Torn CV boot & Suspension failure

Yes. I spray the CV boots in order to keep them 'moisturized'. I get the can of the Dupont stuff... says it's good for rubber. I was sold on the packaging.

I have been doing this on and off (spraying them down whenever I think about it) for about a year and a half. I also have the boot slide mod and diff drop installed (changed too many CV boots.. might as well go double or nothing) so there is no boot rub whatsoever. The boots do get dirt on them but not anymore than they would if they were dry. I do try to get under there and clean them on occaision. I usually just wipe the dirt off with a shop towel during an oil change and when they look like they need it. So far so good.

 

I'm still irked that the CV shafts spin when not in 4x4. Ugh...

 

Yeah, a couple of miles less for each gallon of gas.

Check out offroadsolutions as they have a manual hub conversion for late model Tacomas. They want $1,167 for the complete kit.

Given gas prices today ($3.25/gal) if it saved you 2mi/gal and you drive say 12k miles/yr it would take about 7yrs to pay off the purchase.
Faster if you drive more miles or gas costs more.
Of course most problems associated with lifted CVs effectively disappear.

 

Good to hear that you're having success with the silicone spray. I just might give that a try as well. But it also sounds like you got a whole lineup of preventative cv protection with the diff drop and boot slide mod. Out of curiosity, did you do the "real" boot slide mod that involves the disassembly of the cv and welding the stopper on, or did you simply remove the clamp, slide the boot out, and reclamp?

 

I've seriously thought about this conversion simply for the sake of not having to stress out about my cv's all the time. Only thing is that, financially, it's much cheaper to just replace cv boots, or even the whole axle (numerous times) before you even come close to that cost. But then again, there's the gas saving factor that you mentioned as well, though at least for me, mine is not a daily driver.

 

Putting manual hubs on your knuckles/spindles shouldn't even come close to $1100 or whatever it is. I guess they're sending re-engineered spindles with control arms, axles, and ball joints too.

 

I did get a good quote on those, just under the $400 I thought, but they are back ordered until mid-March. Aftermarket A-Arms will correct geometry when lifted over 2" to help with alignment and give more positive caster for better tracking on the road. However, they will require more maintenance than factory arms.

 

There can only be one.....................




Nice looking 1st gen!

 

I didn't do any welding, but rather selected to put a new OEM style CV clamp (in addition to the small grooved portion of the boot from the torn 'donor' boot) in where the shaft groove is after installing the new boot, then used a band style clamp (you can make these super tight) to clamp the boot down past the shaft groove/boot piece/clamp. This works just fine as a sufficient 'stopper' to keep the boot from wanting to slide up.

Speaking of manual hubs, $1100 seems pretty ridiculous. You can get parts for the conversion much cheaper than that if you lurk the parts section here and on TTORA. There are also useful writeups on the net to help with the conversion.

 

Ditto!
Yours looks like mine except for my ARB Bull bumper, which has paid for itself in the damage protection it has given me over the years.

 

Thanks again Sarah. Appreciate your efforts.

 

i just used a set on my taco..... not the first time using them on something either.... i like them, but then again,im lazy , i can install one of those in 20 minutes.....

 

Ah ok cool. I went and read the alternative boot slide mod with the old rubber piece. Sounds like a good preventative maintenance for when the time comes. I've been lucky enough to not have my boots rip yet, but they are showing groove wear.

 

Believe it or not, most of my boots have torn at the skinny part instead of the fat part where the fins rub. Except for the one time I installed Toytec coilovers and they put springs 2" longer than they're supposed to be on the assembly. Even with the collar bottomed out, I had way too much lift. That was the only time I tore boots on the fat side. So that's another reason why I give the boots the occasional soak down with lube.

 

When you say skinny part, are you referring to the lower boot with the skinnier/thinner fins, or you mean the lower part of the upper boot (closer to the shaft)? Just try a get an idea of what you mean. How much lift are you running now?

 

I'm probably just a hair over 2.5" at the moment. Running All-Pros now.. much easier to adjust (don't have to jack the truck up or use a cheater bar) And yes, the boot seems to blow closer to the shaft. That's why I also stress not to stretch the boot out too much when doing the BSM. Just past the original shaft groove is enough. And of course the silicone lube.

 

I just found out about a factory recall on lower ball joints for all 2001-2004 4WD Tacomas.
I will be replacing mine now for free!

Dealer never sent me the notice. Wonder why?

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/ACM5123892/RCMN-05V225-8890.PDF

 

You think you can take advantage of a recall 9 years after the fact??

 

I did a couple years ago. Given the liability Toyota faces if a known and documented manufacturing flaw causes the LBJ come apart on the freeway and kill you and others, yes. Many instances of this failure have been posted on this site. They should also align it after replacement.

 

Nah. I doubt it. The newest cars affected by the recall are 10 years old. You should have replaced ball joints 2-3 times since then.