CV boot done?

[Thirteen20WRX]

So this afternoon I got under my new-to-me 2011 LX570 to clean the undercarriage and apply fluid film. I’ve driven it about 1500 miles since purchasing it last month. Everything looked great except I noticed a tan sludge that looked like it had been flung onto the front drivers side lower control arm around the front axle.

I cleaned it off to see if it reappears but if it does, am I correct in thinking it’s most likely a CV boot tear? There was no visible damage to the CV boot but I’m sure it could be in a fold where I couldn’t get a good look.

 

[bloc]

Most likely yes

Edit: I’m betting that light spot in the first crease is your leak source. Unfortunately you have some work ahead of you to pull this and fix it.

 

[TN LX570]

That is what it appears to be. It doesn't require a large tear to really sling that grease out.

 

[Climbingnut]

I dealt with this a while ago. Looks like cv boot leak to me. If you have the cash, it may be easiest to replace the whole CV with a new Toyota one, and then rebuild the old CV on a bench as a spare. If you’d rather just fix as is, don’t go with aftermarket cv boots as they tear really easy.

 

[linuxgod]

I dealt with this a while ago. Looks like cv boot leak to me. If you have the cash, it may be easiest to replace the whole CV with a new Toyota one, and then rebuild the old CV on a bench as a spare. If you’d rather just fix as is, don’t go with aftermarket cv boots as they tear really easy.

Yeah definitely don't go with aftermarket boots unless you're in a bind (i.e. traveling and stuck somewhere). The Toyota ones are about $50 for a set, which includes the clamps and grease you need.