Many thanks, Eric. In return for your hard work, I can educate you with one extremely good reason - under the right circumstances - to replace the boots and not the entire axle. The axles that come on the vehicle are extremely high quality, made to last hundreds of thousands of miles if they're not neglected (like driving with split boots). The cheap aftermarket replacement axles, on the other hand, are near junk, barely capable of performing their task (and they often don't). Sure, they have a lifetime warranty, but who wants to pull CV axles every six months, or go through three of them to get one that runs properly (temporarily), just to keep from getting joint grease on your hands? Remember I said "under the right circumstances"? In my case, the left outer boot is split. I just bought the car a week ago, no idea how long the boot has been that way, but here's the thing - both axles are dead quiet. No clicking. No groaning. Nothing. Do I think it's worth replacing the boots rather than throwing this quality part in the trash and installing Chinese junk? Damn straight! So that's it, thanks again for the terrific video and always wrench safe. :)
As a Mechanic for many years turned manager, I must say your videos and wit are not only hilarious but very well done in a sumple straightforward way. Nice job!
This video gave me the info I searched hours for! I watched a dozen other videos and read through several forums that omitted the most useful information - the steps that aren’t obvious. Thanks for the patient, calm step-by-step video and explanation!!
I reckon the boot is worth changing even if the joint is clicking. The reason is because I recently had two broken outer CV boots and one clicking cv joint on turns. Having never taken one of these apart I was curious to see how it all fits together. So I took both axles out, removed the broken outer boots, cleaned the old grease, dirt, and leaves out, inspected the components and noticed a little pitting on the inside bearing carriers on both sides. Re-greased and reassembled it all and was surprised to find the clicking had stopped. So far I have done another 5,000km and the clicking still hasn't returned yet. Will post back here when I notice it get worse. Also thanks for the video - you made the job a lot easier for me.
Not even the big guys at the parts counter could explain how I was going to get that boot with a big hole and a little hole where it needed to go.. Im old school and usually would have never thought of youtube.I didnt even get through the whole video, I bet by the time Eric the man was done so was I.. Awesome job bud I appreciate it greatly, made my daughter a happy camper today and made me look like I could do anything hahah... thumbs up
Thanks a lot eric for the well and detailed video on how to get the job done and save a few dollars at the same time. I am weekend backyard mechanic for me and my family and this video make my day. Thanks YOU TUBE needs more people like you, keep up the good work
Thank you Eric the Car Guy, I had been agonizing over the fact the CV joint makes a slight clicking when I turn left, but not all the time and never during regular driving. Your explanation was very good. I feel like I should send you some money . Again my thank you!
Eric, thank you for this video. It's been so long since I've done one I completely forgot about that C-ring and the people at the parts store didn't even know what it was for. You've literally saved my weekend. I'm not sure why anyone would give this awesome video of yours a thumbs down. You're awesome brotha! Thank you!
Hey Eric, your vids on CV joints have helped me immensely. VERY BIG THANK YOU. This was the first time I had attempted anything of this scale on a car (Mitsubishi Magna 1998 - Australian Sedan) and your vids made it look reasonably easy. It took about a day to get it both axles out, 4 evenings of cussing to replace both outer boots (What a messy job!) and then all of 2 hrs to get both axles installed. For good measure I got a mechanic mate to check over my work and he gave it the thumbs up. Now to do the timing belt and front suspension . Although I'll get the timing belt professional done by my mate. Just to add the car is driveable since doing the CV outer boots. Also having access to a compressor and rattle gun (impact wrench) makes life easier. I learnt a lot doing this work. Lastly, my skill level when it comes to cars is at a stretch that of a 'Weekend Warrior'. Stay Dirty :)
Thanks! You made my job of replacing my inner boot 10 times easier by showing that the axle is held in place by the boot! I left one end in the gearbox and repaired it in place.
Eric: Thanks for the video. Here in WVa we have vehicle safety inspections and they won't pass a car with a torn boot, so your video is still applicable for us. Replacing the axle with a rebuilt one sometimes is a problem, because incorrect circlips on the inboard side sometimes makes it nearly impossible to remove the axle. I saw one where they actually ruined the transaxle trying to get it out.
Thank eric. This is just what I needed to know and my Russek manual just said 'it's hard - just take it to a shop'. And my boot only _just_ split with a small hole that was letting greaseout, but not dirt in (yet). I've done a boot before but it was probably 20 years ago, so needed reminding how the two ends come apart. Perfect.
I am not a car guy, but I found this very interesting. You are funny in a way which you are not trying to be funny. And on top of that you are very good at explaining. Subscribing for sure.
Valid points all around. I was in the Air Force and spent 20 months on Guam. A good 19 of those months, I drove an 89 corolla that had NO boots left on both axles. They weren't just torn but GONE...all the rubber material and grease were completely deteriorated into non-existence, and the ball bearings were bone dry. Every time I drove, esp on the strip with friends in the car, I was just waiting for one to break. Never happened! And this was on a hot, humid, salty, tropical island on coral-composite streets! CV axles are important parts for both operation and safety, but they are pretty tough.
Thank you so much for even the first 2 minutes of this video. I have a torn boot, no money right now, and I'm commuting 100 miles a day, round trip. No noise at all that I can hear from the ball joints, but I can feel the vibration. It's good to know I stand a chance of making it until I can make the repairs. edit: just subscribed, thought I did that years ago.
TY much for your car repair vids! They are great. You are funny & extremely clear in explanation and camera shots. And unlike Scotty you make very specific repair vids for specific vehicles and you've helped a lot with fixing our two Honda crv's. Continued success to you!
I LOVE the way you started this video! Bravo! Don't do it! They just fail down the road anyway. Remember those "split boots" that were on the market? Bleh! (shakes shoulders and head)
The first two minutes where you explain the practicals of if and when to change the axle or boot....that is the most important part and just changed my mind on what I will do. Thanks Eric. Subbed and Liked.
6:20 - 7:19. DUDE! You saved me! Had to do a control arm on my son's car. Somehow putting everything back together, the cv axle separated on the inside. I've never experienced this before. I told my son we needed to by another axle, but I was twisted because there was absolutely nothing wrong with the old one to begin with. So, before buying a new axle, I was trying to search how to put it back together. You were the only one I could find that had this step with that stupid snap ring! I couldn't figure that out. Thanks for this!!!
Great, thanks for taking the time and for explaining the fault symptoms of a faulty CV joint and why you would replace the whole drive shaft. Very helpful - God bless you for sharing:)
Eric, thank you very much for this video. It just saved me a lot of time and money. I was all set to change my cv boots, but after watching your video. It just makes more sense to change the entire cv joint. Thanks again.
At 12:50, do not hit that part with a hammer except with a plastic hammer. That is the journal surface of the bearing and bearing with tool marks on them don't work great.
shodanxx my didnt come out even doing it as he showed on the video cause they are new...just imagine i had hitted with a plastic hamer...lol.actually never git it to come out...
Eric you already answered my question within 2 minutes . Clicking just started but only on turns and when cold. Thank you and I would hire you in a minute .
Cheers Eric, this one was useful for me when my ball joint snapped on my accord and the resulting force pulled an inner CV joint apart (along with the boot). I re-inserted the shaft into the cup temporarily and replaced the boot after a few days after giving it a good clean and a fresh gob of grease. All is well.
I found a simpler solution for a torn boot. I don't take off the axle just, just crack it loose from the hub. First, I glob a bunch of grease into the cracked boot. Then I stretch the thigh section of an old wetsuit over the old boot and affix it with two coat hanger wires wrapped around and twisted tight right over each boot band. Lastly i pull the wetsuit into the boot corrugations with jumbo plastic wire ties just to keep the grease in the boot. This method made the clicking go away and lasted five years so far on my f-150.
The new axels I've bought for my 96 Civic have had grinding CV joint right out of the box. So I find it hard to believe that it's worth the extra money to replace an oem axel that has no grinding or clicking but a small tear in the boot with a Chinesium piece of crap that will fail in short order. With this pair I just bought each axel had one side that didn't even have grease in it on top of the grinding. They are import direct if anyone was curious. So I think I'll save $140 by just rebooting the oem that's 10x as Skookum. But I have to say I very much appreciate the time you take to make these videos.
Good video, good info, good production quality... but I gotta add, just putting in a cheap new cv isn't always the best choice... cheapo cv's for a lot of cars, like the Acura in your example, are just fine; however,if you have an IFS rig you offroad, cheap new cv's are usually "made in China" garbage that WILL snap like twigs... OEM GM cv's where faithful for 150k miles and a good amount of abuse, went through 3 inexpensive auto store replacements (about 15k miles in all, all were about $60 and were best quality each auto store offered) before coughing up the cash for rebuilt OEMs ($270) ... all I'm saying, if you put a good amount of stress on your cv's: rebuild or buy rebuilt if you want to be cheap... go factory replacements if you want the better option but it's generally not a cheap option
+Pat Trottier I think you definitely have a good point. A lot for the lesser expensive parts don't seem to last very well. I replaced my CV axles and within less than a year, both boots opened up. I went to warranty them and the dude at the parts counter wanted to give me just the boot and told me they don't exchange the axle's for open boots. I lied to the guy and told him I found out when I heard the clicking noise while turning the car. They exchanged them, but now I regret not replacing the original boot with one from the factory.
Pat Trottier I've had Raxles on my CR-V for several years, and I was provided free new boots by Raxles when mine started to crack. The CR-V is far from an off-road vehicle, but I'm very hesitant to install aftermarket Chinese axles.
Yes, tried aftermarket axles for my wife’s Santa Fe and they caused a vibration at 20-25 mph. Hyundai wants $600 each axle, joints are good just boots starting to crack so I will be replacing the boots for sure.
Eric makes replaceing these look easy. I think the trouble with most of us is that we don't know squat. We have to watch videos like these to do it ourselves.
Thanks for your expert opinion on axel vs boot replacement. I happened to notice (non clicking) axel inner boot crack while working on ball joint. Instead of doing nothing, I jammed some cloth into the crack and used a wire tie to tighten / seal the crack. I hope this will prevent dust falling into the crack and hopefully prolong the axel until the time I replace it.
I too would just replace the half shaft, but I watched this because I always wanted to know how to do this. It's not as bad as I imagined. I like your channel. You help so many many people that you never knew you helped. You're like the Lone Ranger or Superman or Batman in a sense if they were real, but you are real. Thanks for what you do.
OEM shafts are too expense, and aftermarket are crap. If your boot are torn and your sfat are still OK, the best way is to just replace the boots with an OEM kit
@austinman1995 That's up to you as you know your capabilities and skills better than me, I just make videos of how I do things to give you some idea of what you are in for.
So much simpler to replace the axle. Thanks, though: now I understand why. I bought "lifetime warranty" replacements, so it's just my labor from now on. Thanks as always for great illustrations and explanations.
Eric Eric... I have custom axles and I don't want to replace.. well its the right passenger side inner boot clicks when turning only should I replace cv boot only??
This video was very helpful, because I've never actually taken one of these apart before. Well except for that one time I was driving through one of the most shitty parts of Baltimore City and tried to simply make a right turn on one of their well maintained inner city streets in our superbly run home town. Came apart surprisingly easy with absolutely no tools what so ever, well except for a tow truck. Thanks for the vid Eric.
hey Eric, i took my car to the mechanic and he said i need to change the front axles. the problem is its not a click click sound its a vibration. my car vibrates weather when you are accelerating , driving on a high speed or low speed. matter of fact, the vibration decreases after 100-120 but you can still feel it. today, i took the wheel off trying to find out whats going on, the axles looked just fine but what i found was the inner tie rod booth was covered with grease. is this whats causing the vibration? or is it really the axles? pls help , thank you much
Martin Lucas Sazz can eliminate that by rotating the tires, front-to-rear... if it still wobbles/vibrates, & he ruled this out ~ along w/ the suspension & engine/trans mounts, then it's those inner axle CV joints
Earl DaSquirrel You forgot wheel bearings. Anyway - it is something easy to diagnose (if you know, what you are looking for..) ;) Sazz - clean that grease off - won't help, but will not harm. :D
THANKS!! I just got a new boot for the wife's Mazda Tribute, took the axle shaft out (and that was a right performance, it didn't want to come out), it was then that I realised I was going to have to take a joint off to get the new boot on. (Okay. so brain not working too well). So I cut the old boot off - which is equivalent to throwing away the paddle when I'm up shit creek - and realised I had no idea how to get the CV joint apart. Your video is invaluable!
Great video! I totally agree, axles are like $30 now and if you pay a little more you can get the lifetime warranty on them which most car parts stores will honor and you basically get your next set at no cost should they fail. The reason I was looking for a video like this is because I have a set of very expensive custom axles and the boot got a paper thin cut making it hard to find but more importantly throwing grease everywhere at high speed. For me it’s well worth the time to replace my axle boot on my own, no clicking here just need the damn boot to do its job. Great video Eric, I thought I was going to have to ship my axle somewhere. Thank you
If you think that you won't save money doing this... You can if you own Ferrari. So THANK YOU for doing this!!! I don't feel like paying $1500 for an Axle.
Yeah, people make generalizations about cost vs effort but are oblivious to the fact that some parts cost more than others. We have an entire generation now raised on youtube and internet "wisdom" when they have too short an attention span to recognize the relevant factors that weren't mentioned because they were obvious to someone like Eric who has done this for years. Always look up parts cost and availability before doing a job so you can decide while you're doing it, what is cost effective to clean and reuse vs what isn't.
Thanks Eric, I knew that about CV joints. Replacing the joints VS. replacing the whole axles. I was actually wondering when you had to actually replace a joint that is making noise.. You confirmed exactly what I suspected. It makes sense that it would be noisy in turns but still ok, and straight line driving , well it's common sense that that would be the time to change it out. I'm lucky I saw this episode because I though I wouldn't see this info on an episode that is about replacing the boot...
I'm going on a clicking joint now for 5 thousand miles but I also take it easy in the Lincoln mkz... I had a machanic tell me he couldn't take the old joints apart to put in new ones so I left it till I find a real machanic to do a install of 2 axles. Your Wright you can get pretty far with a clicking joints your the man bro.. thanks for advice keep on doing great shows bro. Connecticut in the house
Thanks Eric, I needed the refresher course on taking the drive shaft apart because it has been a long time since I have taken one apart. I agree with you that it should be replacing the whole axle but when you are in Mexico at my house and only able to get the boots and the car is a 4x4 and the front drive is only used sparingly and at low speed. Just cleaning and changing the boot works just fine. Again thank you for the refresher course! Nice!
Thank you. This video helped me out Bigtime. Thank you so much. Please don't ever take this channel down. your videos have helped me fix my Honda many times.
Really enjoyed this video! i'm not a car guy, so watching this makes me feel way better about paying a local mechanic $345 to local mechanic to do this for me. i sure as hell couldn't do it myself, not with out doing a lot of learning and buying a lot of tools. thanks for the video.
Kids, stay off crack. This is not much work at all, considering the entire video is only 19 minutes. You just wasted more time on youtube than that. DIY plus staying off crack does in fact save money.
it's only 19 min's because the axle is already off the vehicle. in reality, you have to remove the strut, loosen the tie rod end, remove the brake caliper, take the ball joints loose and remove the steering knuckle. then add putting it all back together. 2 hour job give or take. and, having air tools or not makes a big difference
@@matthewh.6041 what vehicle? All I have to do on the odyssey is remove the knuckle from the lower ball joint and axle nut then pry it out. I would say that if you have a torn boot and it's a OEM axle to just change the boot. Aftermarket axles are just a PITA and you'll get lucky if they are good out of the box and actually last. Been through 3 different brands and all have had terrible experiences with them not being good OOB or not lasting. Will from now on save the OEM if it can be saved or replace it with OEM, tired of the inconvenience of aftermarket.
Excellent video Eric ! I believe you are spot on with this video. I thank you for this refresher video for a mechanic like myself for over 40 years . Thumbs up for sure .
Hey Eric I wanted to say Thanks for the video. I did this for the first time and followed your advice to the T. I have to admit you are one hell of a video mechanic with great step by step instructions. You should change your name to Eric THE MAN the car guy. I really like your channel. Thanks Bro.
CV boot £3.99 new front axle £295.00 Now take a guess which one I am going to buy...@ericthecarguy... I thought at your age you would be classed as a mechanic.The start of the video you sound just like a fitter....So many guys in my local garages don't actually know how an alternator works, or how to replace the brushes on a starter motor. The have massive banks of tools and all they ever do is swap old parts for new. And as you mentioned at the beginning its all about cost. It sad that its quicker, easier and more importantly cheaper just to FIT a new part than spend a little while repairing the old part..
+Jamie Rollinson Here in the States, it would cost me around $6 for a cheap flimsy CV boot but the cost of a reconditioned CV half-shaft assembly is about $35 to $70. I'd rather spend a bit more for the half-shaft than messing with CV joint grease.
I was thinking of replacing my boot preemptively, as the old one is cracking but not completely separated. But I'm re-thinking it now ... maybe just let it break and replace entire axle. I had forgotten about tightening the bands ... doing so without proper pliers is a PITA. Thanks for video.
I enjoyed your video. It was very helpful. Thank you! I was replacing my CV axle, and I could not get the end out of the transmission (believe me, I tried several methods - sliding hammer, etc., etc.); I was about to cut it off with a Dremel. Anyway, I, finally, decided to just leave the end of the CV axle (the inner joint) connected to the transmission. I removed the axle the threw it away. I have a new CV axle. I intend to take the inner joint off of the new axle and put it into the inner joint which is, still, in the transmission. So, your instructions how to remove and repack the inner CV joint are very helpful. Thank you.
Thanks a lot for this video. You are explaining everything step by step and easily someone can understand how that are connected together, the tools that you need and how to re-asseble it again.
Thanks for teaching all these years! Cuz "...the groove is in the heart!" Nice! How important would you say is the dynamic dampener found on driver side axel of 7th gen Accords? I Had the inner boot come apart during a tow after a LB joint failure (stupid me) and the Damper was also damaged. If the dampener is not very relevant, I intend to fix the axel, rather than getting one from the PRC.
Many Thanks for showing what had me worried while taking the passenger side CV Axle out of my new to me Element - that it's normal for the inner CV joint to slide somewhat (at 2:11) - first time for me doing this kind of work, only worked on solid axles before. I elected to replace the leaking boot because the OEM axle performs perfectly otherwise and I'd prefer not to replaxe it with an aftermarket of dubious quality. Kudos! 👍👍
Hi Eric, many thanks for this video! I replaced my CV Boots on my Suzuki Swift (a.k.a. Geo Metro) last week with the help of your video. Greetings from Hungary!
Thanks Eric, I appreciate your wisdom and experience. I am currently replacing boot/gaitors/bellows on my E 280 Mercedes W124. Your channel (and ones like it) have helped give me the confidence to have a crack at it. Cheers, Rob (from Tasmania, Australia)
I never knew that was how the axles came apart. Good info. I replaced a cv axle in my car a few years ago and the boot was made of junk rubber which cracked in short time and now it's totally split open. It's my own car and I've got more time to spend on it than cash, so I'd like to just slap a boot on. I've seen tools which are meant to stretch the boot over the fully assembled joint but that seems crazy to me. Thanks for showing how these are assembled. It's interesting to know for sure.
Just did an outer cv boot on a Volvo S40. Book says to remove the circlip with pliers and slide the joint off the shaft. Glad I saw you hit the joint to get it off as the circlip is onthe shaft inside the joint. I did find it easier to get the joint back on the shaft when I took the circlip off the shaft and put it inside the joint as it fits in the groove and doesn't move. I did it with the shaft still in place on the car; a bit more of a squeeze.
Excellent video - thanks, Eric! Your tip about just replacing the whole axle for a few dollars more is a good idea - and no worry about the axle for a long time.
enjoy you vids bro. very helpful and informative. found a broken motor mount today on my 99 prelude using the techniques you suggested in another vid. that was after I changed all the original struts out yesterday and...she was still making a clunk on a hard accel. keep'm coming!
Thanks Eric! Very helpful. On my 2006 Scion TC w/manual and 140k miles, a vibration has started that I haven't been able to pinpoint yet. Most noticeable at 40 mph and above, but if I turn left ever so slightly it stops. The bearings in both front tires don't seem to have any play in them (vertical or horizontal), and CV joints are not torn. I feel the vibration through the steering wheel, and if I coast on a smooth road it feels like it's there all the way down to stopping. Possible it's a tire out of balance but it seems more severe than that. I haven't checked the rear yet because it's so noticeable in the steering wheel, and the slight left turn pressure makes it stop, but I could check that next, as well as for clicking when doing hard turns both ways. Thanks again! Liked and subscribed.
Had a clicking CV joint when turning which had a broken boot . Repacked with a new boot and grease and the clicking went away (been drivig for almost a year with no more clicking). Also, some inner and outer joints will have a snap ring to let loose the bearing cage so that you don't need to use a hammer.
My CV boot got damaged by accident during my steering/shocks repair a couple weeks ago so I have to replace the boot. The CV is in good shape so I'm just replacing the boot. This video definitely took the stress out of the job a bit. I noticed the damage when I was replacing the ball joints today.
I really Like you Eric because your video is straight forword and honest,and so so many people when they have to go to a auto repair shop they automatically think,,Oh God ! how much money am I going to get ripped off this time.It's extremely hard to get rid of that black eye we professionals got from other gentleman doing just that! ripping off the public. What I do Is keep the customer with me side by side from Diagnosing the problem
you answered my question about if I need to use new circlip on the outer Jetta DSG cv axle. I thought you might need a new clip in order for it to be knocked back on but the screwdriver alignment trick of circlip is what I wasn’t doing. If anyone has any other tips on Jetta cvs lmk!
We should have met years ago because we think the same and do things the same (the right way)....your advice helps with an idea i had....i didn't wanna replace my cv axle because i just didn't wanna do the upper ball joint and sway bar disassembly to replace the cv joint shaft but after watching i said to myself (just do it right ed) thanks man for the great video...
Many thanks, Eric. In return for your hard work, I can educate you with one extremely good reason - under the right circumstances - to replace the boots and not the entire axle. The axles that come on the vehicle are extremely high quality, made to last hundreds of thousands of miles if they're not neglected (like driving with split boots). The cheap aftermarket replacement axles, on the other hand, are near junk, barely capable of performing their task (and they often don't). Sure, they have a lifetime warranty, but who wants to pull CV axles every six months, or go through three of them to get one that runs properly (temporarily), just to keep from getting joint grease on your hands? Remember I said "under the right circumstances"? In my case, the left outer boot is split. I just bought the car a week ago, no idea how long the boot has been that way, but here's the thing - both axles are dead quiet. No clicking. No groaning. Nothing. Do I think it's worth replacing the boots rather than throwing this quality part in the trash and installing Chinese junk? Damn straight! So that's it, thanks again for the terrific video and always wrench safe. :)
That’s what I mentioned above too before reading any comments.
thanks for the advice!
As a Mechanic for many years turned manager, I must say your videos and wit are not only hilarious but very well done in a sumple straightforward way. Nice job!
Sumple is Humble and Simple all at once,but it saves time&air.
Eric is a riot.
This is the first time i've ever watched eric the car guy.
What a legend. Simple, no fuss, easy to follow instructions.
Thanks eric!
This video gave me the info I searched hours for! I watched a dozen other videos and read through several forums that omitted the most useful information - the steps that aren’t obvious. Thanks for the patient, calm step-by-step video and explanation!!
I reckon the boot is worth changing even if the joint is clicking. The reason is because I recently had two broken outer CV boots and one clicking cv joint on turns. Having never taken one of these apart I was curious to see how it all fits together. So I took both axles out, removed the broken outer boots, cleaned the old grease, dirt, and leaves out, inspected the components and noticed a little pitting on the inside bearing carriers on both sides. Re-greased and reassembled it all and was surprised to find the clicking had stopped. So far I have done another 5,000km and the clicking still hasn't returned yet. Will post back here when I notice it get worse. Also thanks for the video - you made the job a lot easier for me.
Not even the big guys at the parts counter could explain how I was going to get that boot with a big hole and a little hole where it needed to go.. Im old school and usually would have never thought of youtube.I didnt even get through the whole video, I bet by the time Eric the man was done so was I.. Awesome job bud I appreciate it greatly, made my daughter a happy camper today and made me look like I could do anything hahah... thumbs up
Thanks a lot eric for the well and detailed video on how to get the job done and save a few dollars at the same time. I am weekend backyard mechanic for me and my family and this video make my day.
Thanks
YOU TUBE needs more people like you, keep up the good work
Thank you Eric the Car Guy, I had been agonizing over the fact the CV joint makes a slight clicking when I turn left, but not all the time and never during regular driving. Your explanation was very good. I feel like I should send you some money . Again my thank you!
Eric, thank you for this video. It's been so long since I've done one I completely forgot about that C-ring and the people at the parts store didn't even know what it was for. You've literally saved my weekend. I'm not sure why anyone would give this awesome video of yours a thumbs down. You're awesome brotha! Thank you!
Hey Eric, your vids on CV joints have helped me immensely. VERY BIG THANK YOU. This was the first time I had attempted anything of this scale on a car (Mitsubishi Magna 1998 - Australian Sedan) and your vids made it look reasonably easy. It took about a day to get it both axles out, 4 evenings of cussing to replace both outer boots (What a messy job!) and then all of 2 hrs to get both axles installed. For good measure I got a mechanic mate to check over my work and he gave it the thumbs up. Now to do the timing belt and front suspension . Although I'll get the timing belt professional done by my mate. Just to add the car is driveable since doing the CV outer boots. Also having access to a compressor and rattle gun (impact wrench) makes life easier. I learnt a lot doing this work. Lastly, my skill level when it comes to cars is at a stretch that of a 'Weekend Warrior'.
Stay Dirty :)
Thanks! You made my job of replacing my inner boot 10 times easier by showing that the axle is held in place by the boot! I left one end in the gearbox and repaired it in place.
13:08 "This thing is neat looking it looks like art" I agree, both axel joints are truly a work of art. Subscribed.
Eric: Thanks for the video. Here in WVa we have vehicle safety inspections and they won't pass a car with a torn boot, so your video is still applicable for us. Replacing the axle with a rebuilt one sometimes is a problem, because incorrect circlips on the inboard side sometimes makes it nearly impossible to remove the axle. I saw one where they actually ruined the transaxle trying to get it out.
Thank eric. This is just what I needed to know and my Russek manual just said 'it's hard - just take it to a shop'. And my boot only _just_ split with a small hole that was letting greaseout, but not dirt in (yet). I've done a boot before but it was probably 20 years ago, so needed reminding how the two ends come apart. Perfect.
I am not a car guy, but I found this very interesting. You are funny in a way which you are not trying to be funny. And on top of that you are very good at explaining. Subscribing for sure.
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Valid points all around. I was in the Air Force and spent 20 months on Guam. A good 19 of those months, I drove an 89 corolla that had NO boots left on both axles. They weren't just torn but GONE...all the rubber material and grease were completely deteriorated into non-existence, and the ball bearings were bone dry. Every time I drove, esp on the strip with friends in the car, I was just waiting for one to break. Never happened! And this was on a hot, humid, salty, tropical island on coral-composite streets! CV axles are important parts for both operation and safety, but they are pretty tough.
Thanks a lot Eric. I work on my own cars and you are very clear and down to the point when you explain. keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for even the first 2 minutes of this video. I have a torn boot, no money right now, and I'm commuting 100 miles a day, round trip. No noise at all that I can hear from the ball joints, but I can feel the vibration. It's good to know I stand a chance of making it until I can make the repairs. edit: just subscribed, thought I did that years ago.
How long did you make it?
TY much for your car repair vids! They are great. You are funny & extremely clear in explanation and camera shots. And unlike Scotty you make very specific repair vids for specific vehicles and you've helped a lot with fixing our two Honda crv's. Continued success to you!
After 13yrs of making this video i want to say thank you ❤❤ for u from Iraq
I LOVE the way you started this video! Bravo! Don't do it! They just fail down the road anyway. Remember those "split boots" that were on the market? Bleh! (shakes shoulders and head)
The first two minutes where you explain the practicals of if and when to change the axle or boot....that is the most important part and just changed my mind on what I will do. Thanks Eric. Subbed and Liked.
I sure miss the old EricTheCarGuy videos like this.
6:20 - 7:19. DUDE! You saved me! Had to do a control arm on my son's car. Somehow putting everything back together, the cv axle separated on the inside. I've never experienced this before. I told my son we needed to by another axle, but I was twisted because there was absolutely nothing wrong with the old one to begin with. So, before buying a new axle, I was trying to search how to put it back together. You were the only one I could find that had this step with that stupid snap ring! I couldn't figure that out. Thanks for this!!!
Great, thanks for taking the time and for explaining the fault symptoms of a faulty CV joint and why you would replace the whole drive shaft. Very helpful - God bless you for sharing:)
Eric, thank you very much for this video. It just saved me a lot of time and money. I was all set to change my cv boots, but after watching your video. It just makes more sense to change the entire cv joint. Thanks again.
At 12:50, do not hit that part with a hammer except with a plastic hammer.
That is the journal surface of the bearing and bearing with tool marks on them don't work great.
shodanxx my didnt come out even doing it as he showed on the video cause they are new...just imagine i had hitted with a plastic hamer...lol.actually never git it to come out...
Eric you already answered my question within 2 minutes . Clicking just started but only on turns and when cold.
Thank you and I would hire you in a minute .
so 3 whacks huh? I've been beating on mine for an hour and still nothing.. prob broke it by now * yup it broke, awesome!
For the trouble....you might as well just replace the axle.👍
Agreed, all day getting this mess out with no luck
😂😂some of them are easy to get out but today I've been beating in it for an hour too😂 i ended up just taking the other end out and replacing both😂
I heard non oem ones aren't able to come off because they are welded on? I just took it to a cv axle shop instead
Did u have a vice?
Cheers Eric, this one was useful for me when my ball joint snapped on my accord and the resulting force pulled an inner CV joint apart (along with the boot). I re-inserted the shaft into the cup temporarily and replaced the boot after a few days after giving it a good clean and a fresh gob of grease. All is well.
I found a simpler solution for a torn boot. I don't take off the axle just, just crack it loose from the hub. First, I glob a bunch of grease into the cracked boot. Then I stretch the thigh section of an old wetsuit over the old boot and affix it with two coat hanger wires wrapped around and twisted tight right over each boot band. Lastly i pull the wetsuit into the boot corrugations with jumbo plastic wire ties just to keep the grease in the boot. This method made the clicking go away and lasted five years so far on my f-150.
who just has an old wetsuit lying around, lol
The new axels I've bought for my 96 Civic have had grinding CV joint right out of the box. So I find it hard to believe that it's worth the extra money to replace an oem axel that has no grinding or clicking but a small tear in the boot with a Chinesium piece of crap that will fail in short order.
With this pair I just bought each axel had one side that didn't even have grease in it on top of the grinding. They are import direct if anyone was curious.
So I think I'll save $140 by just rebooting the oem that's 10x as Skookum.
But I have to say I very much appreciate the time you take to make these videos.
Good video, good info, good production quality... but I gotta add, just putting in a cheap new cv isn't always the best choice... cheapo cv's for a lot of cars, like the Acura in your example, are just fine; however,if you have an IFS rig you offroad, cheap new cv's are usually "made in China" garbage that WILL snap like twigs... OEM GM cv's where faithful for 150k miles and a good amount of abuse, went through 3 inexpensive auto store replacements (about 15k miles in all, all were about $60 and were best quality each auto store offered) before coughing up the cash for rebuilt OEMs ($270) ... all I'm saying, if you put a good amount of stress on your cv's: rebuild or buy rebuilt if you want to be cheap... go factory replacements if you want the better option but it's generally not a cheap option
+Pat Trottier I think you definitely have a good point. A lot for the lesser expensive parts don't seem to last very well. I replaced my CV axles and within less than a year, both boots opened up. I went to warranty them and the dude at the parts counter wanted to give me just the boot and told me they don't exchange the axle's for open boots. I lied to the guy and told him I found out when I heard the clicking noise while turning the car. They exchanged them, but now I regret not replacing the original boot with one from the factory.
+Ernie Martin That "guy you lied to" was ME!!! Thanks a lot, Ernie!
Pat Trottier I've had Raxles on my CR-V for several years, and I was provided free new boots by Raxles when mine started to crack. The CR-V is far from an off-road vehicle, but I'm very hesitant to install aftermarket Chinese axles.
Yes, tried aftermarket axles for my wife’s Santa Fe and they caused a vibration at 20-25 mph. Hyundai wants $600 each axle, joints are good just boots starting to crack so I will be replacing the boots for sure.
Eric makes replaceing these look easy. I think the trouble with most of us is that we don't know squat. We have to watch videos like these to do it ourselves.
"Because the groove...is in the heart!"
Nice Deee-Lite reference! 👍🏼
Thanks for your expert opinion on axel vs boot replacement. I happened to notice (non clicking) axel inner boot crack while working on ball joint. Instead of doing nothing, I jammed some cloth into the crack and used a wire tie to tighten / seal the crack. I hope this will prevent dust falling into the crack and hopefully prolong the axel until the time I replace it.
I remember using electrician's zip ties instead. Worked a treat.
Yossi Illan did zip ties work good ?
Yes and as a matter of fact, I kept them on till I sold the vehicle. At least they are excellent as a temporary fix.
Yeah they are good for it done that allot.
I used to keep zip ties in the trunk of my car until I got pulled over by the cops.
I too would just replace the half shaft, but I watched this because I always wanted to know how to do this. It's not as bad as I imagined. I like your channel. You help so many many people that you never knew you helped. You're like the Lone Ranger or Superman or Batman in a sense if they were real, but you are real. Thanks for what you do.
OEM shafts are too expense, and aftermarket are crap. If your boot are torn and your sfat are still OK, the best way is to just replace the boots with an OEM kit
@austinman1995 That's up to you as you know your capabilities and skills better than me, I just make videos of how I do things to give you some idea of what you are in for.
The first 2 minutes told me all i need to know, but stayed for the knowledge
Thank you 👍👌
You have to love his videos, simple, the facts, no BS, love it
Just watching this now. I've watched so many of your videos over the years. You make the best ones.
Seriously thank you! I did the thing with a screwdriver to get the snapring correctly positioned and it worked like hell!
Can you explain that part better ? What exactly do we do with the screwdriver
So much simpler to replace the axle. Thanks, though: now I understand why. I bought "lifetime warranty" replacements, so it's just my labor from now on. Thanks as always for great illustrations and explanations.
Eric Eric... I have custom axles and I don't want to replace.. well its the right passenger side inner boot clicks when turning only should I replace cv boot only??
This video was very helpful, because I've never actually taken one of these apart before. Well except for that one time I was driving through one of the most shitty parts of Baltimore City and tried to simply make a right turn on one of their well maintained inner city streets in our superbly run home town. Came apart surprisingly easy with absolutely no tools what so ever, well except for a tow truck. Thanks for the vid Eric.
hey Eric, i took my car to the mechanic and he said i need to change the front axles. the problem is its not a click click sound its a vibration. my car vibrates weather when you are accelerating , driving on a high speed or low speed. matter of fact, the vibration decreases after 100-120 but you can still feel it. today, i took the wheel off trying to find out whats going on, the axles looked just fine but what i found was the inner tie rod booth was covered with grease. is this whats causing the vibration? or is it really the axles? pls help , thank you much
wheel balance....
Martin Lucas Sazz can eliminate that by rotating the tires, front-to-rear... if it still wobbles/vibrates, & he ruled this out ~ along w/ the suspension & engine/trans mounts, then it's those inner axle CV joints
original wheels? or something you harvested off another car.. I had that happen, never put Mazda rims on a toyota..
Earl DaSquirrel You forgot wheel bearings. Anyway - it is something easy to diagnose (if you know, what you are looking for..) ;) Sazz - clean that grease off - won't help, but will not harm. :D
Sazz Sourman mm my opinion its not that..it can be axles ,unbalanced tires,missalignment,motor mounts
THANKS!! I just got a new boot for the wife's Mazda Tribute, took the axle shaft out (and that was a right performance, it didn't want to come out), it was then that I realised I was going to have to take a joint off to get the new boot on. (Okay. so brain not working too well). So I cut the old boot off - which is equivalent to throwing away the paddle when I'm up shit creek - and realised I had no idea how to get the CV joint apart. Your video is invaluable!
"Those balls are really good in a sling shot" LMAO!!!
Great video! I totally agree, axles are like $30 now and if you pay a little more you can get the lifetime warranty on them which most car parts stores will honor and you basically get your next set at no cost should they fail.
The reason I was looking for a video like this is because I have a set of very expensive custom axles and the boot got a paper thin cut making it hard to find but more importantly throwing grease everywhere at high speed. For me it’s well worth the time to replace my axle boot on my own, no clicking here just need the damn boot to do its job. Great video Eric, I thought I was going to have to ship my axle somewhere. Thank you
If you think that you won't save money doing this... You can if you own Ferrari. So THANK YOU for doing this!!! I don't feel like paying $1500 for an Axle.
Yeah, people make generalizations about cost vs effort but are oblivious to the fact that some parts cost more than others. We have an entire generation now raised on youtube and internet "wisdom" when they have too short an attention span to recognize the relevant factors that weren't mentioned because they were obvious to someone like Eric who has done this for years. Always look up parts cost and availability before doing a job so you can decide while you're doing it, what is cost effective to clean and reuse vs what isn't.
broke boy
Thanks Eric, I knew that about CV joints. Replacing the joints VS. replacing the whole axles. I was actually wondering when you had to actually replace a joint that is making noise.. You confirmed exactly what I suspected. It makes sense that it would be noisy in turns but still ok, and straight line driving , well it's common sense that that would be the time to change it out. I'm lucky I saw this episode because I though I wouldn't see this info on an episode that is about replacing the boot...
4:00 and 4:40 are my favorite
Thanks Eric The Car Guy for doing these maintenance videos to help out other do it your selfers!
4:38 lol he knew exactly what I was thinking
Thank you! You just don’t know how much help you are providing your viewer and subscribers.
They want $2,800 for a new half shaft assembly for my car. I think I'll just replace the boot. Thanks for the video!
Is it clicking on turns? Ain't gonna' get better.
Not that I know of (it doesn't steer since it's a rear axle on a mid engine). Are least it won't get any worse.
Alberto Rojas Mid-engine? What kind of car is it?
'88 Mondial 3.2
Alberto Rojas A Ferrari? You're a Ferrari guy complaining about the cost? I thought you guys use $20's for toilet paper...
I'm going on a clicking joint now for 5 thousand miles but I also take it easy in the Lincoln mkz... I had a machanic tell me he couldn't take the old joints apart to put in new ones so I left it till I find a real machanic to do a install of 2 axles. Your Wright you can get pretty far with a clicking joints your the man bro.. thanks for advice keep on doing great shows bro. Connecticut in the house
"Go ahead and shout at me, comments below" lmao
Thanks Eric, I needed the refresher course on taking the drive shaft apart because it has been a long time since I have taken one apart. I agree with you that it should be replacing the whole axle but when you are in Mexico at my house and only able to get the boots and the car is a 4x4 and the front drive is only used sparingly and at low speed. Just cleaning and changing the boot works just fine. Again thank you for the refresher course! Nice!
In the uk you have to change by law for the mot
Was just about to say that!!! Mine failed MOT on a ripped CV boot..
Thank you. This video helped me out Bigtime. Thank you so much. Please don't ever take this channel down. your videos have helped me fix my Honda many times.
I have a dirty mind! I liked how you cleaned that shaft! HAHAHAHA!!!
hes pretty good at cleaning those shafts
almarenee12 do you really like it? Haha
what a good girl you are for saying that.....love it!! sexy.
You dirty we here for cars. Eric should change fields then.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Really enjoyed this video! i'm not a car guy, so watching this makes me feel way better about paying a local mechanic $345 to local mechanic to do this for me. i sure as hell couldn't do it myself, not with out doing a lot of learning and buying a lot of tools. thanks for the video.
I clean my shaft everyday! , you can't imagine how much i love it! xDDD
Bahahahhaaaa!
yea....you gotta get the grease out of your shaft
Robin Michalski
I googled CV boot and low and behold I found you.... my goodness I should have thought of checking you out first, without a doubt you are the car guy!
BTW this is waaay too much work. I am going to wait until my axle starts clicking then Im going to change it all out at once! Save time and money!
Kids, stay off crack. This is not much work at all, considering the entire video is only 19 minutes. You just wasted more time on youtube than that. DIY plus staying off crack does in fact save money.
it's only 19 min's because the axle is already off the vehicle. in reality, you have to remove the strut, loosen the tie rod end, remove the brake caliper, take the ball joints loose and remove the steering knuckle. then add putting it all back together. 2 hour job give or take. and, having air tools or not makes a big difference
@@matthewh.6041 what vehicle? All I have to do on the odyssey is remove the knuckle from the lower ball joint and axle nut then pry it out. I would say that if you have a torn boot and it's a OEM axle to just change the boot. Aftermarket axles are just a PITA and you'll get lucky if they are good out of the box and actually last. Been through 3 different brands and all have had terrible experiences with them not being good OOB or not lasting. Will from now on save the OEM if it can be saved or replace it with OEM, tired of the inconvenience of aftermarket.
Excellent video Eric ! I believe you are spot on with this video. I thank you for this refresher video for a mechanic like myself for over 40 years . Thumbs up for sure .
Awesome Eric!! Thank you!
Hey Eric
I wanted to say Thanks for the video. I did this for the first time and followed your advice to the T. I have to admit you are one hell of a video mechanic with great step by step instructions. You should change your name to Eric THE MAN the car guy.
I really like your channel.
Thanks Bro.
CV boot £3.99 new front axle £295.00 Now take a guess which one I am going to buy...@ericthecarguy... I thought at your age you would be classed as a mechanic.The start of the video you sound just like a fitter....So many guys in my local garages don't actually know how an alternator works, or how to replace the brushes on a starter motor. The have massive banks of tools and all they ever do is swap old parts for new. And as you mentioned at the beginning its all about cost. It sad that its quicker, easier and more importantly cheaper just to FIT a new part than spend a little while repairing the old part..
+Jamie Rollinson Here in the States, it would cost me around $6 for a cheap flimsy CV boot but the cost of a reconditioned CV half-shaft assembly is about $35 to $70. I'd rather spend a bit more for the half-shaft than messing with CV joint grease.
+Jamie Rollinson Just bought my axles new for about $60 bones each. That price beats the shit out of labor any day.
+Jamie Rollinson He knows how to replace the boot and just showed us. Did you not watch???
+Dezmar Perez No. It was aimed at the Rollinson
+Jamie Rollinson He said in the video "IF THE JOINT IS NOT CLICKING", then go ahead and replace the boot. So you're paragraph is irrelevant.
I was thinking of replacing my boot preemptively, as the old one is cracking but not completely separated. But I'm re-thinking it now ... maybe just let it break and replace entire axle. I had forgotten about tightening the bands ... doing so without proper pliers is a PITA. Thanks for video.
Thanks Eric!!!!!
Informative and funny. Great video quality too. Too many people with shaky video and poor viewing angles etc.. Top notch man. Thanks.
she pissed the bed ,,,,, she was gone when i woke up
only person that goes into detail when changing anything... thanks man really clear as to what to do now.....
Fuck Eric !! you absolute Legend make me laugh mate haha, Gday from Australia !
Thanks for the Video too helped alot cheers.
I enjoyed your video. It was very helpful. Thank you! I was replacing my CV axle, and I could not get the end out of the transmission (believe me, I tried several methods - sliding hammer, etc., etc.); I was about to cut it off with a Dremel. Anyway, I, finally, decided to just leave the end of the CV axle (the inner joint) connected to the transmission. I removed the axle the threw it away. I have a new CV axle. I intend to take the inner joint off of the new axle and put it into the inner joint which is, still, in the transmission. So, your instructions how to remove and repack the inner CV joint are very helpful. Thank you.
there might be a roll pin or something that you have to remove with a punch to get it out.
YELLOW GREASE, CAN I JUST PUT MUSTARD? LOL....
This video is helping me fix up a Honda axles in 2020 LOL, thanks for all the entertaining and informative vids Eric 👍
Thanks a lot for this video. You are explaining everything step by step and easily someone can understand how that are connected together, the tools that you need and how to re-asseble it again.
Thanks for teaching all these years! Cuz "...the groove is in the heart!" Nice! How important would you say is the dynamic dampener found on driver side axel of 7th gen Accords? I Had the inner boot come apart during a tow after a LB joint failure (stupid me) and the Damper was also damaged. If the dampener is not very relevant, I intend to fix the axel, rather than getting one from the PRC.
Thanks for the honest advice to just replace the whole axle. I had no idea the axles were so cheap now. Your videos are incredibly helpful! Thanks!!
Many Thanks for showing what had me worried while taking the passenger side CV Axle out of my new to me Element - that it's normal for the inner CV joint to slide somewhat (at 2:11) - first time for me doing this kind of work, only worked on solid axles before. I elected to replace the leaking boot because the OEM axle performs perfectly otherwise and I'd prefer not to replaxe it with an aftermarket of dubious quality. Kudos! 👍👍
Hi Eric, many thanks for this video! I replaced my CV Boots on my Suzuki Swift (a.k.a. Geo Metro) last week with the help of your video. Greetings from Hungary!
Thanks Eric, I appreciate your wisdom and experience. I am currently replacing boot/gaitors/bellows on my E 280 Mercedes W124. Your channel (and ones like it) have helped give me the confidence to have a crack at it. Cheers, Rob (from Tasmania, Australia)
I never knew that was how the axles came apart. Good info. I replaced a cv axle in my car a few years ago and the boot was made of junk rubber which cracked in short time and now it's totally split open. It's my own car and I've got more time to spend on it than cash, so I'd like to just slap a boot on. I've seen tools which are meant to stretch the boot over the fully assembled joint but that seems crazy to me.
Thanks for showing how these are assembled. It's interesting to know for sure.
Just did an outer cv boot on a Volvo S40. Book says to remove the circlip with pliers and slide the joint off the shaft. Glad I saw you hit the joint to get it off as the circlip is onthe shaft inside the joint. I did find it easier to get the joint back on the shaft when I took the circlip off the shaft and put it inside the joint as it fits in the groove and doesn't move. I did it with the shaft still in place on the car; a bit more of a squeeze.
Excellent video - thanks, Eric! Your tip about just replacing the whole axle for a few dollars more is a good idea - and no worry about the axle for a long time.
Eric the flow of you technical presentation is outstanding.
enjoy you vids bro. very helpful and informative. found a broken motor mount today on my 99 prelude using the techniques you suggested in another vid. that was after I changed all the original struts out yesterday and...she was still making a clunk on a hard accel. keep'm coming!
You answered my questions in the first 1 minute 50 seconds, thank you for being direct, wish more people would make videos like you!!
Thanks Eric! Very helpful. On my 2006 Scion TC w/manual and 140k miles, a vibration has started that I haven't been able to pinpoint yet. Most noticeable at 40 mph and above, but if I turn left ever so slightly it stops. The bearings in both front tires don't seem to have any play in them (vertical or horizontal), and CV joints are not torn. I feel the vibration through the steering wheel, and if I coast on a smooth road it feels like it's there all the way down to stopping. Possible it's a tire out of balance but it seems more severe than that. I haven't checked the rear yet because it's so noticeable in the steering wheel, and the slight left turn pressure makes it stop, but I could check that next, as well as for clicking when doing hard turns both ways. Thanks again! Liked and subscribed.
After watching this video, I finally understood what the previous posts were giggling about. Grease the shaft! haha. Thanks for the video.
Nice video, thanks! I'm curious, would it be alright to use a "hose clamp" ? No special tool required.
Had a clicking CV joint when turning which had a broken boot . Repacked with a new boot and grease and the clicking went away (been drivig for almost a year with no more clicking). Also, some inner and outer joints will have a snap ring to let loose the bearing cage so that you don't need to use a hammer.
How much the boot replacement cost ya? What kind of car was it?
@@CHIPSIMS-h2n 10$ for the boot and 5$ for the grease. Car is a Nissan K11
My CV boot got damaged by accident during my steering/shocks repair a couple weeks ago so I have to replace the boot. The CV is in good shape so I'm just replacing the boot. This video definitely took the stress out of the job a bit. I noticed the damage when I was replacing the ball joints today.
I really Like you Eric because your video is straight forword and honest,and so so many people when they have to go to a auto repair shop they automatically think,,Oh God ! how much money am I going to get ripped off this time.It's extremely hard to get rid of that black eye we professionals got from other gentleman doing just that! ripping off the public. What I do Is keep the customer with me side by side from Diagnosing the problem
you answered my question about if I need to use new circlip on the outer Jetta DSG cv axle. I thought you might need a new clip in order for it to be knocked back on but the screwdriver alignment trick of circlip is what I wasn’t doing. If anyone has any other tips on Jetta cvs lmk!
We should have met years ago because we think the same and do things the same (the right way)....your advice helps with an idea i had....i didn't wanna replace my cv axle because i just didn't wanna do the upper ball joint and sway bar disassembly to replace the cv joint shaft but after watching i said to myself (just do it right ed) thanks man for the great video...