CV boot that stays together?

[Trail X]

So your inner tripod boot has only 3 folds in it? I thought mine had like 5... I can check in the morning.

[v7guy]

Yeah, both the cardone and the duralast had 3 main folds in it.

I tried to get a picture this evening but it was tough in the dark, going to try again in the morning

[v7guy]

That's where it sits now. I havent been able to keep boots on this thing for longer than a week, so i dont have an intact boot picture. I'll throw the new boot on tonight and install it towards the end of the tripot.

[Trail X]

That does look like a larger angle than mine, but still not terrible.

I did check, my reman duralast tripod boots have 5 positive 'ribs'. It appears yours has 4? or is it only 3?

[v7guy]

I believe its only three, but i dont have any good pictures here at work, i can upload some tonight when i get home. It seems to always rip at the peak of the rib (there seems to be a seam there), so in the picture above what looks like two ribs next to the tripot is actually one rib that has come apart and folded some.
the duralast and the cardone half shafts that I have look identical.
The boots on the steering knuckle/upright side of the half shaft have 5 ribs, but the tripot boot doesn't.

[NC_IslandRunner]

My inner tripod boot only has 3 ribs, just checked 2 ribs on inner over a year old with no problems but you have more of a angle than me. mine are no the remans but I'm pretty sure they are duralast. I got them from AutoZone.

[v7guy]

some better pictures, this first one is at full droop with the sway bar connected. Even when i pulled the torn boot back to check how close it was it didn't seem like I was one the verge of it coming apart. When i replace the half shaft i'll get a picture of everything when it's together (before it's self destructed).



this is a comparison between the cardone and the duralast half shafts. The duralast is in the front (the torn one). After comparing them side by side I can't really see a reason to go with one or the other, I'd just get the cheapest. I'll see if i can find bearing numbers internally when I disassemble them tomorrow. You'll notice that they have 3 ribs at the tripot (4 if you count the part that comes off the tripot, but it has no real flexibility) and 5 at the knuckle.

[NC_IslandRunner]

May need to check what brand mine are i only have 2 ribs on outer.

[v7guy]

and the silicone boot next to the duralast boot.

[dirty anton]

these are pics of cardone shafts that i had alot of good luck with. as you can see there are more ribs on these.

[NC_IslandRunner]

these are pics of cardone shafts that i had alot of good luck with. as you can see there are more ribs on these.

I like, those look like they can handle any angle.

[Trail X]

Jason, are both of those shafts fairly new? I'm wondering if the reman factory did some sort of cost-saving recently on their boots. My boots look like Mike's.

[v7guy]

yeah, both of the shafts, the cardone and the duralast are less than a month old.

replaced the torn boot with the silicone boot

pulled off the old clamp




took off the snap ring



removed the bearings



axle with no bearings



removed the boot



pulled the silicone boot down until it slipped into the groove on the axle



clamped it



put the bearing and snap ring back on the axle



the directions in the silicone boot box said you needed to retain the rubber piece on the tripot. This piece doesn't exist on the aftermarket axles and you cant use the stock piece because the aftermarket tripots are a different shape than stock




so i cut the after market boot to retain the rubber piece that goes around the tripot, cleaned both up and put a dab of silicone to help hold it in place on the tripot.



I became a little worried about the sharp edges of the clamp so I wrapped some electrical tape around it.




new boot stretched... plenty of flex

[The Roadie]

Nice writeup! Any chance you have the part number of the Dorman silicone boot for the record?

Was it their semi-universal 614-003?

[dirty anton]

hope you have better luck than i did with the dorman silicone boot. 1 trip is all it took for me for it to rip. liked the extra room, just to thin i think.

[Trail X]

Whoah... if it sits that compressed when installed on the vehicle, you need to move the small diameter mounting point away from the engine. I can't imagine it lasting any time compressed that much.

[dirty anton]

exactly, i slid it down and hose clamped it

[v7guy]

614-004 is the part number.

I was kinda concerned about it being that compressed, but wasn't confident it would stay put if I clamped it father down. I'll reclamp the small end father down given the consensus here.

[fishsticks]

Getting me two of those sometime soon.

Bill (Blazernut/Blade from the OS/NOS) caught photo evidence of my duct taped CV boots last meet.

[v7guy]

I should have it back together tomorrow and it's a 40 mile drive one way to work on Wednesday so we'll see if it holds up. I'm skeptical since Mike has already tried them and they failed. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do if this silicone boot fails, I'm really running out of options.