CV axle

So I noticed the inner cv boot on the driver side must have a hole since there is grease everywhere. Tried to find a tear or hole but found nothing. Also noticed some radial play where the axle meets the differential . No play at all on the passenger side. Not making any noise so not in a hurry to fix but will in the next few weeks. Is the radial play indicative of a bad seal? Now that I think of it, maybe it wasn't grease but differential oil. What do you guys think? Would the needle bearings going bad result in a leak and radial slack or is it just the seal? Just want to have the right parts on hand before tearing into it .

Thanks for any ideas in advance.
Keith

Oh yeah. Its an 09 TRD sport 4x4 with 170,000 miles. No offroad but 2.5" coilover lift on 285s since 4,000 miles.

Edit: added some video in post 10

 

Take some pictures !!

If the boot is not torn good possibility your differential is leaking

Might even be engine oil or ATF

 

You'll know if it was grease from a torn boot. Shit will be caked everywhere and you'll see the tear in a boot. Oil will just look wet, maybe with some dirt stuck to it. Check the level in the diff and see if it's low. Also look around where the axle goes into the diff. Find the cause before you throw $ at it. Clean it up a bit and check frequently for it to reappear. If it's diff fluid it's likely a seal. Bearing, you can check when the seal is out but the play you talk about sounds a bit fishy, and could be caused by low diff fluid if you've run it too long while low.

Either way any leaking fluid needs quick attention unless you like to exacerbate an issue. If it's an axle, the need to fix can depend on your willingness to buy a replacement. If that's ok then you can let it go for a while...

 

I was all set to buy 2 new axles and do both sides until I realized it may be yhe seal and not the boot. Havent been home to check today.

 

So I couldn't figure it out without taking it all apart so I brought it to the shop I normally use to have them take a look. They didn't find anything wrong aside from a very minor pinhole in the CV boot and said it wouldn't be worth fixing at this point. I'm just concerned about the movement of the axle in the differential being so much more on the driver side than the passenger side. Is that normal? Shouldn't they have about the same tolerance? Can someone check their CV axle for radial movement. Just grab it by hand and wiggle. Passenger side = no movement. Driver side moves up/down/forward/backward maybe an 1/8" - 1/4". Again, no abnormal noises, just doesn't seem right. Don't want to have a differential issue down the road because I didn't take care of the CV now.

Also, I checked the diff fluid level which was clean and topped off so no leak there.

 

I'd like to see what type of movement you have. Is it up and down or linear (in/out of diff). I'll try to compare if I can see what you have going on.

 

Maybe I can make a video this evening of the movement. It moves radially, not in/out of the diff.

 

I think I can test that...give me a bit.

 

Agh. Forgot to get a video after work yesterday. Today - hopefully.

 

Ok finally got some video.

Driverside
https://youtu.be/oVVSuzG0TDI
https://youtu.be/2YF5NxEvqRU

Passenger side
https://youtu.be/sQXf7xcxRb0

 

Man! That is odd. That's not what I was looking for when I went out. Mine do NOT do that.

Do they make any noise when you drive? That looks like there's an issue with the tripod itself. I don't see much movement on the shaft side that extends into the diff. It looks as if the tripod in the axle is shot. It looks like the tripod housing is moving a lot because of excessive wear or a broken something inside. I can't really see the shaft that sticks in the diff, it could be moving as well. If the splined end is moving that much inside the diff too that is bad. If it's just the tripod housing, it's likely just a bad axle. Only way to tell is to take it out and look inside. Sorry for the repetitive and poor wording of this post. I'm thinking through this as I type.

Edit: As for the leaky boot, worry not a new axle may be in store.

 

I had this happen at approx. 80,000 miles. It was almost as loose as yours is. Turned out to be the left differential driveshaft seal---the part of the pumpkin the driver side c/v axleshaft slides into. First thing I'd do is to thoroughly clean that boot and the area around where it fits in the differential pumpkin. Unless you actually find a rip/tear/hole in the rubber c/v 'cover', chances are the problem is just a new seal...but you have to remove the c/v shaft anyway to replace the seal, so I'd suggest a permanent fix. Order the bushing from ECGS and replace the needle bearing (which is causing all that up-and-down and sideways movement) as well as replacing that left seal. The important thing is your shaft may well be fine. Don't replace it unless you really need to as the challenge then becomes finding the brand you really want. You are likely looking at a rebuild with new seals that will last as most new joints are China built and you may not get a good one...in fact, you probably will not. Toyota has good rebuilds, if you can afford them.

 

This is extremely common

The fix is a ECGS bushing sleeve on the drivers side