How to Replace CV axle boots

Here’s how to repair or replace the constant velocity axle on your passenger car.
The constant velocity joint uses small tripods and needle bearings to transfer torque from the transmission’s differential to the front or rear wheel hub mounted to the knuckles. These joints are filled with grease which is encompassed in a neoprene boot. When these boots become compromised, contaminants may enter, such as moisture which would cause rust, or dirt which would cause excessive wear on the bearing surfaces. Additionally, grease leaking out would cause metal to metal contact which would in turn cause wear.
If you catch the boot leaking, chances are you can just replace the boot if no damage has internally occurred. In this video, the CV axle is rebuilt with new boots. The axle is removed from the vehicle, the boot clamps and boots removed. The tripod must be removed in order to slide off the old boots and slide on the new ones. This may require an air hammer or a pulley puller. A CV boot clamp crimping tool is required to reinstall the new clamps.
The boot kits used in this video are from Mevotech which you can find more details on here:
Inner boot kit:
www.mevotech.com/part//DX820
Outer boot kit:
www.mevotech.com/part//DX859
The 3-jaw puller can be purchased here:
US:
amzn.to/3Pzt3KS
Canada:
amzn.to/3ZmFCMY
For a more detailed look on how CV axles work take a look at this video:
• How a CV Axle Works
This is the Camera I use:
amzn.to/3oaRcZX (US)
amzn.to/3KWQ2uU (Canada)
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www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Speedkar
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[@BStreet666]

Everyone who drives a car and maintains it to some degree should watch this video. Great job!

[@speedkar99]

Exactly! Not the easiest of tasks with removing that tripod though

[@johnnyblue4799]

The problem is that I don't have siblings to steal their clothes and my wife and kids use electric toothbrushes. I've got the rest covered.

[@robincagan462]

@@johnnyblue4799 My problem is that im way too lazy and would probably just buy a new drive axle haha

[@johnnyblue4799]

@@robincagan462 It's a solution if you buy OEM, or OE... quality stuff. Otherwise I'd rather replace the boots. I don't trust the cheap aftermarket crappy products.

[@maweitao]

First thing I did after watching this video was run to my garage and stick all the loose straws to my lubricant caps. That's the real game changer.

[@speedkar99]

I like it, neat innovation

[@gillesturcotte5661]

A broccoli elastic does better thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/broccoli-7253902.jpg

[@johnmckee7937]

Yours is the only family i know that need to keep their clothes in a safe! Great video!

[@speedkar99]

Haha

[@johnmckee7937]

@@speedkar99 I'm not a mechanic, enjoy watching your videos and learning very much. We tease you, because we like you!

[@johnw3379]

Another Great video! I have replaced a lot of CV axles in my life but I have never re booted one. I truly learned something today. I also love your specialty tools that you use regularly!

[@speedkar99]

Thanks! My first (or second) time rebooting one hence why I have the special band tool

[@BellaRocko]

This is by far the best how-to auto repair channel! Straight to the point with a bit of humor at his brother's expense 🙂 Thank again for another great repair video. My CV boot is torn, that's what brought me here. So thank you, I appreciate all your videos, very educational and entertaining!

[@speedkar99]

I'm glad you can learn something from my work. Thanks

[@fogogin]

Making it look effortless through the magic of video editing!

[@speedkar99]

Yes alot of stuff was edited it. Getting the axle out of the transmission and that tripod off the axle were the two biggest hurdles.

[@skodovkar]

It is a very good idea to spread the lubricant all over those dry bearings and even inside. You can close those clips with pincers as well.

[@speedkar99]

Pincers?

[@ralfoide]

@@speedkar99 e.g. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pincers_(tool) like the carpenter's plier-like tool to remove nails.

[@skodovkar]

@@speedkar99 They are sort of pliers used for pulling out of nails. They have very thin claws that are suitable for squeezing that metal locking mechanism very much the same way.

[@magicoddeffect]

@@skodovkar I've heard them referred to as "nippers"

[@skodovkar]

@@magicoddeffect Could be, I am not native english speaker.

[@mossab8209]

We need more of these DIY videos.

[@jocko_]

Thank you.. you should do more of these kinds of videos.

[@olusesanfesobi5219]

Good job pal. Short, crisp and precise 👍👍👍

[@speedkar99]

Thanks 👍

[@user-bx5zy1mu3v]

As always great video, more repair videos please)))

[@yodasbff3395]

Very good tutorial, thanks for sharing 👍.

[@speedkar99]

Welcome

[@kristianhermann5971]

Great video - I would only add to mark the position of the cup and bearings on the inner joint so each bearing goes back into its original cup - otherwise you can sometimes create more play - they don't always wear evenly

[@speedkar99]

Great point!

[@szucsmiklos6618]

Nice video! here in Europe there are types whose axles don't last 100,000 miles, if you want to take them apart, you spend all day grinding the needle rollers in the sand...

[@OutsideTheTargetDemographic]

Your humor really got me this video. I was gasping as work, drawing all sorts of attention to myself. 😅

[@speedkar99]

Hahah glad you enjoyed it

[@TheXTCNinja117]

Amazing work.

[@speedkar99]

Thanks

[@doronbracha3902]

Wow, sure makes me appreciate the mechanics !

[@asadsaeed4223]

Thanks for sharing, I was looking for such video

[@speedkar99]

You are welcome

[@captiantim1]

Nice job , I love using the after market full CV axle., I'm not good at rebuilding

[@speedkar99]

Yeah it would be nice if they made good quality ones

[@ssrattus]

Thanks for the great video!

[@speedkar99]

Welcome

[@m.r1164]

Your lessons are awesome...thee best teacher

[@speedkar99]

Thank you! 😃

[@AK-Star007]

Just got inner cv changed on suzuki liana, along with balancer shaft, turned out that last workshop replaced the original balncer shaft with repaired one (which had worn out splines or groves), that caused the inner cv to fail

[@regperatrovich9406]

Great video! Perhaps you should find a way for your subscribers to send you surplus clothes for your workshop! I’d send some.

[@TheDesertFish]

My 87 Celica had the same problem under 100k miles. Glad to see Toyota - 30 years later - still hasn't figured it out how to design a reliable CV axle. Fantastic job by the way...you make it look easy, but it isn't.

[@speedkar99]

The boots are subjected to environmental conditions and will fail eventually, I don't think it's a design issue.

[@thare2597]

Toyota had major rusting/rot issues back then and through the 90's. Even after that they were on the hook for replacing the subframe on 4Runners.

[@zeez4178]

​@@speedkar99silicon grease on the outside of the whole boot helps greatly

[@HotSneks]

Your brother is probably wondering why all his clothes are disappearing 🤣

[@speedkar99]

It's winter. I'll let him stock up a bit 😉

[@GeorgeMalonedj]

Thanks for the straw tip!

[@speedkar99]

I recently discovered that too

[@ethanadams3103]

i want to know say the cvs are shot, is the axle still reusable and can u just replace the cvs? is it viable if possible

[@nikolaarutyunov1808]

Nice with no BS straight forward to the point

[@dino6627]

Did this job on my car recently. Had grease leaking out afterwards due to overfilling and those no-good cheap clamp pliers. I bought a better type after, with a screw to tighten, and fastened the clamps more securely.

[@zeez4178]

Well done 🤙

[@meathead585]

Personally, I would not expect the new axle grease to move from the axle boot to the metal portions of the cv joint all by itself. I would instead make sure I put new grease all over the metal parts first, before putting the remainder of grease within a boot. Additionally I would most likely remove that outer cv joint from the axle shaft (not an easy task) before replacing it's boot, much easier then to get new grease into the metal parts while the cv joint is off the axle. You are the engineer. I am the thorough mechanic.

[@speedkar99]

The grease will move everywhere with centrifugal and turning motion. I know it sounds counter intuitive to not lubricate the metal parts.

[@meathead585]

Yes, hopefully eventually, yet initially those very hard metal parts are not protected. Additionally, I wonder why they used a more liquid grease from the factory on the inner joint ? @@speedkar99

[@anubaral]

the grease will sling everywhere in like first 10 meter of driving@@meathead585

[@ediko911]

​@@meathead585Try using shitty clamps and you'll see just how fast the grease spreads everywhere on the bottom of the car. Both parts use the same grease, one is old and worn down, hence more liquid, other one is contaminated with dirt due to the torn boot hence thicker. Also something you would'nt expect, drive enough with a torn boot and the cv end will be completely dry and grease free, all due to the rotation (can't be washed off with water) . It gets everywhere.

[@genericusername1365]

In the OE Toyota reboot kits, they will include two packages of grease. The thinner grease is for the outer boot and the thicker grease is for the inner boot.

[@benjaminwestney9095]

Torque specs are right on the money!

[@mostlymoparih5682]

I have replaced boots a few times but always left the inner CV joint together and took the outer joint off the slid on the inner boot first then the outer. Boots have been v expensive and whole axles not costing much more than the two boots together and the time to take things apart and get back together is a lot shorter when you get the whole axle. Good video. Happy Motoring.

[@Pingaheimer]

i've been reading that aftermarket axles are no good though.

[@95TurboSol]

Cool to see how this is done, however as cheap as axels are I opted for easy mode when I did mine and just swapped for new

[@speedkar99]

I've heard bad things about aftermarket axles. Since mine wasn't damaged, I'd rather keep my OEM

[@Aleks_Mechanics]

Notification SQUAD!!🔥🔥🔥

[@speedkar99]

Awesome thanks

[@avalanchecarter]

I like those torque specs 😂

[@speedkar99]

Me too

[@gregsmith332]

@@speedkar99 The ball joint to control arm bolt and nuts should it be tightened to 94 ft lbs, not "nice and tight". The axle nut should be tightened to 217 ft lb, not "really really tight". Otherwise, you'll wear out the bearings faster. Maybe you should just stick toscrapping cars instead of fixing them.

[@kenmeadows444]

Don't forget if you're replacing the right hand side, the axle nut is reverse thread.

[@speedkar99]

Huh? I've never heard of a reverse thread axle...and I've taken apart quite a few...

[@condor5635]

@@speedkar99 I don’t think he knows what he’s talking about…

[@genericusername1365]

Not on any Toyota I've ever worked on. They are the same, normal threads for lefty loosey and righty tighty.

[@kenmeadows444]

Maybe I'm just thinking of my old 80s corolla

[@jack8356]

I spend nearly 1k for both axels. Tool me no time to do the driver side but took me hours to get the passenger side off

[@donvoll2580]

Good day from Waterloo Boy my bro. has not got that many extra sweaters, I think I will let garage do It. Thanks lol

[@speedkar99]

Lol Try the clothing donation bin then? Haha

[@thebenjamin8132]

2:55 no more lost straws 😂😂

[@wesofalltrades]

Awesome video as always! Is that balancer on the shaft weighted on one side? Would it have to be placed in the exact right rotation on the shaft to balance it out? Just curious.

[@speedkar99]

No it was evenly weighted. I think it's for harmonic balancing

[@timtim8468]

This made me google. I was already wondering some time, why my car got such a thing only on one side. Quote, a search will bring a form up: "These are not usually torsional dampers like the one on the nose of the crankshaft. These dampers are typically for bending vibration excited by a natural resonance with something in the engine (firing order, crankshaft bending, face run-out of the flywheel, whatever). Sometimes the designer can just add a mass or maybe make the shaft tubular. Or, in this case a TMD, tuned mass damper. The added mass can detune some local resonance (first order halfshaft bending) or increase the input impedance of the system so some known engine excitation is no longer strong enough to ring the halfshaft."

[@wesofalltrades]

@@timtim8468 that's pretty interesting, but I can't tell if it was written by a non-native English speaker or if I just don't understand half the words in there. Haha. Either way, I get the gist. Very interesting. I've bought a few aftermarket axles that don't have those dampers and I was still getting shaking in the steering wheel at 65mph. It could have been from something else but I wonder if that had something to do with it.

[@sureshlingabathina]

Excellent

[@speedkar99]

Thanks

[@fr3ddyfr3sh]

Always use lubricant for a shaft job 😅

[@speedkar99]

Oh yes!

[@vijayam1]

Splendid.. ❤

[@speedkar99]

Thanks

[@AnytthinggGoes]

When changing the CV boot, does the seal where the axle is put back into the transmission have to be replaced also

[@Toolaholic7]

If it is not leaking,leave it alone.In the state of Michigan,shops can be pinched for replaced parts that do not need replaced.

[@liver.flush.maestro]

Oh! You didn't do alignment? And you forgot to toss the old boots at the end of the video 🤣

[@speedkar99]

No need for alignment. Didn't touch the strut bolt or the tie rod.

[@liver.flush.maestro]

@@speedkar99I thought there could be play in the 3 bolts you removed on the lower control arm, thus changing the alignment. I agree popping the ball joint conic fitting wouldn't alter the alignment.

[@masoudshaghaghi5744]

Great video and professional editing What’s the difference between CV joint and U joint? Is the U joint more reliable?

[@andrewsmactips]

The sliding parts of the CV joint permit it to work more smoothly at greater angles and for the wheel to turn at a more constant speed when steered. The universal joint is stronger and simpler but it requires a much straighter path, like from the gearbox to the rear axle.

[@denniselenson560]

torque spec is nice and tight, hilarious!

[@speedkar99]

It's funny but true

[@danishh3819]

Thank you sir im your new student

[@SWATT101]

I did one on my Ram...took more time than 7:18...never again lol

[@speedkar99]

Yeah it is pretty involved

[@mustangjoe8352]

Nice!

[@speedkar99]

Thanks

[@auntbarbara5576]

4:40 omfg MY WIG FLEW OFF!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@speedkar99]

😎

[@claudiosantana3320]

nice straw strick

[@Fuck9oogleAskMe]

Also, cv axle might be stuck to the wheel hub. Don't bash it with a sledge, wheel won't fit after that. Use heat to expand and brake the CV splines loose

[@speedkar99]

I've never had an issue with it stuck in the hub. It's usually stuck in the transmission

[@Fuck9oogleAskMe]

@@speedkar99 for me my 12year old compact suv had exactly that. Man I started to hit it with my sledge and guess what happened.. and how good the heat solved it all, albeit to late ;(

[@robertg9334]

Great video brother but for me its better to just change out the cv axel if the voots completely open i live where theres alot of sand and debris in the roadways so the bearing inside the boot is my concern

[@mbox314]

Great video! How much do you save fixing the boot vs. replacing the entire axle assembly?

[@Shiznit304]

some aftermarket axles are of poor quality. It's recommended to reboot your OEM CV axles before they lose all the grease

[@speedkar99]

Agreed. I did it to keep the OEM quality.

[@speedkar99]

A boot kit is $20 per joint. New aftermarket axles are $100+

[@mbox314]

​@Shiznit304 they should teach kids in school that they should only use OEM parts when fixing their cars. I used amazon wheel bearings on my old buick and they were shot in 40,000 miles. All the cheap parts are a complete waste of time.

[@csan255]

There's two type of cv boot (inner and outer). I believe the you used are make of plastic. I much as possible I buy the OEM which are made of rubber. I pay more but at least I do it myself so the labor is free. It`s not as easy to do it like you show in your video. Removing the yoke is the hardest part. And inserting the rubber boot is hard too. Takes me hours to replace one axle. I rather retain the oem axle than buy the Chinese.

[@mypokemon]

Does this affect wheel allignment ??

[@tonyisme4934]

OEM toyota boot bands are the best, but in a Toyota forum some one suggested marine 304 stainless smooth band clamps worm type, i tried them ON Lexus & Toyota boots and have had success with them staying on tight. McMaster-Carr of Santa Fe Springs has them PN 5574K24 and 5574K16 much better than local parts stores.

[@johnnyblue4799]

I wish you had done the longer axle.. :)

[@speedkar99]

Getting that off is a bear!

[@victorwilks88]

Thanks

[@speedkar99]

Welcome

[@JimLambier]

Is it possible for the CV axle to just pop out from the transmission due to 'aggressive' driving? The reason that I'm asking is that a few months ago my son had his CV axle replaced. A couple of weeks ago, he was attempting to back out of his driveway and he couldn't move his car. He had it towed to a different mechanic who found that the shaft had broken inside of the transmission right at the point where the retaining clip groove is cut into the splined section. The remaining portion of the axle then partially slid out. Additionally, the new mechanic told us that the old mechanic had used the axle for an automatic and not a manual transmission. We are trying to get the old mechanic to cover the cost but he has taken the approach of a combination of ghosting my son and essentially being guilty of being a millennial. I've only ever pulled a couple of CV joints out of transmissions and every time it took a lot of effort. Is it possible for the axle to pop out while it is in place??? ( the car is a 2016 Elantra)

[@Fuck9oogleAskMe]

I'm having a Dacia duster 6yrs old. A new CV axle is like 120usd. Very cheap, lucky I don't have a more expensive car needing to do this :P

[@speedkar99]

Awesome

[@Enigmaafk]

Wife side of the family? Haha nice, we’ll explained as always. One you know how it works you can replace what is necessary.

[@hashishinjzus4059]

That explained nothing lol

[@KaufDirGeld]

i cannot imagine that screwing with the balance is autobahn safe... arent there boots that can be stretched over? would be way easier than dismanteling the whole axle.

[@abdulrahmanhakami2571]

Great video big fan here 👍, just one question. If there is no leak or tear in the boots, do we have to change the grease from time to time? Or is a life time grease as long as there’s no leakage?

[@mikethompson3534]

Boots will usually tear and leak before the grease wears out and usually the only reason you would replace the boots or axle is that the grease will get contaminated if the boots are torn and leaking

[@bradleyplummer5778]

make more videos. I just wanted to see if I'd waste time doing it myself. No. No I will not. Great video though! If I were gonna do it, I'd reference this video.

[@speedkar99]

Glad you like it

[@torqueroadmechanic]

Shout out idol

[@rexisretro]

Fresh upload hazrat

[@speedkar99]

Ok

[@AwesomenessIskey]

What is your experience with thermoplastic vs cheap aftermarket neoprene boots?

[@speedkar99]

I personally haven't had them on long enough to tell

[@andrewgordnier8266]

I thought you had to burp cv boots is that not necessary with modern ones anymore?

[@speedkar99]

By just moving them around just installing it I heard alot of air coming out

[@erikfimreite2286]

Only thing id recommend is put the grease into cups vs in the boot

[@futfans1241]

What is the small piece in the middle of the shaft for? Thanks

[@speedkar99]

Resonance

[@parkershaw8529]

How much is a new CV shaft?

[@speedkar99]

$100+ for an aftermarket one.

[@genericusername1365]

You can get cheap online axles for $60. Good luck with those, though. OE axles are extremely better, so they're worth rebooting if they aren't having any problems other than leaky boots.

[@alexpage8965]

Not going to lie, it looks much easier in this video than it is in practical application… unfortunately I had to experience first hand the poor quality control and design of aftermarket axels when I replaced a CV on a Camry similar to this one from Napa auto parts and when to text drive, when I put the car in reverse it made some god awful noises. I thought I had fucked my transaxel…. Was freaking out until it dawned on me, I pulled the new CV out and compared to the old one and sure enough, the splines were at least an inch and a half shorter than the original. Transaxel was fine, just wasn’t engaging properly. Went back to Napa and told them to stick their bunk axel into the enema cannon and bend over. They found me an axel with proper measurements post haste. I’m still not sure it’s worth the trouble to reboot the OEM axels, but it will definitely prevent experiences like the one I had.

[@bigniqqa4511]

Wish you posted this like 2 weeks earlier lol. My dad just went and got his done at a shop because i didnt know how to do just the boot

[@andrejs9112]

You don't skip crucial steps like, how did you separate the axle itself?

[@zippythechicken]

just be happy you don't have to change the grease every 50,000 miles i guess

[@speedkar99]

It's a closed system. The grease is self contained unlike a ball joint where contaminants might enter.

[@kclefthanded427]

I would use this as a last resort

[@speedkar99]

You'd rather give up your OEM axle?

[@kclefthanded427]

Depends on the car. However those Toyota axles are too good to waste, that repair might be worthwhile

[@mikethompson3534]

Another good reason to replace the boots instead of the entire axle assembly you know the condition of your axle and bearings unlike those cheap rebuilt axles whose bearing surfaces has been ground down undersized and bearing surfaces not surface retreated properly and although serviced could have 500,000 miles plus as you would not know how many times those axles were rebuilt and not to mention balance issues as sometime the rebuilder removes the rubber vibration balancing device on shaft,bottom line you yourself know the condition of your axles before the boots started leaking

[@speedkar99]

Agreed. Vibrations is not something I want to introduce with a new axle.

[@ginog5037]

Brother, way too time and labor are you saving any money. What's wrong with aftermarket or rebuilts with lifetime warranty?

[@speedkar99]

I haven't heard good things about aftermarket axles, especially regarding balance and vibration. Might as well keep my OEM axle for a s long as I can because I know it's good quality.

[@ginog5037]

@speedkar99 I'm not talking about discount $49 shafts or Crappie Tire quality, but well know remanufactures. Once the boot is torn and dirt gets in the joint is toast. Also, once it's dismantled the balance is out the window. BTW does your bother ever wonder where is close are?

[@glock18supercharger]

3:16😢 My jaket to the november

[@Toolaholic7]

No one fixes axles anymore due the price of new axles are not that bad.An axle that looks good can also be bad causing a vibration finding out a joint is locked up

[@speedkar99]

I'd rather stick with my OEM axle as long as it's not damaged. Aftermarket ones are hit and miss with the quality.

[@Toolaholic7]

​@speedkar99 Never had a problem with the aftermarket yet.The OEMs made by someone else for them under the Toyota/Lexus,Honda/Acura brands

[@nickayivor8432]

ASTUTE Speedkar99 Thanks for sharing it Please don't forget to have 4 wheel Alignment carryout on the vehicle 👍 From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧 ⏰️ 20:39pm

[@speedkar99]

Why do you need an alignment? I didn't touch the tie rod or strut

[@nickayivor8432]

You remove the lower ball joint ,that the camber adjustment

[@condor5635]

@@nickayivor8432 I thought the camber adjustment was bolts, usually the 2 on the strut tower. Never heard of the lower ball joint being a camber adjustment.

[@timtrain35]

Did I miss the toothbrush?

[@speedkar99]

See the beginning of the video

[@timtrain35]

@@speedkar99 phew. Got nervous there for a sec

[@genericusername1365]

The toothbrush is absolutely required in his videos. If there's no toothbrush, I feel jilted.

[@azariayehezkel9064]

Desktop work

[@speedkar99]

What bench? Lol

[@greathey1234]

Red brake caliper in a crappy car, classic

[@speedkar99]

Crappy 😳

[@gillesturcotte5661]

At 0:39 the axle slides with fingers . . . wow . . . not its first rodeo. For when it's fused by rust , there's a technic with a 5kg hammer driving a puller's bolt ( 1 hit, 1 torque, 1 hit, 1 torque ... )( coz a 20T puller would bend the hub ... and it would take 20T )

[@RodieRo1]

Might as well replace it

[@speedkar99]

Yep. Doing the right thing

[@hashishinjzus4059]

So do you hate your wife?😂

[@Americansikkunt]

2:20 WHYYYYYY this job really is way more complicated than simply replacing with new CV Axle….

[@genericusername1365]

The Toyota FSM prescribes using a brass punch rod and hammer to drive the tripod off the shaft. Sometimes when it's seized on there you have to resort to a puller or an air hammer or some other more drastic measure.

[@businessraptor127]

Step one learn where to jack up your car... Step 2 dont total car by jacking it up in the incorrect spot..

[@speedkar99]

Whoopsy!