CV Boot leak (1 Viewer)

[StockRunner]

Hi all. Looking for advice on what to do about the CV Boots I saw leaking on my 2008 4Runner, 132k miles. See photos. Axle with the "CPTD" is passenger side and was replaced by dealership in 2019 when they said the original was leaking. The other/driver side (bottom photo) is original axle and boot and seems like just the clamp slipped on the axle and boot slipped out from it.

I'm thinking I can keep the axles and just buy the Toyota OEM boot kit and having a good mechanic replace the boots. I don't think I want to try this myself, especially without a lift.

Any thoughts or ideas? If the driver side is simply a matter of the clamp and boot slipping out from it, is there a way to regrease the joint and reclamp it without pulling the axle off?

 

[DesertRat31]

Rebooting the CV's is not hard at all and a lift is not needed. Floor jack and jack stands, and you only need to lift the front. I'll link a helpful video to the process. It's done trail side, so it shows a lift isn't needed. It's an FJ cruiser, but its the same front end as a 4th gen Runner. You will need 1) the boot kit, 2) a new oil seal for the differential (they are different for drivers vs. passenger side), 3) probably a new knuckle seal (goes on the inside of the steering knuckle where the axle passes through. They sometimes get torn when knocking the CV out of the knuckle. 4) new crush washers and gear oil for the front diff.

I've read where some people have done it on the truck. I think that's a bad idea mainly because it makes it unnecessarily difficult. It so much easier to pop the CV out and reboot on a work bench.

In addition to the usual CV pinch-style band plier, you should get one like this:
Amazon product ASIN B005J3L4BW
It will allow you to get the pinch tab tight enough so it won't leak grease due to centrifugal force

Here's the video. There are many others that are helpful. This one shows how to get the CV back into the diff. You just tap it by holding by the axle shaft and tap the inner tripod bearing against the inside of the inner housing. There's enough flex in the boot to allow the tapping. It doesn't take much force at all. And, if you keep inward pressure you can get the C clip seated in the diff easily. If you pond it in with a big hammer, the shock reverberation in the metal-to-metal strikes will cause it to want to bounce out, and make things more difficult. Also position the split in the C clip down. It's oblong and putting the split oriented up will cause gravity to expose the more oblong portion to hang farther below it's slot and make seating the axle harder. If you do research on the process, you'll find diverging opinion about how to orient that clip. I don't understand. The only way that make sense is orient the split down. That way, the oblong portion will just barely peek above the outer diameter of the splined shaft. You'll see once you look carefully at it.


I know this is a long post. I hope it gives you a better idea of the process. I don't think you need to pay a mechanic to do it if you do other projects to your truck, but hey, stick to what you're comfortable with.

 

[bkg]

Lift isn’t needed, as stated.

I ended up buying some Hi angle shafts off rock auto rather than re-booting… just laziness on my part.

Consider doing LBJ’s at the same time. Only adds about 15 minutes.

 

[DesertRat31]

Like bkg said, back when I replaced mine, I bought remanufactured CV's from the dealer and just kept the originals so I could just swap out the whole units quickly. When I finally got around to rebooting the originals, I found it's pretty easy. It doesn't add much time to the whole job, so having a spare set isn't needed, BUT it IS a good idea to have 1 or 2 spares if you are going off road for trail repairs.

I'd check the LBJ's before just changing them. Toyota ball joints last a while. My 08 has 305k on it and I still have original ball joints. They have no play, at I check them regularly.

 

[bkg]

Like bkg said, back when I replaced mine, I bought remanufactured CV's from the dealer and just kept the originals so I could just swap out the whole units quickly. When I finally got around to rebooting the originals, I found it's pretty easy. It doesn't add much time to the whole job, so having a spare set isn't needed, BUT it IS a good idea to have 1 or 2 spares if you are going off road for trail repairs.

I'd check the LBJ's before just changing them. Toyota ball joints last a while. My 08 has 305k on it and I still have original ball joints. They have no play, at I check them regularly.

you’re an outlier. LBJ’s are a horrible design and often lead to separation.

 

[Rednexus]

4th gen LBJs are a very good design. Mine were a bit floppy at 145K but far from totally worn, The LBJ is always in compression, not extension. The 3rd gen LBJs (as well as 1st gen Tundra/Sequoia LBJs) are a totally different design where the LBJ is in extension and prone to catastrophic failure - it's hard to overstate just how much better the 4th gen front suspension is than the 3rd gen. Also you will definitely need a press to do LBJs on a 4th gen - they don't easily un-bolt like a 3rd gen, they are pressed into the LCA, which you may need to remove in it's entirety to place in a shop press if a normal ball joint press won't get it.

I'll echo others that it's super easy to DIY either the axle swap or a full reboot. I can swap an axle in <1 hour with one of these, rebooting takes some more time but not much. I've had the best luck with All-Pro high-angle boots on my rig, coupled with OEM axleshafts. They handle a lifted rig very well and are much better than the boots you'll get on a parts store new or reman axle shaft (which I would not bother with on a lifted rig - they never lasted a full year for me).