Honda Car Forum

I got new tires today for my 94 Accord at Hesselbein Tires, and they
found that the outer CV boot on the right side is torn. I confirmed
that when I got home. The left looks ok. The car has 53K miles on
it.

They want about $100 to fix it, and would use an aftermarket boot.

I've tried turning sharply in both directions, listening for strange
noises, and don't hear or feel anything strange. So I'm gonna
assume the axle is ok and just get the one boot replaced.

I assume the vast majority of the $100 is labor, and just wondered
if boot replacement is something that a normal human being could
easily do, or if it really should be a mechanic who knows what he's
doing. I'm pretty handy, but have never tackled anything like this.
If I get them to do it, I would also get them to do the front
brakes at the same time since they are the original brakes and the
pads are down to alomst nothing. I would insist on Honda pads.

Does the after-market boot sound ok? Does the $100 sound
reasonable?

I got Toyo Spectrums, by the way, total cost of $281 including road
hazard. So far, they ride nice, but may be a little firmer than the
OE Michelins. I thought I had an option to get BFG Traction T/A's
at near the same price, but that turned out not to be the case. So
I went with the Toyo's.

If it's torn, the conventional and emphatic counsel is dirt
got into the joint, and it's going to fail soon.

Depending on how experienced you are, I'd buy a half-shaft
(which holds the inner and outer boots and joints for one
side) for $70 at Autozone (lifetime warranty) and do it
myself.

Replacing /just/ the boot takes more labor than slapping a
whole new halfshaft in.

You can also buy a rebuilt OEM halfshaft online for around
$135. See www.hondaautomotiveparts.com , for one.


"Peabody" <waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote
>I got new tires today for my 94 Accord at Hesselbein Tires,
>and they
> found that the outer CV boot on the right side is torn. I
> confirmed
> that when I got home. The left looks ok. The car has 53K
> miles on
> it.
>
> They want about $100 to fix it, and would use an
> aftermarket boot.
>
> I've tried turning sharply in both directions, listening
> for strange
> noises, and don't hear or feel anything strange. So I'm
> gonna
> assume the axle is ok and just get the one boot replaced.
>
> I assume the vast majority of the $100 is labor, and just
> wondered
> if boot replacement is something that a normal human being
> could
> easily do, or if it really should be a mechanic who knows
> what he's
> doing. I'm pretty handy, but have never tackled anything
> like this.
> If I get them to do it, I would also get them to do the
> front
> brakes at the same time since they are the original brakes
> and the
> pads are down to alomst nothing. I would insist on Honda
> pads.
>
> Does the after-market boot sound ok? Does the $100 sound
> reasonable?
>
> I got Toyo Spectrums, by the way, total cost of $281
> including road
> hazard. So far, they ride nice, but may be a little
> firmer than the
> OE Michelins. I thought I had an option to get BFG
> Traction T/A's
> at near the same price, but that turned out not to be the
> case. So
> I went with the Toyo's.
>
>

Peabody <waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in news:m0Ghh.19222$FJ4.11226
@newsfe18.lga:

> I got new tires today for my 94 Accord at Hesselbein Tires, and they
> found that the outer CV boot on the right side is torn. I confirmed
> that when I got home. The left looks ok. The car has 53K miles on
> it.
>
> They want about $100 to fix it, and would use an aftermarket boot.
>
> I've tried turning sharply in both directions, listening for strange
> noises, and don't hear or feel anything strange. So I'm gonna
> assume the axle is ok and just get the one boot replaced.




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.

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.

If your current joints are aftermarket, then just rpleace the whole shaft,
like Elle says. It's going to be a lot less trouble. Just remember to let a
bit of air into the inner joint boot after shaft installation, so the
rubber doesn't stay puckered. Puckered boots will break within a thousand
miles.

People, I'll say it again: Inspect your CV joint boots! Catch them early
and you can save that very expesive, high-quality joint! Honda OEM joints
will last the life of the car if the boots are never allowed to split. New
OEM boots last well over ten years.



--
Tegger

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

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.

"Peabody" <waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1iHhh.2500$RJ.1916@newsfe17.lga...
>
> 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.
>
>

They don't usually fail *first* because they don't get the amount of flexing
the outer boots do. They are exposed to the same environment as the outer
boots, though, and I actually had an axle where the inner boot failed.
Obviously, the boots are changed when either fails, so we rarely know how
much longer the inner boots would go... we only know the first to fail.

Mike

Peabody wrote:
>
> 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.


Inner boots generally last longer simply because they are not subject to
the flexing that the outers endure.

Still, while the half shaft is out of the vehicle it's just as easy to
replace both and be done with it. And as Tegger said, use OEM as the
other rubber out there is pretty chincy and will begin to crack within a
couple of years.

JT

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/

Data point for the archive:
Firestone replaced both of my 91 Civic's original outer
boots in mid-2000 at 112,000 miles. I do not know the exact
condition of the original boots when Firestone called and
recommended replacement; I was not hip to what CV boots were
all about until the last year or so. I would bet money the
replacement boots are non-OEM.

For the last several years I have inspected the boots
closely during at least twice yearly oil changes. After
another 6.5 years and at 186.5 miles, so far so good.

Tegger's, JT's, and other's comments on aftermarket boots
seem sound to me, since I am aware from other parts that the
OEM Honda rubber used in general is superior to aftermarket.
But if one is not going to keep the car long, one might
want to consider aftermarket.

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/

Jeff, exactly what silicone spray do you use? And what is
the year, miles, and CV boot history one the car on which
you use this?

If others concur, I think I would like to try this.

TIA

<jbxnyr@gmail.com> wrote .
> 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