CV joints...repack & renew boots, or new axles???

KLS · Post by **KLS** » 13 Nov 2008, 18:30

'96 855T automatic, 165,000 miles.

The left outer CV joint boot is torn and leaking; the CV joint is not yet dry nor failed.

So...should I just clean/regrease/renew the boot or renew one or both axles? I know the CV joints don't live forever...or do they live longer than anything else on the car if they aren't run dry?

Eeuroparts has EMPI axles for $110/$115, the best deal going. FCPGroton has there no-name axles for $75, but I'm not sure we can trust their aftermarket parts. Several places have the boot kits, two boots, grease, clamps, for $25.

Also, any tips on removing and reinstalling the axles? Jobs are NEVER as easy as shown in the Haynes manual.

Thanks,
Ken

Post by **tailor** » 13 Nov 2008, 19:00

There is a truckload of opinions on this matter of axles and there respective makes. See all the noise here:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=12990
and here https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... lit=+axles
I got both of mine from FCP, they were FEQ, I also had a lot to say at the time as there appeared to be a plethora of breakages/failures when using these axles that were made in China .
I have not had any of the problems some of the forum members experienced and I have put about 7000km on these axles. Perhaps now is the time to recant all my protestations.

This being said, Raxles is highly recommended by forum moderators and members, a little more expensive but they say well worth the extra $. http://www.raxles.com/

The effort required to repack and renew the boots is far greater than picking up the phone to order the said parts, if however you are wanting a project that is a different story .
If you are doing it yourself one at a time is a good bet, if the other axle is ok, but it is sure to go soon.
If you are going to pay a "Mech" I would bite the bullet and do both not much extra for the labour.

My 5c

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 13 Nov 2008, 19:24

I'm with Taylor.

I bought a set of rebuilts for the '94 for around $60.00 each at O'Reilly Auto Parts and they worked great. I bought the same brand for the turbo and the inner CV joint(s) is/are pure crap - at 50 MPH the car feels like it is going to jump off the road under acceleration. I knew I had bad boots on the turbo but it wasn't until I buried the car to the frame in the mud and then it took several hours to get it towed out (with a big 4WD John Deer) until they started to clack on turns within the next 200 miles or so.

Changing the boots is labor intensive but if your joints still feel/sound good and you are doing the work yourself it is a less expensive alternative in the short term. Who knows how long they will last after that? Avoid the split replacement boots - they don't work.

A real good writeup on boot replacement is in Bay 13 here:

http://volvospeed.com/Repair/cv_boot.html

If you are not doing the work yourself or are not inclined to tear the joint apart it is worth the extra money to simply replace the axle. By reputation I think the EMPI axles are OK and, as said, Raxles also has a very good reputation. Avoid the Chinese knockoffs - half the time they won't even fit back into the transmission.

...Lee

KLS · Post by **KLS** » 14 Nov 2008, 08:17

Thanks for the info. I'll remove, clean, inspect, regrease, & reboot the joints and determine if I need to put in new axles soon.

I heard from Raxles. $150 each.

Japedo · Post by **Japedo** » 14 Nov 2008, 13:46

I opted to replace the outer cv boots and re grease when they started leaking on my 850 turbo a year ago. I haven't had any problems yet. They are original axles with 472kilometres.

Japedo
94 850 turbo
01 V70 XC

Post by **kranz** » 14 Nov 2008, 15:56

I've just gone through this decision making process myself. I have a '98 V70 (140K miles) with a torn boot on the outer CV joint on the right side. My mechanic was of the opinion that since the boot was torn, that it also reflected the probable wear/age of the CV joint itself. He said that at 140k miles, I was ahead of the game. He recommended that I either continue to drive it with the torn boot till the CV joint exhibited the usual signs of capitulation, OR I replace the relatively inexpensive axle. He thought that replacing the boot itself was folly given the amount of effort involved and the likelyhood of having to replace a worn CV joint sometime in the near future. He referred to replacing just the boot as "something a dealer would do".

I decided to deal with the boot issue by replacing the half axle. At the recommendation of members of this forum, I used Raxles as supplier and had a very good experience. I did the transplant myself. It was intimidating at first, but was not so painful in retrospect. Car is now back in service.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 14 Nov 2008, 17:54

I agree...you can keep driving, but minimally I would squirt grease in there and "mend" it with RTV for good measure. Eventually the whole joint will fail and then best bet is a Raxle Axle!

KLS · Post by **KLS** » 15 Nov 2008, 08:43

kranz wrote: My mechanic was of the opinion that since the boot was torn, that it also reflected the probable wear/age of the CV joint itself. He said that at 140k miles, I was ahead of the game. He recommended that I either continue to drive it with the torn boot till the CV joint exhibited the usual signs of capitulation, OR I replace the relatively inexpensive axle. He thought that replacing the boot itself was folly given the amount of effort involved and the likelyhood of having to replace a worn CV joint sometime in the near future.

I agree with your mechanic from his viewpoint...he does not want a customer to come back to him with a failed CV joint after the boot replacement job and expect a discount on re-doing the job. I'm different. My labor is my own, so it's free. My only cost is the boot kits. By the way, if I replaced the half-axle, I'd replace the half-axles on both sides...they have equal wear and except for the one torn boot, equal likelihood of failure.