outer CV joint boot ripped, should the whole thing or just the outer?

[BeatupRolla]

i noticed the outer cv joint boot ripped. should i just replace the outer cv joint? or the whole thing, they have just the outer cv joints on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-Out...item5641d0d6e2

also i am not sure if its the cv joint making noise or if its the bearings but it makes this whining noise sometimes, maybe its the tranny i dont know..

so far i did the wheel wiggle test and it seems rock solid.. so just wondering if i could just drive the car till the wheel starts to wiggle and then replace it??

to be honest i dont wanna dump in money to fix up the bearings and cv joints, might as well just sell the damn car and buy a nicer/newer corolla, but then i dont have enough money for it yet so i will have to drive with bad bearings/cv joint or replace them till i get the money to upgrade to a newer corolla

[BeatupRolla]

how hard is it to install the cv joint? it seems like the whole cv joint is only about 100 bucks.. if its easy to install maybe i might just buy the cv joint and replace it my self since its not to expensive... i know the bearings will need to be pressed in so i wont be able to do that..

[SuperRA]

If you have the saginaw type CV axle, you can replace the outer CV or just the boot if the old CV is still ok. The boot should be dirt cheap on sites like rockauto. I believe typically the saginaw axles came on the NA produced vehicles, but since they were interchangable with the Toyota axles, it's hard to say what you have. Get a boot, a couple cans of brake cleaner and maybe a band clamp tool and change the boot. You'll have to remove the outer portion from the hub but you can leave the inner portion attached to the tranny.

Bearings are a different story, those you'll need someone to press them out (if you don't have a hydraulic press capable of pressing out bearings).

[Rhyno811]

i just replaced both cv joints on my 88 corolla gts sunday.. they where about 60 bucks each after a 10 dollar core. very easy to replace with the right tools. Personally I would change the whole cv joint not just the fronts.

[BeatupRolla]

i think i am going to atempt to replace the whole cv joint/axle and see how it runs, hopefuly the bearing will not need replacing.. but i geuss we will find out after the cv axle is fixed.. might as well fix this thing up and use it as a winter beater.. i think this car may have a bent frame, bought the car with a bit of rear end damage and seems like the rear quarter panel is kinda pushed inwards, car tracks pretty straight though

[Zembonez]

You might be surprised how cheap you can get a rebuilt axle. That market is pretty competitive and replacing the whole axle is a pretty easy job.

[BeatupRolla]

wow i just called in parts store(lordco) and they want $150... brand new, for 1 side only... some bs... they didnt have any rebuilt ones.. hmm..

[90 GP]

If you replace the entire unit there is an oil seal that might need to be replaced where shaft enters thru differential. There is also a dust seal on the end where it enters into hub. Both parts have to be purchased separately (thru Toyota) they don't come with the new/rebuilt drive shaft. You also have to refill differential when done as you loose some fluid during the replacement. Had it all done via a mechanic and it leaked when it came home. That's how I know about the seals.The rebuild was around $60.

[SuperRA]

It all depends what your time is worth to you. When I found both my outer boots ripped, I must've caught it right away because I always check. I bought 4 boots for under 10 each and spent some time cleaning out the grease, regreasing and installing the boots. It has lasted me over 5yrs now. Of course it all depends if the joint is still good, i.e. not worn, broken, etc. Basically if you can rotate the joint without feeling grit or large amounts of play, it's probably good.

Although, I just looked up axles for my car (1991 DX) on rockauto (i don't know your model) and seems A1 cardone has some ridiculously cheap new axles for $45. They must be imported from china. Whereas the boots were $7 ea (or $4 closeout). Of course you'll have to find out which ones are right and there's the chance you'll order the wrong ones.