CV Joints

[tom4bren]

I just took my VX on a 400 mile road trip to the coast & back. When I got back I noticed a "rattling" noise when coasting at 10-30 mph (so everytime I come to a stop sign or make a turn). I noticed that the boots (both sides) where the front axels exit the transfer case are chewed up.

Is this a common problem with VX? I've only had mine for about 3 months so I'm just learning about the rig. The previous owner did a 3 inch lift and put on 33x12.50's so the axels are at a fairly severe angle.

Are the CV's the likely source of the noise and is there an aftermarket upgrade or are OEM replacements the best bet?

Any help or comments would be appreciated.

[Ldub]

The most used replacement CV boots are meca-tech & are available at independent4X.com.

The rattling is likely to be a heat shield on the exhaust system.

Good luck !

[Ascinder]

Well, I would assume right off the bat that if your CV boots are chewed up, then the grease that was once inside, now isn't. That is most likely the source of the rattling/clicking noise you are hearing, and the reason you are only hearing it at low speeds is because the ambient noise at high speeds and the higher frequency of the clicking(turning faster) is making it harder to hear. I would seriously suspect the lift and consequent high driveline angles to be the source as well. There really aren't any aftermarket CV units available that have proven to be better than the stock units, except from a pricing point of view. Right now, you really have two options as it stands:

Option 1: Replace the boots. Not that advisable considering you've been running the axles with little to no grease in them and they may be damaged from heat buildup/wear. If you do go this rout, check here for how to do it:
http://vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=9031

Option 2: Buy new CV joint units. You can get OEM or aftermarket, with the aftermarket being considerably cheaper. Do a search on this, since I believe someone recently had the same problem as you and there was a post on getting new units for under $80 each.

Actualy there is a third option which is to tear out your whole front end and take the differential brackets and cut and weld them to extend them so you driveline angle won't be so severe in the future. This won't fix your current woes, but it will make it so they don't come back to haunt you agian in the future. I recently did this and it is very involved. In any case, the Mecatech boots are the way to go.

[tom4bren]

Thanks for the info.

I don't think the sound is a heat shield but I'll check (since it's the easiest)

I'll also grease the CV (since I can get to it through the torn boots) while I order the replacements & see if it quiets down temporarily. If it does then maybe I can hold off on replacing the CVs right away.

[Ascinder]

I know Triathlete also used some duct tape to hold in what little grease was left when his CVs went out, you may want t o try that as a temporary fix. Also don't forget that if you replace CVs it's a good idea to replace the differential seals. They are around $12 apiece I think from St. Charles Isuzu, which you can find in the links section. Depending on your miles you may want to replace the inner and outer bearings as well. Another thing to look out for is when you have to remove the upper and lower ball joints, be careful as sometimes they are really in there and can be torn when being removed. I tore out an upper and a lower doing mine. They have to be replaced as complete units and are far cheaper to come by aftermarket. Hope this helps, and good luck!

[tom4bren]

I saw Triathalete's temporary duct tape fix and thought I would go one better. There is rubber plumbing tape that adheres to itself but not what it is wrapped around. That should hold the grease in until I get the new boots (& indicate if the CV's are shot).

I'll let you know.

P.S. I went to the independent4x website and didn't see ANY CV boots listed. I'll call them later though. The most common brand I've found on line is EMPI. Are they any good?

[Ascinder]

Wow, cool idea on the tape! If you go under "axle products" at independent4x, then go to the Isuzu 10 bolt IFS and rear, you will find the Mecatech CV boots about a third of the way down the page on the left side. I don't know about the brand you mentioned, but I did some research when I got mine and I personally couldn't find anything better than the mecatech boots. They run $20 each and come with pretty much all you need except for the tool which allows you to install them over and around the large green housings on the CV boots. They sell a kit with this in it, and if you go to the mecatech website, they have instructions. Personally, if it was me, I would go down to Harbor freight, or some other bargainmart type tool place and buy a long oil funnel for like $1.00 and put some cuts in it because it looks like that is all they are doing at mecatech. When I did my lift, I pulled the CVs completely out and dismantled them. Taking them all the way down like that is very time consuming, and to get all the old grease out, I recommend at least a can or two of brake cleaner. As an added benefit of taking them all the way apart, you don't even need that tool to install your new CV boots. Personally, I would just get some new CVs if it were me. Yeah the will run $160 for a set of two compared to $80(2 per CV shaft @ 2 shafts), but it is way easier and far less time consuming.

[tom4bren]

Schlepping some grease into the CVs did quiet them down - even before wrapping the old boots in tape while awaiting the new ones. You're right though, why go through all that trouble and not replace them. I'm sold.

[tom4bren]

I ordered the boots. Now I can't find the CV joints themselves. Can the joints be replaced without replacing the axels? If so, where? I haven't contacted an Isuzu dealer yet because I thought it would cost more going that route.

[Ascinder]

Well, Bimati was led to believe that there was an auto parts store that sold each shaft assembly for $75 a pop, plus a core charge, but he said they charged his card, and never delivered and were unreachable. I think this is because at the time, they didn't have a core charge listed at all, but who knows. I would definitely get ahold of someone by phone first of all, and hammer things out in advance. You can always reverse the charges if they end up being deadbeats. Also, there aren't any individual parts you can get ahold of. New units from the dealer(at discount pricing) are $700 a pop. Here's the link to try out the cheaper ones:
http://www.alldiscountautoparts.com/...e=arc&s=1&my=1

Good luck!!

[tom4bren]

Thanks for the lead. I'll check into it. I was about to take the ultimate gamble and replace the boots and grease the snot out of the joints and pray that I could get a couple more years out of the joints.

[tom4bren]

I went to the All Discount Autoparts site you referenced (Thanks). The interesting thing was that the part number is the same for both left and right yet the axels are different lengths. If anyone else plans on ordering them, make sure you specify which side so that you get the right one. They indicated that they do have them in stock. I will probably order them over the phone since there is the issue with part numbers and also since you mentioned somebody else had delivery problems. I'll let Y'all know how it goes.

[tom4bren]

Well, I just ordered the shafts so we should know in 4-7 days how reputable the source is.

I replaced the boots and over packed the CV joints with grease but the noise actually got worse. What a waste of time - I gambled and lost.

[Ascinder]

I personally will be very interested to see how this turns out. I would like to have a spare set of these on hand for any future issues that may come up. If you can I would really appreciate some pics once you get them in so I can see how they compare to the stock units.

[tom4bren]

The only problem with purchasing a set for spares is that you have to put up a $75.00 core deposit and they only give you 21 business days to send the old ones back. If you want to eat the deposit though, I rekin $150 for a complete axel assembly (including CVs & boots) isn't too bad.

That reminds me though to salvage the Mecatech's for spares.