Honda Car Forum

I tried the silicone spray with the '96 Odyssey, exactly as you suggest at
every oil change. It made absolutely no difference in the longevity of the
CV boots. They failed at about 8 years and 120,000 miles just like every
other Honda and Nissan I have owned.

There is anecdotal evidence, especially with the Nissans, that
prophylactically replacing the half shafts when the joints are still good
can reward you with an unbalanced axle. It is not a given that just because
the boots are torn that the joints are automatically bad. It depends on how
long they've been torn and what sort of driving has been done while they
were torn. If you caught it soon after the tear happened, and it hasn't
been submerged in water or slush or pounded with dirt roads, most likely the
joint is still good. I have never replaced a boot until it tore, and have
never had a joint subsequently fail. The mechanics like to replace the
whole axle because its less work than doing the boot, not because its
better.



On 12/19/06 9:28 AM, in article
1166542126.631700.197280@a3g2000cwd.googlegroups.c om, "jbxnyr@gmail.com"
<jbxnyr@gmail.com> wrote:

> I agree with all posts here. Don't waste your time with the "clam
> shell" aftermarket boots. They never stay on and dirt gets in anyway.
> Replacing the half-shaft, if necessary, is not that expensive, time
> consuming, or difficult.
>
> As a life prolonging tip, I now spray the boots liberally with silicone
> spray every few thousand miles (usually when I am under the car doing
> oil changes). It only takes a few seconds and anything to keep them
> soft and flexible, and prevent them from drying out will help.
>
> --Jeff
>
>
> Tegger wrote:
>> Peabody <waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1iHhh.2500$RJ.1916
>> @newsfe17.lga:
>>
>>> Tegger says...
>>>
>>>> If the joints are OEM it is definitely worth just
>>>> replacing the boot -- IF the joint is still OK. You need
>>>> to have an *experienced* mechanic listen for clicking
>>>> from the joint.
>>>
>>>> And even if the joint passes the listen-test, it will
>>>> still need to be inspected thoroughly once disassembled
>>>> and cleaned to make sure the balls and races are not
>>>> chipped or dented in any way.
>>>
>>> Yes, this is all OEM. The car is 12 years old, but only
>>> has 53K miles on it. I'm just now replacing the original
>>> tires and front brakes.
>>>
>>>> If the joint is OEM and passes both inspections, replace
>>>> BOTH boots with NEW OEM, NOT aftermarket! New OEM is
>>>> more expensive, but the new OEM boots last well over ten
>>>> years, and your OEM joints will outlast them. And if one
>>>> side is torn now, it's a sure bet the other won't be far
>>>> behind.
>>>
>>> What about the inner boots? Do they not usually fail as
>>> fast? The mechanic didn't say anything about them, and I
>>> don't think I can see them.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> The inner boots will outlast the outers by several times. The inner boots
>> don't undergo the steering stresses that kill the outer boots. It's not a
>> boad idea to repack the inners with grease once every ten years, though.
>>
>> If your OEM outer joints are still good, it would be *very* wise of you to
>> retain them, with new OEM boots (about $40 each, plus the bands and
>> grease). OEM CV joints are exceedingly high-quality.
>>
>> The new OEM boots will last a dozen years easily, so this may be the last
>> you'll ever have to be concerned about the driveshafts.
>>
>> --
>> Tegger
>>
>> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
>> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/
>

I appreciate everyone's advice on this. I had the work done this
morning. I ended up just replacing the one bad outer boot with a
Honda boot, and left the axles as is. Of course, I don't know for
sure that he actually used a Honda boot, but that's what he agreed
to do, and that's what I paid for.

He drove the car before and after the repairs, and said everything
else looked and felt fine. Since there was no financial advantage
to doing both sides at the same time, I decided to just do the one
that was bad.

I also had the front brakes done, with rotors resurfaced and Honda
pads. And new tires yesterday. So I should be set for another
decade or so. :-)

Thanks again for the help.

By the way, the new Toyo Spectrum tires seem to be a bit firmer than
the old OEM Michelins, but not enough to be bothersome. And I don't
notice any increase in road noise, which some reviews had complained
about. I think they should do fine.

Peabody <waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in news:yBVhh.15521$gj2.5850
@newsfe23.lga:

> I appreciate everyone's advice on this. I had the work done this
> morning. I ended up just replacing the one bad outer boot with a
> Honda boot, and left the axles as is. Of course, I don't know for
> sure that he actually used a Honda boot, but that's what he agreed
> to do, and that's what I paid for.
>
> He drove the car before and after the repairs, and said everything
> else looked and felt fine. Since there was no financial advantage
> to doing both sides at the same time, I decided to just do the one
> that was bad.



Every two months or so, turn the steering wheel all the way to the side the
old outer boot is still on. This will both expose the outer joint boot and
spread the corrugations so as to display any cracking. This way you can
inspect the boot without having to get underneath the car.

Once the cracks get to about 1/8" deep, get the boot replaced. Waiting
until it splits is not smart.



--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

I have no documented proof that the boots last longer with silicone
than without. But since a can cost $3.50 and its pennies to spray them
whenever I'm under the car anyway, I figure...why not. Anything that
keeps them from getting dry and brittle can only help.

And I agree with E Meyer that if you replace the boot soon after its
torn (assuming you know when it happened!), there is no reason to
replace the shaft. But unforunately for me, I find out the boot is
ripped when I hear that nasty "click click click" when making a turn.
At that point, its too late.

--Jeff


E Meyer wrote:
> I tried the silicone spray with the '96 Odyssey, exactly as you suggest at
> every oil change. It made absolutely no difference in the longevity of the
> CV boots. They failed at about 8 years and 120,000 miles just like every
> other Honda and Nissan I have owned.
>
> There is anecdotal evidence, especially with the Nissans, that
> prophylactically replacing the half shafts when the joints are still good
> can reward you with an unbalanced axle. It is not a given that just because
> the boots are torn that the joints are automatically bad. It depends on how
> long they've been torn and what sort of driving has been done while they
> were torn. If you caught it soon after the tear happened, and it hasn't
> been submerged in water or slush or pounded with dirt roads, most likely the
> joint is still good. I have never replaced a boot until it tore, and have
> never had a joint subsequently fail. The mechanics like to replace the
> whole axle because its less work than doing the boot, not because its
> better.
>
>
>
> On 12/19/06 9:28 AM, in article
> 1166542126.631700.197280@a3g2000cwd.googlegroups.c om, "jbxnyr@gmail.com"
> <jbxnyr@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I agree with all posts here. Don't waste your time with the "clam
> > shell" aftermarket boots. They never stay on and dirt gets in anyway.
> > Replacing the half-shaft, if necessary, is not that expensive, time
> > consuming, or difficult.
> >
> > As a life prolonging tip, I now spray the boots liberally with silicone
> > spray every few thousand miles (usually when I am under the car doing
> > oil changes). It only takes a few seconds and anything to keep them
> > soft and flexible, and prevent them from drying out will help.
> >
> > --Jeff
> >

jbxnyr@gmail.com wrote in
news:1166553132.462978.273990@73g2000cwn.googlegro ups.com:

> I have no documented proof that the boots last longer with silicone
> than without. But since a can cost $3.50 and its pennies to spray
> them whenever I'm under the car anyway, I figure...why not. Anything
> that keeps them from getting dry and brittle can only help.
>
> And I agree with E Meyer that if you replace the boot soon after its
> torn (assuming you know when it happened!), there is no reason to
> replace the shaft. But unforunately for me, I find out the boot is
> ripped when I hear that nasty "click click click" when making a turn.
> At that point, its too late.
>



Considering it's trivially easy to check the boot without even getting down
on your knees, and considering it takes two years for OEM boots to split
after the first signs of cracking, it's foolish and lazy to allow the boots
to split in the first place.



--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Tegger says...

> If your OEM outer joints are still good, it would be
> *very* wise of you to retain them, with new OEM boots
> (about $40 each, plus the bands and grease). OEM CV
> joints are exceedingly high-quality.

Are Honda replacement axles/joints the same high quality?
So, if it turns out that some crud did get in there, and the
joints fail in the future, would it make sense to insist on
using Honda replacement parts?

Peabody <waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in news9iih.12143$a14.7726
@newsfe24.lga:

> Tegger says...
>
> > If your OEM outer joints are still good, it would be
> > *very* wise of you to retain them, with new OEM boots
> > (about $40 each, plus the bands and grease). OEM CV
> > joints are exceedingly high-quality.
>
> Are Honda replacement axles/joints the same high quality?
> So, if it turns out that some crud did get in there, and the
> joints fail in the future, would it make sense to insist on
> using Honda replacement parts?
>
>



If you can get official Honda reman driveshafts from a Honda dealer,
GO FOR IT.

There is nothing better on the market. Trust me on that.

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/