down here, it's just a recipe for disaster.

 

And a repeat performance if nothing is done to ameliorate the effects.

[blackfang]

 

@ BlackFang, I assume this means pulling the whole wheel ass'm like most others?

Can the boot be changed without pulling the inner drive cup from the diff?

Any danger points to watch out for? I'm a qualified mech, but still not to familiar with my Subie.

 

Unfortunately, I'm getting there way to fast.

 

Yes, you have to remove the wheel, pop the control arm/ball joint and pull the axle out. You will also need a new axle nut and remember to peen the end of the nut after it is torqued on.

 

Also $270 for labor is an @ssrape for that repair. Many dealerships including can do the labor for much less.

[integroid]

I'd really appreciate that. Little iffy about remans, but nothing like a recommendation to calm the qualms.

 

If popping out the axle from the diff is not an issue, I agree that a simple swap is much easier. I likely wouldn't be able to break it apart under the car anyway, just wishful thinking to avoid the mess I had working on that Escort.

 

Also, less time with a shredded car in the driveway, reducing the chance of getting fined.

 

Has anyone had, or heard of, a failure of any of the other boots? If not, it's almost certainly a heat issue from the DP. That whole side is just to tightly packed around the exhaust.

 

Combined with the OB having that plastic underliner blocking air flow, and the high ambient temp down here, it's just a recipe for disaster.

 

And a repeat performance if nothing is done to ameliorate the effects.

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SUBARU-OUTBACK-MODELS-NEW-FRONT-LH-OR-RH-CV-AXLE-05-07_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em14Q2el1262QQhashZitem27aac2c905QQitemZ170368616709QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

This is the one a few of the members have tried without any problems so far. All you need is a pry bar to get the axle out of the front diff. It just pops right out. Read my walk through....it will save you some time:)

[DragnWagn]

Thanks loads, guys. Bookmarked the axle page, and thanks to BF, I noticed that it comes with the nut.

 

For $60, new. Autozone reman is $100, Subie...$360!

 

Two things. Could I trouble you for a link to your how to? I not worth crap at finding specifics on here. I've done a few of these before, but every car has it's little quirks.

 

And, do you remember the nut size? It would be nice, just once, to have the right socket before the car is on jackstands.

If it goes smooth, it shouldn't take much more than an hour or so.

 

$270 indeed. Maybe they use gold-plated wrenches.

[integroid]

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107082

 

About halfway down the page. No pics but a good description. The nut size is in my walk through. I think it is a 32mm.

[DragnWagn]

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107082

 

About halfway down the page. No pics but a good description. The nut size is in my walk through. I think it is a 32mm.

Thanks for that. I'm gonna just buy the axle you showed me. That eliminates about 15 of 20 steps.

 

And, I think I already have a 32mm from the last car I did.

Now it looks like cleaning up the greasy spatter underneath will be the worst part.

 

Thanks again all. It's great to have friends, even if you don't know them.

[DragnWagn]

Well, the axle came today. In a broken, taped up box that was about the worst packing I've ever seen. The axle seems OK, except for a small bend in the shield at the wheel end. And the splines(wheel end)sure look like they have a wear pattern on them. The rest looks very good. The boots are nice, soft heavy rubber.

 

And the nut is 32mm! I got that.

 

Now, I just need a nice cool front to make the work tolerable, and assure it doesn't rain on me.

 

It came real fast, before I expected it actually.

I'll be back with a follow up.

[enthusiast]

I am putting mine on tomorrow. I picked up mine from axles unlimited. Good info on this thread.

 

Outer and inner box.

http://verticaltier.com/images/misc_posts/axle2.jpg

 

Axle

http://verticaltier.com/images/misc_posts/axle1.jpg

[DragnWagn]

Well, I did the swap on Thursday and..., no big deal.

The actual swap only took a few minutes, but separating the lower arm from the spindle was a PITA!

I had no means to pop the taper loose from the lower control arm, so I had to go the pull the ball socket out of the spindle route. Avoid this if possible. Pulling it loose was hard enough(a little rusty inside), but getting it to go back in straight was a nightmare.

 

A few hopefully helpful tips:

1)jack car up on right side, front and rear, rather than from front. I didn't lose any diff fluid on the change, not a drop.

2)Use a small chisel that fits the groove to gently tap the "dimple" out of the axle nut prior to removal. A center punch will also work, just start in the corners and work to the center.

3)be sure to use the "pry pad" on the side of the diff when popping the axle out.

4)When installing, be sure gap in clip is down. Otherwise, it will snag and not compress when going in.

5)Once your sure it has engaged the splines(turn back and forth, hear gears rattle), a light tap from a rubber mallet on the end will pop the clip in. Then give a tug to be sure it took.

 

That's about all I have to add to "how to" list.

 

We got our first "cold front"this morning(59, don't laugh), so it's back to "Superu" mode.

 

What a difference. That turbo is an animal in the cold weather.

[integroid]

You obviously did not read my directions very carfully. You didnt have to seperate the lca from the ball joint. That is why I put 14MM bolt in bold on my intructions. If you look up from the LCA, there is a collar with a 14mm bolt. This seperates the BALL Joint from the Hub. It is a piece of cake...I fought with this for about an hour trying to seperate the LCA from Ball Joint...I then called a subaru tech and he laughed at me and told me to seperate the hub from the ball joint with the 14mm bolt.

[DragnWagn]

I did read your instructions just fine, and regardless of laughing subie techs, it would have been much easier to pull the taper bolt(17mm) if I'd had the tool to do so.

 

I did pull the 14mm pinch bolt that holds the ball socket to the spindle, and it was a cast iron bitch to pull the socket out, and three tines as hard to put back. There was some rust in the hole that made it necessary to pry it all the way out. Then, the hole needed to be cleaned out with fine sandpaper before it would go back in. I also had to buff some rust off the socket itself. And lining it up when it's sticking in the hole is almost impossible.

 

So, I'll stick by my statement, if you have the right tool, popping the taper pin out would be much faster. And easier. It's also the "normal" way to do such work. I'm certain they never intended that socket to be removed except on the bench.

 

If yours happened to slip right out and back in again, then consider yourself lucky. Mine didn't, and likely others won't as well. My comments weren't meant as criticism of your directions, just some things I thought might help.

[Mundi78]

I got my inner boot replaced, too. Was fine right before final check by dealer right around 80K and when I was changing oil at 80300 or so and I notice my boot broken with fresh grease all over my down pipe. WTF. Next my upstream Oxygen sensor went out and my clutch started to slip at higher gears. Most of this would be covered by the Gold warranty. So anyway, when I got my clutch replaced at 80600 I got my boot done too since it have to come out anyway. Less then $50 for a new boot service set from dealer.

[integroid]

I did read your instructions just fine, and regardless of laughing subie techs, it would have been much easier to pull the taper bolt(17mm) if I'd had the tool to do so.

 

I did pull the 14mm pinch bolt that holds the ball socket to the spindle, and it was a cast iron bitch to pull the socket out, and three tines as hard to put back. There was some rust in the hole that made it necessary to pry it all the way out. Then, the hole needed to be cleaned out with fine sandpaper before it would go back in. I also had to buff some rust off the socket itself. And lining it up when it's sticking in the hole is almost impossible.

 

So, I'll stick by my statement, if you have the right tool, popping the taper pin out would be much faster. And easier. It's also the "normal" way to do such work. I'm certain they never intended that socket to be removed except on the bench.

 

If yours happened to slip right out and back in again, then consider yourself lucky. Mine didn't, and likely others won't as well. My comments weren't meant as criticism of your directions, just some things I thought might help.

 

What part of the country do you live in? Maybe we should add something like spray some pb-blaster on the pinch bolt area before trying to remove it? I popped/replaced both of mine recently to replace the LCA bushings without any problems at all. My tech said that the FSM says to remove the pinch bolt. Oh well, glad to see you got it taken care of.

[DragnWagn]

Miami, but the car came from Hanover, Mass. I'd guess they use salt on the roads there.

 

The problem was a ring of rust inside where the groove from the pinch bolt goes. PB did help get it out, but the rust needed to be removed before it would go back in straight.

 

Yeah, I'm glad it's behind me too.

Thanks for all the help. Still beats $600 to Subie!

[CarlJNgmail.com]

No luck with my lower ball joint. Took out my pinch bolt, tried for an hour with the pickle fork and absolutely nothing happened. So I just quit, dropped the whole assembly from the strut, and that gave me enough room to slide the axle out of the hub. Then I loosely bolted it back to the strut, slid out the axle, and went about the work. Only problem is having to get it aligned afterwards if you forget to mark the camber bolts before pulling them...Just get lifetime alignment from firestone and you're golden

[pillboy]

One more reason I use my Subaru Mastercard for everything.