Greasy Cv Joint

im2kwik4u · May 31st, 2003, 02:22 PM

i was checking on my shocks yesterday and i noticed that the cv joint was full of grease, and i checked the other one and it was normal, is this a bad sign, ?Can someone tell me what might've caused the problem?

Neil · May 31st, 2003, 02:25 PM

I know when the CV boot tears it leaks grease and with each revolution can spit it all over the place. Happened to mine. If you CV boot is fine then im not sure but I know there is supposed to be quite a bit of grease in there.

im2kwik4u · May 31st, 2003, 03:55 PM

thats exactly wats happening , its spitting grease everywhere. is that something that needs to be taken care of right away, and is it cheap and easy to repair?

Rama · May 31st, 2003, 04:02 PM

I got the cv boot from the dealer for 42 bills for the inner one on the drivers side I am going to try and repair it myself tomorrow however it is important since lubrication is being removed from an important place where it is needed and being replaced with dirt grass little hippity hops and other such things but then end result of this if not taken care of is the immobilization of your car only takes one axle to not move to make it pointless and it could end up costing more than if you just took care of it right now. However I don't have an idea if how hard it would be doesnt seem to hard though.

dry · May 31st, 2003, 04:32 PM

I have had a torn CV boot for the last 8 months, it has not caused a problem however all the greese is gone now (which will probably be problematic in the near future) I passed inspection in NY with it torn so I'm sure it isn the biggest deal and if its an outer CV boot they cost like 16 bucks each at autozone.

May 31st, 2003, 06:23 PM

Bad news: You have 8 hours driving time after a CV boot tears before the damage is bad enough to warrant replacement. You may not hear any noise, but the damage is done. This is the ASE test spec direct from the ASE Certification Test.

dry · May 31st, 2003, 06:43 PM

eh at my inspection the guy said I can probably go another 2-3 months without replacing it... I plan on fixing the problem as soon as I have the money to do so.

Neil · May 31st, 2003, 07:43 PM

I was told when it gets to the point when no grease is left you can start damaging further parts. They said a sign that something else is being affected is when you hear a clicking sound when turning. I believe they said something about berings being affected but dont quote me on that. They also said that when they saw mine it wasnt vital, that it would cause problems a month or two down the line.

Also It costs just about the same to replace the entire cv boot and axle as it does to replace just the cv boot. I had them priced and where only within a few bucks of each other when I had it done. I had it done at a shop though not myself.

Look under your car and look for a tear in the cv boot. They go with age. You'll be able to see it more if you turn your wheel of course as it will stretch the boot.

Rama · May 31st, 2003, 07:53 PM

I have been on mine for a about 2 months but thats 2 months too long for me. However the autozone I went to didnt have it GRRR so I ended up going to the dealer which was alot more but hey at least I got it. Black Grease on White Rims no fun.

barnoun · Jun 1st, 2003, 10:11 AM

You might as well change the the whole axle when you decide to fix it. Tyring to disassemble the thing just to replace the boot is much more of a hassle, and worthless if dirt has gotten in.

im2kwik4u · Jun 1st, 2003, 10:12 AM

the one that is torn is the outer boot which is next to the tire, can some one please give me some type of step by step isntructions on how to replace it.I would really appreciate it.
Thanks

im2kwik4u · Jun 1st, 2003, 10:33 AM

the one that has grease all over it ,is the one thats connected to the wheel and shock assembly. is this something that i can replace or does a mechanic have to do it? If someone has replaced the boot, can u please provide me with some step by step instructions on how to do it?
thanks

Jun 1st, 2003, 10:35 AM

From : http://www.se-r.net/faq/maintenance.html

Changing a CV Boot.

Wayne Cox (wmc20@dnaco.net)

Remove big axle bolt on wheel hub. Way tight (over 150 ft lbs). I needed an impact wrench (rented an electric for $9) and propane torch to get one of them. Also a 32mm socket.
Separate ball-joints. Nissan manual shows special puller. Don't use a regular "pickle fork" wedge splitter. I did and trashed a ball-joint boot.
Separate tie rod ends. You'll need a puller/splitter here too, but they come off easily. Detatch sway bar ends.
Push down on the control arm, and pull out the hub/brake and you can extract the axle. The hub/brake/strut will dangle from the top of the strut. Loosening the 3 top strut bolts will give a little more play to work with.
Drain the transaxle oil.
The driver side axle takes a lot of prying to get out, there's a snap ring retainer in the transaxle.
Other side has a bearing (attached to engine block) in the axle center. 3 bolts and it's out. The axle will pull out easily on this side.
You should also replace the axle seals on the transaxle. They are prone to leaking, esp after having the axles out. Don't drive the new ones in too far - they won't bottom out until you have gone way too far. Just go till they are flush with the outside of the housing.
Careful not to scrape the seals on reassembly - put some grease on the splines and contact surfaces. Grease up the retaining ring on the L side to keep it centered in its slot.
This is also a perfect time to remove your control arms, brackets, motor mounts, and anything else to sandblast, prime, and paint

Also polish and clear-coat your transaxle. Course this is why it takes me 3 weeks for a dumb weekend clutch job.

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A cautionary note about buying inner CV boots...

Lawrence Weeks (dev@dm2.deskmedia.com)
A couple months ago, I found that I had a rip in my inside left CV boot. I went and ordered the boot kit, but didn't have time to replace it until just last Sunday. After a couple hours, I got the shaft out. After I put it in the vise, and began to remove the boot straps, I noticed that it WAS NOT the same as the new boot. Argh! I also discovered that my left driveshaft was not the one the service manual showed as being installed. Rather, I appeared to have the driveshaft which was shown for the GA16DE model vehicles.

So, I put the shaft back together, put the front end back together, and visited Nissan on Monday. The parts guy verified that he had given me the correct boot. According to the parts catalog, a '91 SR20DE vehicle has the same boot for both left and right transaxle joints. Upon further digging, though, he discovered that in the older microfiche, there were two different part numbers for the left and right transaxle joints. He ordered the part shown there. That turns out to appear be the correct part, # 39741-64Y25. I'll find out for sure when I go to install it again next weekend.

Background: according to the 1991 service manual (and current parts listings), both left and right driveshafts have identical joints/housings. That driveshaft has a smooth, round housing for the transaxle side joint. However, my left driveshaft has a transaxle joint housing with "flutes," three rounded grooves. The CV boot must have "dimples" to fill these flutes, which the boot I originally got did not have. The latest boot has those dimples.

So, if you are planning on changing your CV boots, keep this in mind, and make sure you have the right part BEFORE you take the entire front end apart. :-) BTW, I wound up taking those Nissan boot kits back and getting boot kits from a driveshaft shop. Perfect fit, and only $14.00 each. Probably the same boots Nissan sells.

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UnderDog · Jun 1st, 2003, 03:14 PM

A little tip for replacing C/V boots without a kit: Get a funnel and cut the bottom off to where there's about an inch and a half hole on the bottom. Put the C/V boot in the microwave for a few minutes until it's piping hot and the rubber is maleable. Put the funnel big-end-down on the axle and pull the boot down over it until it stretches past the funnel and snaps over the other end, ready to be clamped back down.

It's pretty fun. I burned myself one too many times from nuking the boot too long though.

HCS200sx97 · Jun 1st, 2003, 08:43 PM

Better to go with full axles, and do both of them. JUST MAKE SURE ITS THE RIGHT AXLE BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN ETC. I got a little bit dif sized axle when I got the new parts, and it was the wrong one. You will definitely want to pollute your pants when your driving down the freeway and a CV sheers outta its housing!