Welp.. i knew it was coming.. and it finally happened

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:41 pm

dont worry it wasnt my front diff.. but close!

Luckily today my CV boot waited untill after my 3 hour trip home from college to burst. the inward boot on the passengers side axle either blew out.. ripped, or exploded somewhere. Hopefully i'll have a new axle by tomorrow morning. and i'll keep my hold axle and replace the boot for a spare. With that said.. does anyone have a hint or tip for me on changing the axle or boot??? if you do that would be great! I know there are hidden tricks to everything.. a warning in advance would be nice

I'm not sure what caused it.. perhaps it is my CV angles and constant wear on the boot.. or a stick or rock punctured it on my offroading excursion 2 weeks ago.. any other idea?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:49 pm

The whole strut assembly will need to be removed,also the knuckle will need to be removed also.You will a 35mm socket for the hub nut and have a large 2-3 prong puller to help get the CV out of the hub,they can get a little rusted in there.A large screw driver or prybar will also be needed to pry the CV out of the diff,it has a "C" clip that holds it in the diff.The passenger side CV will come out of the diff with the intermediate axle shaft which may need to be removed and put on the new CV shaft,they are a pain to seperate with those little "C" clips holding it in.

The hub nut is torqued to 100lbs-ft.

Jeep4me99 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:00 pm

i didn't completly remove the knuckle, I left the tie rod attached to it. Just swung evertything forward and supported the assemly with a jack. To loosen the axle nut, have a friend step on the brake pedal so the shaft doesn't spin, or us a brick on the pedal. if it is the drivers side, make sure not to puncture the boot again when getting the clevis fork to line up so the bottom bolt can be put in.

i did a write up in the tech section if you havent already seen it.

what kind of CV are you getting to replace it OEM???

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:19 pm

I have no clue, but I would think that Al's Upper A-arms might help....................................

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:53 pm

Just got back from my axle adventure today.. and thanks a lot for giving your advice. I kept the knuckle on and just swung it out of the way when i pulled the axle (and half shaft) out. To get the half shaft off the inner CV joint i wraped a small chain around it twice.. much like a noose.. then secured the chain it the frame machine and tapped the CV with a hammer..

but this is the best part,

the new axle was bad.. and binded every rotation.. so i had to do it ALLL over again and put the old one back in because no one had one and i have to go back to school tomorrow (3 hours away).. soo i packed it with grease and duck taped it hoping for the best. I have an interesting idea.. if i were to cut the clamp holding the boot to the axle.. and expand the boot towards the wheel more and secure it with a hose clamp it wouldnt rip right? since it wouldnt constantly be pinching itself.. also the after market axle has nice soft rubber boots and the original one was a pretty stiff plastic-like boot

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:43 pm

That duct tape 'probably' wont survive. I would of just taken the cv out of the other side and called it a day.

BeepBeepJeepJeep · **Posted:** Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:01 pm

Not I. I"d rather have the support of the CV's there

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:58 pm

naa.. the duck tape didnt survive.. i drove about 7 miles and the grease is already fly'in..

qbracken · **Posted:** Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:48 pm

2006 KJ wrote:

also the after market axle has nice soft rubber boots and the original one was a pretty stiff plastic-like boot

I am curious; are there better, more robust after-market CV boots available that can handle the long-term stresses of a 2.5" to 3" lift kit? This is a major concern for me now that I am pretty sure I'm gonna get a lift on.....

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:59 pm

BeepBeepJeepJeep wrote:

Not I. I"d rather have the support of the CV's there

Support? What do they support?

I would rather save that CV so I could have it as a spare.

Something Ive learned as of lately, I always thought when you took the cv out it left a hole in the side of the diff(kinda like a solid axle). Now I know its not made like that!

RespectMyLibertay · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:34 pm

Jeepjeepster wrote:

BeepBeepJeepJeep wrote:

Not I. I"d rather have the support of the CV's there

Support? What do they support?

I would rather save that CV so I could have it as a spare.

Something Ive learned as of lately, I always thought when you took the cv out it left a hole in the side of the diff(kinda like a solid axle). Now I know its not made like that!

There is a hole in the driver's side of the diff when you remove the CV half-shaft. Take out the inner axle on the passenger side (pictured) and you'll also find yourself the same type of opening.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:43 pm

qbracken wrote:

2006 KJ wrote:

also the after market axle has nice soft rubber boots and the original one was a pretty stiff plastic-like boot

I am curious; are there better, more robust after-market CV boots available that can handle the long-term stresses of a 2.5" to 3" lift kit? This is a major concern for me now that I am pretty sure I'm gonna get a lift on.....

JE Reel makes some better CV boots for the KJ's CV's.

KJ04 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:57 pm

Just bought some stuff called liquid rubber from Wal-mart today. It's for sealing electrical connections and thought it might work for repairing torn CV boots. For $5.00 it's worth a shot.

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:50 pm

welp.. i've made it back on my 3 hour trip with a greaseless axle. my new plan is to hopefully get back home one more time and take it out.. get a new boot (from JE Reel (thanks TJKJ) ) mark and grid 3/8inch off my original (ripped boot) CV and rebuild it with the new boot... that seems like the best / cheapest way out for not. Any other ideas let me know!

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:53 pm

2006 KJ wrote:

welp.. i've made it back on my 3 hour trip with a greaseless axle. my new plan is to hopefully get back home one more time and take it out.. get a new boot (from JE Reel (thanks TJKJ) ) mark and grid 3/8inch off my original (ripped boot) CV and rebuild it with the new boot... that seems like the best / cheapest way out for not. Any other ideas let me know!

Have fun with removing that 3/8",the CV cups are hardened steel.

CD · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:24 pm

2006 KJ wrote:

dont worry it wasnt my front diff.. but close!

Luckily today my CV boot waited untill after my 3 hour trip home from college to burst. the inward boot on the passengers side axle either blew out.. ripped, or exploded somewhere. Hopefully i'll have a new axle by tomorrow morning. and i'll keep my hold axle and replace the boot for a spare. With that said.. does anyone have a hint or tip for me on changing the axle or boot??? if you do that would be great! I know there are hidden tricks to everything.. a warning in advance would be nice

I'm not sure what caused it.. perhaps it is my CV angles and constant wear on the boot.. or a stick or rock punctured it on my offroading excursion 2 weeks ago.. any other idea?

That sux, I'm not looking forward to the day it happens to me or the CV it's self going.

Jeep4me99 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:20 pm

I thought that was easiest cheapest way too. Untill my JE Reels boot ripped during a 5 hour trip to richmond. Then i had to replace the whole CV joint. The whole things aren't really that expensive, about $100 gets you a new one if you go to the right place, then you can really work on getting that 3/8" cut off. Its gonna take a shop some time, maybe a couple days to do it right since like TJKJ said, they are hardened steel. The shafts jeepinbyal sells not only have the 3/8" cut off, but also utilize an upgraded cage to help prevent damage to the joint due to the high angles....just something to keep in mind and maybe budget.

MoabRox · **Posted:** Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:21 pm

Where did you get the JE REEL boot? I just went to their web site and didn't see them. How much did it cost?

Maximum Carnage · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:38 am

MoabRox wrote:

Where did you get the JE REEL boot? I just went to their web site and didn't see them. How much did it cost?

Yeah, I can’t find anything either. Do you have a part number?

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:36 pm

i was wondering the same thing?

Welp.. i knew it was coming.. and it finally happened

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