97 850 - CV joint, what to replace? Just the boot?

Matic00 · Post by **Matic00** » 04 May 2014, 19:49

Yesterday I was backing out down an incline, wheels turned, and heard a clunk from the front passenger side, after a little research I wondered if it was the end links. Today I put the car up on ramps, and noticed grease on the inside of the front right wheel... Looks like a have a torn boot.

My question is, what do I exactly have to replace? Does the clunk I heard (haven't heard it since) mean my CV joint is shot? Does the boot just need to be replaced and greasedd up? I've handled all the repairs on this car in my year+ of ownership, but I'm not sure if this is something I want to tackle on my own. I live in the city, so I'd be doing repairs on the street. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 04 May 2014, 19:58

A CV joint clack is a repetitive noise that changes with speed. Normally when you are fully turned to one lock or the other at first. A single clunk is more like an end link, a ball joint, or even a strut bearing. You just need to pry on stuff until you see what moves.

The tear on your boot doesn't look that bad and they are fairly easy to change, particularly the outer boot. The boot kit comes with a bag of grease so be sure to add it when the replacement boot goes on.

...Lee

difflock54 · Post by **difflock54** » 04 May 2014, 20:14

There are versions of the boots about, (ebay I think) that has the boot in 2 pieces which makes fitting much more straightforward but I'm not sure personally of their overall durability and long term performance.
Someone else may know from first hand experiences ???

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 04 May 2014, 23:13

I've tried the split boots on a Jeep and it was a disaster. They wound up leaking worse than the original boots with the splits and the cracks. The hardest part about changing the boots with the real thing is removing the axle in the first place.

...Lee

Post by **Ben850** » 05 May 2014, 02:41

I see a crack in the outer tie rod grease seal as well. It also looks dry, so check that for play while you are in that area.
My sedan will make a nasty clunking noise if I need to reverse in a full turn lock. There is a nylon thrust stop that may be missing on your lower control arm that buffers the steering knuckle.
It is an alarming noise, but nothing is really being harmed.(too much)

Post by **mikealder** » 05 May 2014, 03:02

The boots in two parts are useless as are the stretch type that go over the CV joint, get proper ones, take the CV joint off, clean it up then re-pack with new grease on reassembly, not too big a job - Mike

Post by **jreed** » 05 May 2014, 04:45

I agree with mikealder... new original style (if not OEM) boots.
I did this job on both axles using the Volvo boot kit and it was a pretty long job, about 10 hours for a newbie like me, but I did the inner and outer boots while I had the axles off, and I replaced the axle transmission seals to reduce the chances of having to go back in later to fix a leak. I used a lot more rags and towels than I would have thought possible getting all the old grease cleaned out of the joints.
There is a great guide by cn90 here that shows the tools, parts and method:
http://volvospeed.com/volvo_repairs_how ... _boot.html

Post by **cn90** » 05 May 2014, 09:32

Stick to GKN-Lobro boot (about $11).
The OUTER GKN boot can be used on the INNER joint area.

If one is religious enough to replace the CV Boot at the first sign of rubber crack, the CV will last forever. This means replacing CV boot every 80K-100K or whenever one see minor crack in the boot.
It is a PITA job, but again if done on a preventive basis (like spark plugs), the CV ball bearings will last 400K, way past the car lifespan.

The #1 cause of CV ball bearings/track damage is from torn boot.

Post by **cn90** » 05 May 2014, 09:34

Matic00 wrote:... Looks like a have a torn boot.

Yes,

Looks like a torn boot. Since you caught it early, the CV joint may be OK.
Fix this ASAP.

Rebuilt axle is a hit-and-miss business (search forum).
You best bet is to replace the rubber boot, it is cheap and effective way to fix this problem.
And you learn about the car, one step at a time...

Matic00 · Post by **Matic00** » 06 May 2014, 22:53

I want to thank everyone for their input, its been helpful as always! I decided to to tackle the job myself, and so far so good. I have the axle off, and tomorrow night will get the new boot on and everything put back together. I picked up some end links as well, hopefully that will solve the clunk issue.