My car has her front lifted up since I am doing a brake job. I checked the driveaxle boots since I was there, and BOTH are torn up. Not just a little rip, but plain torn. They are a 2 or 3 piece unit now Now, I know that it isnt good when they are torn. Problem is I dont know how long they have been that way. While driving at highway speeds, I notice the car tends to feel like it is being pushed to the sides as if by a strong wind. You can feel it at slower speeds, but above 55 or so you really feel it. You will be going straight one moment, and the next the car jumps a bit to the left or sometimes the right (usually left). Obviously, I am keeping the car to local runs only--45MPH and less. It used to be really slight, but it is really more pronounced as of late. Is it possible to just replace the boots and look for my problem elsewhere (like tie rods, that kind of thing), or can damaged driveaxles be the culprit?
Heres my advice, if they're the inner joints, take the shafts out, thoroughly clean them and inspect for dirt damage. IF they're the outer joints, well you cant take them apart without breaking them, so in that way you're screwed.
If by outer joints you mean the ones next to the rotors, then yes, those are the ones that are torn to shreds. As far as I can tell, the ones towards the engine seem to be good.
There are boot kits with a boot that can be put around the joint without removing the end of the axle from the hub. (I've never been tempted to use one myself.) If you have some time to work on your car now, you should consider replacing the CV joints.
Yeah, but new boots arent gonna help if theres stones and rocks and dirt in the CV joints, they will wear out ultra fast with broken boots. So if you're lucky they're fine, if you're not, then well yeah you're F'd. :\
With 202k have the CV's ever been replaced? If not it would be a good investment. Its a pretty simple to do and shouldnt take much more the a couple of hours to do.
You can do the split boot thing but people seem to have poor results. As Flashmn states sand and everything else may have gotten in and the grease excaped. Odds are good you will be looking at worn out joints sooner then later even if you replace the boots.
Had to change the boot on my joint a couple months ago on a AE101. I was tempted to use the split boot but decided not to. In my opinion, it should only be considered a (very) emergency solution if at all. The one I got (Optifit from Toyota by the way) had to be glued together, I don't know of any other kind. Keep in mind, that you have to do it under the car, after filling the boot with grease. Maybe, you could pump the grease in somehow, using some sort of thin tube, but I doubt it. Anyway, I wouldn't count on having any clean surface to put the glue on, after all that.
As far as I can tell, from the records, the boots were changed around 100K or so by the previous owner. I dont see any mention of driveaxle replacement in any of the receipts I have, so I am assuming they are the originals. I guess I better start shopping for some Should I stick with Toyota parts, or will anything out of a parts store be alright?
Toyota parts are very high quality but much more expensive. There are on-line vendors that sell Toyota parts at a discount over the dealer. Most but not all axles available from after market vendors are “rebuilt.” Try shopping around on-line and calling stores. Rockauto sells axles on the web, be sure to get the right one for your car. I would get a new axle over a rebuilt one even if this meant a little extra cost.
I have not had good luck with NAPA axles; two defective ones before getting one that fit and did not start clicking within a few miles (not installed on a Toyota car). Just because an axle is guarantied does not make it any easier to take the front end apart due to a bad part.
Toyota parts are very high quality but much more expensive. There are on-line vendors that sell Toyota parts at a discount over the dealer. Most but not all axles available from after market vendors are “rebuilt.” Try shopping around on-line and calling stores. Rockauto sells axles on the web, be sure to get the right one for your car. I would get a new axle over a rebuilt one even if this meant a little extra cost.
I have not had good luck with NAPA axles; two defective ones before getting one that fit and did not start clicking within a few miles (not installed on a Toyota car). Just because an axle is guarantied does not make it any easier to take the front end apart due to a bad part.
I guess Ill avoid NAPA then. Besides Rockauto, what are some other good Toyota part vendors? Kinda new to Toyota, so I dont know exactly where to go for parts other than the dealer.
Call the toyota dealership in houston and ask for Jeff. Thats probably going to be your best dealer price around. You can try O'reillys or cyberauto.com
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Torn Driveaxle boots....
Now, I know that it isnt good when they are torn. Problem is I dont know how long they have been that way. While driving at highway speeds, I notice the car tends to feel like it is being pushed to the sides as if by a strong wind. You can feel it at slower speeds, but above 55 or so you really feel it. You will be going straight one moment, and the next the car jumps a bit to the left or sometimes the right (usually left). Obviously, I am keeping the car to local runs only--45MPH and less. It used to be really slight, but it is really more pronounced as of late. Is it possible to just replace the boots and look for my problem elsewhere (like tie rods, that kind of thing), or can damaged driveaxles be the culprit? 
Should I stick with Toyota parts, or will anything out of a parts store be alright?
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