Outer Axle boot DIY

**DubbinChris** · 02-02-2008 08:23 PM

I have a garage to park my car in but it has no opener so I have get out each and every time to open and close the door. Getting out the other day I saw a small spot of grease on the outside of my drivers front wheel. I cranked the wheel fully to the left and with a flash light saw what I suspected I might see....

Well I was on the computer an hour later ordering a boot kit from GAP...

http://www.germanautoparts.com.../34/1

I then waited a few days for it to come in the mail before getting started...

"Made in Germany" pleases me!

What's inside...

I didn't take pictures of it, but obviously the first thing I did was to remove the axle from the car. Even though the Bentley says I need to, it was not necessary for me to disconnect the ball joint to get it out. Just the 6 bolts at the trans and the 30mm axle nut.

Put the axle in the vise...

Cut outer clamp with a good pair of cutters...

And remove...

Slide boot down to expose joint...

Cut the inboard boot clamp...

And remove....

My favorite way to remove the boot....

Diagram if anybody is interested...

Using a dead blow hammer is best but this is all I had. Hit joint to remove from axle shaft splines....

Remove plastic "race" and thrust washer...

Use snap ring pliers to remove this...

Tilt cage at various angles to remove balls noting that one hole is bigger than all the others. That is the key to getting the cage out later....

Now clean your balls.....

ONE!

TWO!!

Three???!!!

Ok bad joke above. Anyway get all six cleaned and inspected....

Then rotate cage all the way to the side and utilizing the largest hole it will come out of the joint housing. Get it nice and clean too...

Now clean out the inside of the joint housing. Inspecting it also. I did find some scoring on 5 out of 6 of the bearing races. Hopefully you can see them in the pics. I suspect these may cause the joint to essentially fail sooner than later.

The unscored one...

Now all clean and waiting....

Put 1/2of the supplied grease into the joint housing....

Put this back in the same way you took it out....

Tilt it around to put each large bearing back in...

Now put axle back into the vice and slide the new boot on...

Slide on the thrust washer...

And the a new plastic bearing race...

Install the new snap ring that came with the kit...

Put the joint back onto the shaft....

Tap to get past snap ring and seated...

Slide boot up towards joint...

Put remaining grease into boot...

Slide boot over joint housing, being sure to get seated all the way around...

Put outer clamp around and latch...

You'll need one of these special band crimping tools to use....

Now burp!!!

Then the inner clamp. Same process....

Now reinstall axle. Hopefully my little DIY will help some folks out there. Let me know if I should add or change anything. I took the pictures and wrote this up quick.

One thing that I didn't do but should have. Before removing the cage from the the joint housing you should mark both so that the cage is installed in exactly the same position as it was removed. Robert Bentley say so!!!!

Thanks for watching.

Modified by DubbinChris at 5:53 PM 1-26-2009

Modified by DubbinChris at 5:56 PM 1-26-2009

**NARDO** · 02-02-2008 09:23 PM

Wow, It must have been those magic purple gloves that allowed you to smack the joint off the shaft and be able to catch it when it flew off all at the same time, I need some of those.

Just kidding, Nice write up, I'm impressed on how quickly you get things done, I'd push it off for week after week and before I know it the shaft is joint is junk, I'm stranded on the side of the road, and now have no choice but to fix it. I'll learn eventually I suppose.

One thing you did forget to mention is that those gloves are a MUST. That CV grease is the absolute worst to clean off!!!

**DubbinChris** · 02-02-2008 10:38 PM

The best part of the magic gloves are that I get to snag boxes of them for free from work. My manager would rather give me free gloves than to come in and touch patients with greasy hands that I couldn't get clean.

I'm a bit of a procrastanator as well, but decided to just get off my butt this time and do it.

**Banned wagon** · 02-02-2008 10:47 PM

wow I have done this only once. then I found i can get a whole rebuilt axle for like 55bux a side.. good job nice pictures.

**DubbinChris** · 02-02-2008 11:08 PM

Quote, originally posted by Banned wagon »

wow I have done this only once. then I found i can get a whole rebuilt axle for like 55bux a side.. good job nice pictures.

In hindsight I prob should have just done that. Where do you get them for $55. Does that include shipping?

**NARDO** · 02-02-2008 11:43 PM

Free magic gloves??? Best Job ever!!!

I procrastinate like a MoFo too. I had a rather productive friday though, when thrus night all weather stations were flippin out saying we were going to get 5-10" of snow. we got nothing, and at about 11:00am on friday I realized it felt like it was 50 outside with the sun shining, so I went to my parents house and scrambled to pack up parts before the weather changed.

I believe I got my axles from autozone, I wanna say they were 45.00 each, no core, but it was over 2 years ago and I had a friend whos brother worked there so I don't think that would be walk in price.

BTW, seems like a lot of grease flew out for such a small hole. How fast you get those puppies spinning?

**DubbinChris** · 02-03-2008 12:45 AM

Dunno really, my speedo is so far off it's not even funny. The can has seen almost 100 a few times that I know of but I'm sure at least 85 for that grease slinging.

**white9691** · 02-03-2008 01:52 AM

i am impressed........don't know if i ever do it........ excellant DIY lay out of the job....thanks

**NARDO** · 02-03-2008 08:31 AM

You don't have to tell me about the speedo problem. I've got the same crap. mine reads correct at 25mph, at 60mph it reads almost 80mph. So annoying.

We need to hunt down this dealership thats got a box of NOS speedo heads for the fox just sitting on the back shelf collecting dust....and rob him!!!!

There's got to be one out there somewhere.

**DubbinChris** · 02-03-2008 09:10 AM

I've been pondering a solution from the MKII world. But it prob won't work.

**NARDO** · 02-03-2008 09:50 AM

Interested in hearing about a possible solution. I was just thinking of saving my money and buying a gps that tells you the speed your travelling. two birds, one stone.

**DubbinChris** · 02-03-2008 12:29 PM

I need to sit down with both bentleys and the respective clusters and start to tinker.

I've used the GPS thing a few times in the car as I have a few units for various reasons. This is how I know that 3k on the tach actually equals 70mph

**NARDO** · 02-03-2008 12:37 PM

really? I once paced my dad in his chevy pickup and I was at 3k rpm and he was doing 60mph according to his chitty chevy. I've been going by that for months now. oops!
Now I'm scared, I really need an accurate speedo, I can't afford another ticket these days, my insurance agent would prolly kill me too.

There's a speedo head in the classifieds just posted, nearly a million miles on the odo, but he says the speedo works, he's not sure of the odo though. I asked if its gauranteed accurate, he hasn't responded yet

**DubbinChris** · 02-03-2008 01:22 PM

Ha yeah, my speedo "works" too. The car moves faster and it in turn indicates a higher speed. Although my speedo says so, I doubt my Fox does 120 mph.

Modified by DubbinChris at 4:00 PM 2-3-2008

**tylernt** · 02-03-2008 04:03 PM

I procrastinated the CV boots on my Rabbit for about a year. I had some scoring on one side of each groove on the outer race like these did. I put the right joint on the left driveshaft and vice versa, so the damaged areas are only used in Reverse now.

What's worse is I also bought new tie rods and control arms... took me about two years to get around to installing them. I suck.

Quote, originally posted by DubbinChris »

I've used the GPS thing a few times in the car as I have a few units for various reasons. This is how I know that 3k on the tach actually equals 70mph

Interesting, my GPS says 75MPH at 3K RPM, but then again, my tach is off a little bit too (according to the emissions tester). What's interesting is on a long trip, the speedo starts out reading 83-ish MPH at 75MPH actual. As time goes by, the speedo reads higher and higher, about 90MPH. Must be heat related is all I can think of. There is a loose heater duct under my dash so everything under there gets pretty hot.

**the brit** · 02-03-2008 05:10 PM

I added this to the FAQS, great write up thanks!

**BLUE 88 FOX 1.8L** · 02-03-2008 05:57 PM

couldn't have come at a better time! i have to do a boot swap on my new fox in a week or so! awesome!

**kerensky** · 02-03-2008 08:48 PM

Quote, originally posted by DubbinChris »

In hindsight I prob should have just done that. Where do you get them for $55. Does that include shipping?

Only real problem is that the FLAPS axle CV joint boots are ... well, not the best quality. Good thing they come with lifetime warranty, but is that worth replacing them every year? I'm not real sure myself, although I *am* getting pretty good at the swap.

**DubbinChris** · 02-04-2008 12:35 AM

Quote, originally posted by the brit »

I added this to the FAQS, great write up thanks!

Awesome, I was hoping it would be. That's pretty much the reason I did it.

Quote, originally posted by BLUE 88 FOX 1.8L »

couldn't have come at a better time! i have to do a boot swap on my new fox in a week or so! awesome!

Well I hope it helps. Let me know if you have any trouble, and maybe I can help. Good luck with it.

Modified by DubbinChris at 12:37 AM 2-4-2008

**The_Hamster** · 02-04-2008 02:03 PM

Good job!

If the boot isn't torn (no dirt inside just a hole) I usually just replace the boot with the axle still in the car. However cleaning the joint is a good thing to do if you have the motivation.

Appears you forgot to put the inner clamp on before the boot?

"Rebuilt" axles are usually total trash. If it's the autozone style axle etc they have weakened joints due to drilling out the hardened surface, and low quality boots.

Replacing just the boot with a quality GKN (as the OP used) is a far better choice than a poor quality Reman axle IMO. The proper clamp pliers as illustrated are nice to have, but before I got mine I got by for years with just a pair of side cutters and a small hammer to cinch it tight.

**the brit** · 02-04-2008 02:13 PM

Quote, originally posted by The_Hamster »

"Rebuilt" axles are usually total trash. If it's the autozone style axle etc they have weakened joints due to drilling out the hardened surface, and low quality boots.

I agree, but good brand axles, such as EMPI for example, can be found for not too much more as well which makes again fuddles the rebuild question.

**The_Hamster** · 02-04-2008 02:19 PM

Quote, originally posted by the brit »

I agree, but good brand axles, such as EMPI for example, can be found for not too much more as well which makes again fuddles the rebuild question.

The empi's to my understanding are not rebuilds. They are new axles made by somebodyorother, I don't recall which company. I don't think they are Lubro though.

**DubbinChris** · 02-04-2008 11:10 PM

Quote, originally posted by The_Hamster »

Appears you forgot to put the inner clamp on before the boot?

Ha yeah busted. Good thing they come apart.

**GreyFox5** · 02-05-2008 11:40 AM

Excellent writeup BTW - and great pics...

Are the tools (crimper) commonly found at the local parts shops?

Heard a story that in Brazil they had a large warehouse full of parts and in the back was all the Fox parts. When the new Fox came online they needed room for parts in the warehouse. So the old Fox parts went to recycling all $7million worth. So all the parts that are left are in the U.S. - I have no idea if this is true or not.

Modified by GreyFox5 at 8:41 AM 2-5-2008

**DubbinChris** · 02-05-2008 01:51 PM

Quote, originally posted by GreyFox5 »

Excellent writeup BTW - and great pics...

Are the tools (crimper) commonly found at the local parts shops?

Yeah it's a pretty common tool. Domestics even use the same tool.

**WGC** · 02-08-2008 10:34 PM

Nice, perfect.

One question.

How you do to make pics and work in car?

all time i try to do this but dont have sucess..

**adrian8426** · 02-09-2008 12:11 PM

This is my afternoon entertainment for today, my boot is broken all the way...

**DubbinChris** · 02-09-2008 02:13 PM

Quote, originally posted by WGC »

Nice, perfect.

One question.

How you do to make pics and work in car?

all time i try to do this but dont have sucess..

Very carefully I guess. I keep the camera switched on and laying nearby. Obviously some of the photos are stages in a sense as that's the only way they work.

Quote, originally posted by adrian8426 »

This is my afternoon entertainment for today, my boot is broken all the way...

Let us know how it turns out.

This procedure would would work the same in a MKII or III as well in case anybody was wondering.

Modified by DubbinChris at 2:18 PM 2-9-2008

**adrian8426** · 02-09-2008 09:25 PM

Okay, so I did this today and it was fairly easy. Just to add as side notes for this DIY:

1. I never took the cv off from the diffy, I just took the spindle bolt, and the two lower control arm bolts and was able to remove the spindle from the hub assembly. I was able to work on the shaft while still on the car and the joint came out pretty easily.

2.If you have an aftermarket (not OEM) front outer axle joint the holes are all the same size so it takes a little more finesse to reinstall the bearings.

3. When crimping the clamp be sure that when you finish assembling the shaft, turn it around with the hand to make sure that the notch doesn't hit the knuckle/shock assembly as it happened to mine that it was crimped too tall and while turning it kept hitting and it ended up coming loose, had to just hammer it to the side a little bit.

Thank you DubbinChris for an excellent DIY, extremely well documented and simple. Made the process a breeze.

**DubbinChris** · 02-09-2008 10:07 PM

Glad things went well and this thread was helpful for you.

It's cool that you didn't have to pull the whole axle, although pulling the control arms bolts sounds like a process. Do you mean you essentially pulled the control arm off or did you separate it at the ball joint? I pulled my whole axle out b/c I had intented on doing the innner boot while I was in there. My inner boot kit didn't come with one of the bands to secure the smaller end to the axle itself. I called GAP to see why and they insisted that it wasn't suppose to come with one. I asked them how the grease was suppose to stay in there? No answer, but they seemed willing to SELL me a clamp or two.

http://www.germanautoparts.com.../33/1

Anyway thanks for contributing to this DIY.

**The_Hamster** · 02-09-2008 10:15 PM

Quote, originally posted by DubbinChris »

Do you mean you essentially pulled the control arm off or did you separate it at the ball joint?

You can either seperate the balljoint and pull the hub outwards, or undo the control arm bolt(s) and pull that out, whatever you find easier.

On a mk2 for instance undoing the front control arm bolt allows you to rotate it slightly and pull it out quickly.

**adrian8426** · 02-09-2008 10:52 PM

Quote, originally posted by DubbinChris »

Do you mean you essentially pulled the control arm off or did you separate it at the ball joint?

I just removed the two lower bolts that connect the ball joint plate to the control arm, just mark them since they have adjustability, or you can just remove the balljoint but that takes a little more power to take out, and I am a lazy a$$.

**DubbinChris** · 02-10-2008 03:57 PM

Gotcha guys. I didn't want to mess up the alignment. I've found that even if I mark the ball joint it's hard to get it back to where it was. I was very happy to find out I could pull the whole axle and leave the alignment intact. I could never do that with a MKII

**The_Hamster** · 02-10-2008 04:29 PM

Quote, originally posted by DubbinChris »

Gotcha guys. I didn't want to mess up the alignment. I've found that even if I mark the ball joint it's hard to get it back to where it was. I was very happy to find out I could pull the whole axle and leave the alignment intact.

I avoid sepearting the balljoint from the control arm, it's not neccessary and does add the risk of alignment problems.

Quote »

I could never do that with a MKII

It's very easy with a mk2, requires the removal of 1 bolt.

**DubbinChris** · 02-11-2008 02:46 AM

Quote, originally posted by The_Hamster »

It's very easy with a mk2, requires the removal of 1 bolt.

Which bolt is that exactly?

VWVortex

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