brc19761 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I have a 94 Nissan Pathfinder with only 75,000 miles on it. It was garaged kept and doesn't have any frame rust. Thing is when I bought the Pathfinder about a month ago I could tell one of the CV boots on the four wheel drive shaft was cracked pretty bad. But I just tested out the four wheel drive to make sure it worked. When I got home jacked it up and got underneath it I noticed that both passenger and driver side boots were cracked. I just learned this morning by looking at diagrams that ther are actually four boots. I have read the steps and instructions on how to replace the boots. I even have diagrams to go with it. It looks like it may be over my head. Has anyone put new boots on? How difficult of a process is it? I have auto locking hubs. I want to take this thing off road bad. But I surely don't want to mess the axles up. I can afford the boots right now but can't afford taking it to someone to fix it. I have a large shop with plenty of tools in it. But I am just afraid of messing things up. B/C I have never done anything like this before. I mean I have the directions and diagrams but thats all. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, brc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 (edited) Its not that bad of a job, but its almost easier these days to just replace the entire axle themselves. If you want to just do the boot, there are a few YouTube videos that are very helpful. For entire axle replacement check out... http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?/topic/255-Installing-New-CV-Axles Edited September 7, 2012 by Trogdor636 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I agree with Trogdor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreus009 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I'm gonna give my two cents..... 1) The existing axles already have dirt in them if its been driven around anywhere with the boots cracked. Even if its not been offroad. 2) Buy the replacement axle or axles as you need. 3) Run the existing axles until they start making noise. 4) Replace axles. I base this on my experience where I replaced the axles for broken boots to just have the driver side boot crack 6 months later. Maybe i just got unlucky. Typically, rubber gets kinda hard and cracks easier when it just sits which these boots usually do for day-to-day driving because you'll only use 4 wheel drive when needed. On another note...get a quote on the repair at the shop. Compare this to how many times you can buy the parts in the case that you did make a mistake and had to replace something. Usually you'll come out ahead even if you have do the job twice yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I concur, from what I've seen of rebuilding CV's and replacing boots, it is far easier to just replace the axle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brc19761 Posted September 7, 2012 Author Share Posted September 7, 2012 Thanks for everyone's response. I will probably do the job myself to save some cash. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks brc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Magicians_Eye Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Just replace the whole axle. By the time you get the boots replaced you'll have understood why replacing the whole axle was a better option. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'm going to go against the crowd here. I would say replace the boots. Get a set of thermoplastic boots from Rockford. The only thing that takes a long time is degreasing your current axles. Other than that it only takes maybe 2-3 hours to do the whole rebuild tops. You will end up with a strong OE cv with very flexible boots for about $150-200 less than replacements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice186 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) try this...http://www.ebay.com/itm/120912651298?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 i bought this and installed it on my truck without problem much easier to do Edited September 8, 2012 by Nice186 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Not sure if its just me, but that eBay link isn't working Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Split boot... Those belong in your trail repair kit, don't think I would want to run them for an extended period of time. Besides it is impossible to really clean and inspect the axle on the vehicle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Besides, for the price of the split boot, you for 20-25 more you can buy an entire axle from Rockauto. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice186 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Besides, for the price of the split boot, you for 20-25 more you can buy an entire axle from Rockauto. Really?! Yeah I had the split boot on for like a year now! I thought this was a easy fix and I look at it pretty much every day and it's still fine! I mean I go offroad a few times a month too and nothing bad ever happened to the split boot.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 They are an easy fix, but seeing how dirt is the enemy of a cv, I would just use it as a bandaid until I could do a proper cleaning and rebuild. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice186 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 You bet! Cv's are such a PIA that it's worth doing once, right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now