How important is a CV boot?

That was my first thought. Well, second after "Why didn't they recommend replacing it even if it wasn't obviously ripped? The cost would have been trivial."

I'm going to raise a polite-but-firm stink with them, but I was hoping to get some thoughts on the likelihood that they missed it v. the likelihood that they caused the rip in doing the engine pull/install. I can't understand how they'd lok at all four and miss it yet have it fail so completely so rapidly. It also seems to me that the boots would be subjected to a lot of flexing and extreme angles in pulling or reinstalling an engine/transmission -- much more than through normal driving.

Is it an inner or outer boot?

Ripping an inner is possible if care is not taken with the BAP used to pop it out of the trans.

An outer is more commonly a wear issue.

Inner.

Very possibly operator error with big a** prybar.

You will find out how good your dealer is.

My argument would be as follows.

If you did not cause it, and saw it, why in the hell did you not offer to fix it WHILE it was out, instead of pointing it out when the repair was finished, and MORE labor would be required to fix it....

Bad business...

See where it gets you.

RH

I always wince when I hear people - and usually people who know much, much more about cars than me - recommending vaseline for rubber parts. Petroleum products should never be used on rubber, it breaks it down. Silicone isn't fantastic either. With rubber, if you're not sure the best thing is just to leave it alone.

I have a whole lot of stuff to fix on my car over the weekend & coming week.. two outer CV boots, a steering rack boot, an exhaust leak and a drive belt. The car's only done 67,000 (kms, not miles) but it's an '86 so I guess some parts are going to deteriorate even if it had been sitting garaged the whole time. I can't afford to get anyone to do it, so I guess I'm going to have to learn

I've had a clicking/popping noise for the past month. I learned today that I have a torn boot. How long do I have until a potential accident occurs? I plan to repair next week when I have the funds. Hopefully I'll be safe for another week!

Honestly, i just got done parting out another car, i used the whole half axle off the other car but disassembled, cleaned, re greased and put new boots on it befor installing it on my car. Personally if the boot were just torn recently and not clicking at all, it would be cheaper to just get boots given that you do it yourself. Shopwise, forget about it, most all shops will say replace the half axle(s) because to get new boots the axle has to be disassembled, preped and put together. I did the job on mine in one day, it was fun, not complicated as everyone thinks. Saved myself hundreds of dollars and learned something in the process. Buy a manual for the vehicle and if your hands on like myself, follow the directions and understand the basics of cars than go for it, but i will warn you if you really want to tackle the job make sure understand that it requires tools/grease (and trans fluid since you are pulling the driveaxle out of the transmission, be ready with a oil pan)/time and extensive labor, the manuels explain it all clear enough. At $15 a boot, given that the tear is very recent and no clicking, its a job based on labor. I had fun doing mine, hope this helped. fyi: i am not a mechanic, just 20yr old collage student and not going to school for automotive, if i can do it im sure alot of people can do it to.

No you dont have to replace the tranny only the cv axel its better just to replace the axel rather than the boot because chances are that you already have some small rocks and dirt inthe boot since it has been open so even if u just replace the boot their will still be rocks chewying away at the boot and in the end you would be paying for parts in labor twice replacing the boot than replaceing the cv axel so do ur self a favor replace the axel before your car stops moving

so are the rocks and mud and water and grease and whatever that got in there cause the squeaking when brakes are applied?

cv joint is nothing to do with squeaking brakes.

There is a bit of error in previous responses. A CV joint is not what attaches your wheel to the spindle/car, hence, if the CV joint fails catastrophically the wheel cannot come off. If the wheel comes off, the failure is usually a separated bearing. The failed bearing can be a result of a seriously imbalanced CV joint, but that would show up as a very noticeable vibration at highway speeds.

I got 4 new Nokian tires two weeks ago. I heard clicking when turning my car ('07 Hyundai Elantra) so I took it back to where I got the tires installed. They pulled twine from my axel and said it busted the boot. None in stock but they ordered it for me and said my car is safe to drive. I was on I70w near Hillard, Ohio yesterday and the steering wheel started shaking and pulling to the left and I could hear a knocking from the left tire. I had to pull off the road, call AAA and get towed back to Centerville, Ohio.

Background on the twine...last summer, somehow, my tires sucked up a rug from the road. I noticed my ABS lite failed to come on which prompted a call to the dealership where they discovered the rug. I believe this twine was a piece of leftover rug. Question - should the twine have been seen/found when my tires were replaced two weeks ago? Or maybe when the dealership removed the rug from my vehicle last summer?

And I guess my car wasn't that safe to drive after all!

before going and paying a hell of a lot at a mechanics, you should know you can replace a CV boot yourself, any local shop like 'repco' will sell them, the easiest way to do it is by getting a split CV boot I suggest the screw in one. Follow all the instructions and it will be so much cheaper.. the glue ones don't last as long. Driving without a CV boot will cause dirt and other stuff to get in the grease attacking like sandpaper.

The boot is filled with grease...That is what is leaking out.. I have a front wheel drive subaru, the CV boots always seem to split. I replaced mine with a split CV boot, that you skrew in without having to pull anything apart and it has seemed to last longer. Although the glue one are no good I found.

yes it is dangerous and ultimately the joint will fail and break into two pieces. No more drive axle. A cv joint is two crown shaped components that interlock and have large ball bearings units inside the two sides of CV joint, pressure fit into races (grooves) that hold the ball bearings tight. There are inboard (close to transaxle) and outboard (at the wheel) cv joints. (http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://rbtanda.com/images/CV%2520joint.jpg&imgrefurl=http://rbtanda.com/transmission.htm&h=470&w=640&sz=204&tbnid=91R-dRgO7Wt9RM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=133&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dphotos%2Bof%2Ba%2Bcv%2Bjoint%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=photos+of+a+cv+joint&docid=PrDKYYxEZN4dSM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PKzOTq3uCufh0QHiuEQ&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAg&dur=679). A CV joint is not a universal joint per say but works like one, it is an integral part of the drive axle that allows movement. They are greased (packed inside) so the axle can move up and down and sort of sideways when the axle is spinning and turning left or right at the same time. Once they start to click they are gone and need to be replaced as soon as possible. they click because the race or groove holding the ball bearing has rubbed itself elliptical thru unnatural movement, leaving room for the ball bearing races to move around inside the housing. Thus making the CV joint loose and unstable. The CV joints components should never move inside the cv joint itself. Take it in and have someone check the front end and replace the worn cv joints. DO BOTH SIDES AT THE SAME TIME, never ever replace just one as they will both be worn and one worn on one side will exacerbate or speed up the failure of the other side because of the load being transferred thru the axle system to the other joint. The boot can be replaced if the JOINT is still packed with clean grease. A small tear can be repaired easily with crazy glue. Do not try to use one drop, you have to fill the gap with Cyanoacrylate (crazy glue) and hold the seam together until the glue sets and dries. It will never leak from the set glue seam as it becomes almost unbreakable plastic.

It is called a constant velocity boot, they are not to expensive, and hopefully you can get a friend with wrench savy to help in lowering the install costs.