Heads-Up, Rock Auto Quality Issue, drive shafts

[Salonika]

FYI.......during the work I am doing installing a new A/C compressor today I noticed that my drivers side driveshaft was leaking grease. Upon closer inspection I noticed both the inner and outer boots have deteriorated and cracked a lot. The inner boot is cracked all the way through and is losing grease. I installed these in April 2015 with 195k on the clock and today I have 211k, so barely 15k on this part. The rubber is flaking and cracking. I emailed Rock Auto, let's see what they do here. How annoying.............it's a big job and I am not looking forward to doing this again.

On the same note, can anyone recommend a good source for this part besides Rock Auto?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Why not Mitsubishi? Did the originals go the 195K?

 

[Salonika]

The originals made it to 195k yes. I still have them but they needed boots. I figured anyone can make a decent CV joint.....apparently not.

 

[Swank Force One]

I got 3 bad brake calipers in a row from rockauto.

 

[Offroadmuch]

The originals made it to 195k yes. I still have them but they needed boots. I figured anyone can make a decent CV joint.....apparently not.

There is a shop here in Southern California that only does rebuilds of your existing CV axles:
· Disassembled and cleaned.

· Inner cv joint and threads reconditioned

· New cage, bearings, grease and boots replaced with high quality parts.

· Finished product painted for corrosion free.

$99.00 each. I can post a link. Maybe something like this is available near you. Or ship them here. They return them to you in cardboard box, might be ok for shipping. Link: (website is not very good)
http://www.jjaxlesupply.com/products.html
https://www.yelp.com/biz/j-and-j-axle-supply-santa-ana?osq=Cv+axles

 

[KyleT]

Rebuild the OEM with new boots. The aftermarket ones are much weaker too.


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[DaveInDenver]

Rebuild the OEM with new boots. The aftermarket ones are much weaker too.

The Mitsubishi may be similar to the Toyota I do have experience with (might even be the same supplier, who knows?) and this is what I'd do. Toyota sells reboot kits if your axles are otherwise fine but they also sell remanufactured axles. I've never had good luck with aftermarket new or reman CV axles lasting like OEM.

 

[Michael Brown]

Rebuild the OEM with new boots. The aftermarket ones are much weaker too.


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I recommend this as well. I work with a driveshaft shop for custom pieces where I work, but he normally does not build CV joints. Good ones tend to be expensive (customers would rather buy cheap China parts), and he only rebuilds the OEM ones. I always bring him industrial CVs from GKN so he does not have to source them. OEM CV joints will always be the strongest that I have found so far.

 

[Salonika]

I'm glad I held on to the old ones now. Makes more sense than holding on to the rear jump seats for 10 years.

 

[RyanY]

X3 on the rebuilding of your old axle shafts. Buy Mitsubishi boot kits and replace the boots and the grease in the joints - should be good for another 195K.

 

[Salonika]

I'll need to find a place that can rebuild the old ones, my go-to parts and machine shop doesn't do them. Rock Auto responded and said the shafts I bought have a lifetime warranty, so I just need to follow their warranty replacement process and it will be free. Not sure which path to take.

 

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

The AZ Crew has had experience with several aftermarket complete CV shaft replacements; many have broken and none of the 'guys in the know' will use them any longer. Get junkyard originals and reboot them with quality boots and grease, then swap them in to save time. Keep the old ones, reboot them and bag them for future use or sale for when the rest of the world comes asking.

John B.

 

[Salonika]

The AZ Crew has had experience with several aftermarket complete CV shaft replacements; many have broken and none of the 'guys in the know' will use them any longer. Get junkyard originals and reboot them with quality boots and grease, then swap them in to save time. Keep the old ones, reboot them and bag them for future use or sale for when the rest of the world comes asking.

John B.

So the joints inside last forever? A rebuild only involves grease and a boot? That's it?

 

[Offroadmuch]

So the joints inside last forever? A rebuild only involves grease and a boot? That's it?

You can do it yourself with a kit and you get new boots and grease. If you find a shop that does rebuilds you can get:
· Disassembled and cleaned.

· Inner cv joint and threads reconditioned

· New cage, bearings, grease and boots replaced with high quality parts.

· Finished product painted for corrosion free.

 

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

Paint? The only thing they can paint is the shaft between the boots, all, what, 12" of it? Not so much of a big deal.
Having the rest of it taken apart and cleaned, maybe a bigger deal, but you have to take one end apart to get the new boots on anyway, so you're bound to be cleaning that up (hit it with brake cleaner, dry and re-grease with the supplied grease in the new boot kit). I don't want any of my parts being replaced with any "high quality" aftermarket parts; if they're in need of replacement, I'll get another set of stock junkyard ones in better shape. You can clean the splines of the shaft(s) you are working on by similarly spraying them with brake cleaner to see if the splines are in need of anything (and if they are, refer to getting another set, above). A brass wire brush can help scrape any cr@p out of them without damaging them.
I don't get too worked up over the SR half shafts in any case. I've never broken one, and I only use them infrequently. I have manual hubs, so they just sit there for 98% of the miles I drive. They're as strong as anything you'll find in the free world. Just DON'T BUY ONES FROM A REBUILDER that are already "reconditioned" (not the same as having yours rebuilt) because they inexplicably machine the shafts between the boots and they are JUNK!

John B.