Help!- cracked rubber joint

[shinji112]

okay i was doing an oil change so the car was up on ramps and i noticed on the front right tyre there was all grease everywhere and what looked like a rubber cover over the axle had been split open. its not always open, probably only when the wheels are fully locked to the left and the rubber cover is fully stretched. does anyone know what that rubber cover is called? and approx how much it would be to replace? i'll probably hafta take it into the mechanic very soon though. thx for any help!

[fuzionz]

Cv boot joint, around $100 each boot, when you do a u-turn does it make a grinding noise? if so you got to replace the whole driveshaft

[shinji112]

thx for da fast reply =) but no it doesnt have a grinding noise *phew* theres still some grease on the axle.. but only a bit

[EuroDude]

Yep its the CV Joint boot. If you hear clicking when turning then you need to get new CV joints. Once the boot tears, the CV joint wears away quickly because there is minimal grease to avoid metal-to-metal wearing. If it happened recently, then you may just have to change the boot, and then keep on driving until you hear the clicking sound when turning.

[shinji112]

im not even sure wen it happened! never woulda found out if i didnt do the oil change but the joint seems to still be okay. just need to be careful with my turning now

[EuroDude]

You dont really need to be careful when turning, that wont make much difference. Although if the car is stationary, avoid using power steering to turn the car, as this puts alot of strain on the CV joints. When parking, steer the car while its rolling a bit.

To check for the clicking sound, go to an empty parking lot and steer into a full lock, stick your head out the window and listen for a slight click-click-click. Do this for both left and right turns.

Its best to change both of the CV joints together, rather than just one side. The other side would be on its way out anyway.

[shinji112]

so because the grease is nearly gone i should replace the entire joint? or would a new boot be okay? the left cv boot is still in good shape, but do u think i should just replace both?

[EuroDude]

It depends on how long the boot was ripped. You need to check the clicking noises. If you dont hear the clicking, then you can just change the boot and drive for maybe another 10,000km until the clicking starts. Then change the CV joints.

Yeah change both at the same time. It will be less hassle and the labour should be cheaper if you do both at once, rather than seperate times.

[EuroDude]

How many KM's has the car done? If its done more than 150,000km then you should change both. The other CV joint would need changing soon anyway.

[E-Honda]

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43586 <-- might be of some use to u

[shinji112]

yeha i might get both joints changed then! thx for all the help Eurodude!

wow that DIY looks like a bitch to do for a n00b like me

[Twincam16]

Nah mate its easy... just hope you like to get your hands dirty...

and brown...
and smelling like shit for a few hours...

[shinji112]

sounds like loads of fun!

but i checked my car last night in a parking lot, no clicks yet. im taking it into hannys today to get it all sorted =)

[muhhan]

Nah mate its easy... just hope you like to get your hands dirty...

and brown...
and smelling like shit for a few hours...

Twincam16, are you changing your CV joint boot or wiping your ass with your bare hands mate? :cool: just joking!

[shinji112]

well went to hanny's today. got both boots replaced for $100 the car feels much btr now actually!

[EuroDude]

sweet! thats not a bad price, considering honda dealers charge like $150 for just a 15 minute oil change lol.

Now the fun part is getting rid of all that grease from the front-right wheel :p