98 S70 GLT Torn CV Boot... Replace Entire Axle?

ferocity02 · Post by **ferocity02** » 30 Oct 2014, 13:14

My car has 184K miles on it and the left outer CV boot is torn. It has been torn for about 6 months. Luckily it hasn't rained here during this time and the roads are fairly clean. The joint still looks okay, but it's hard to tell when it's covered in grease.

As I understand it, the labor to replace just the boot is more than the labor to replace the entire axle. At this mileage, would it be wise to simply replace the entire axle?

What are good non-OEM brands from which to buy the axle? The OEM ones are around $350. I've seen them as low as $31 on RockAuto for "OMNI" brand. Is EMPI a reputable company? They are around $50.

Thanks!

Post by **cn90** » 30 Oct 2014, 13:22

Search forum, this has been discussed many times.

If the CV joint is good, then clean it and repack with grease, then new boot.

Use GKN boot...

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=29716

Post by **E Showell** » 30 Oct 2014, 13:26

Stay away from the EMPI -- Empire brand. Cheap Chinese junk. I had one last less than 6 mos. and about 10k miles. Good rebuilts are available from Marty at Raxles, but he's been out of cores for a while and there is a place in Colorado that does remans as well. This is one of those parts where, if you can't get a remanufactured Volvo unit (and they're getting harder and harder to come by) you ought to bite the bullet for a blue box Volvo replacement -- even at $350 a throw. The time and aggravation of not having to do it again six months down the road is well worth the extra coin.

Plus, you're in California -- it's not going to rain there for another couple years so you can probably get away with just driving with the torn boot.

But ultimately, I second cn90's advice. Clean, repack and reboot if you're sure the cv joint is still good.

Post by **mecheng** » 30 Oct 2014, 13:45

This is true for all cars, never buy an aftermarket axel. The OEM axels will last a lifetime if you replace the boot in time. If you want to buy some time, add some grease with syringe, and seal with silicone or plastic bag and duct tape depending on how large the hole is.

ferocity02 · Post by **ferocity02** » 30 Oct 2014, 13:51

Thanks for the feedback. I'll give the boot a shot. Is GKN 271648O the right part number for me?

Post by **erikv11** » 01 Nov 2014, 08:04

Yes, that is the part number for the outer boot. I just bought one from AutohausAz for $10.33.

You might want to do the inner boot at the same time, it is very little effort to add that on to the job. According to a nice post (maybe here on MVS, can't remember ...), a good part number for the inner is GKN 893498201B, $8 from the same source. It's an Audi part. I've done a few outers but never bought that GKN part number for the inner so not 100% sure it works but it sure looks right. I hope to get to it tomorrow afternoon but have a lot on my plate this weekend.

Post by **erikv11** » 01 Nov 2014, 08:22

Here is the post for the Audi boot:

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... p?p=332235

The correct part number for that inner boot substitute is GKN 300597.

ferocity02 · Post by **ferocity02** » 01 Nov 2014, 10:45

Interesting. I cant seem to find the 300597 anywhere. Whats the difference between this one and 893498201B?

Post by **erikv11** » 01 Nov 2014, 11:56

I thought 893498201B was a part number specific to AutoHausAZ, where I bought them. The number printed on the GKN box is 300597. Similarly, the number printed on the GKN box for the outer boot is 300439.

GKN 300597 = 893498201B
GKN 300439 = 271648O (note the last character is the letter O not a zero)

You can get them both for cheap from http://www.autohausaz.com but there may be many suppliers. Just make sure you get GKN.

ferocity02 · Post by **ferocity02** » 01 Nov 2014, 14:47

Thanks for the info, I went ahead and ordered 893498201B and 271648O from AutohausAZ.