Automotive Assistance Questions

[Fear The Spear]

But if you do this on main roads, you're likely to deal with quite a headache and possible bodily injury from being that asshole.

Everybody calls me an a-hole even when I'm not behind the wheel, so it's no different.

 

[Fear The Spear]

I recently pulled my wheel off and noticed this rubbery thing that appeared chewed up, in the first pic.
I asked a friend about it, and described it to him, and he said it was a boot that contained gear oil or something like that.
Then I noticed as you can see in the 2nd pic, splattered grease (it's grey-colored, with a creamy texture) all over that compartment.
I assume this grease is leaking and splattering as a resulted of that busted boot, is that correct ?
And how serious is it, and how urgent to get it fixed ?
If it's serious and urgent, can anyone tell me how to fix it myself, if it's novice-friendly ?

 

[Lanky Livingston]

If that's a CV-boot, its very serious, and you should replace it (or get it replaced) immediately. It protects the CV Joint (big $$$) - but from the looks of it, its been torn for awhile, so you may already need to replace it. I'd get it checked out.

 

[Fear The Spear]

If the CV Joint was ruined, wouldn't I notice some major symptoms ?

 

[riggins44]

That is not a cv boot in first pic. What kind of car and year in pic? In second pic the cv boots seem to be intact. CV joints are not attached to frame or crossmember.

 

[Dead Money]

Isn't that just a bushing that protects metal on metal contact when the suspension is bottomed out? Question is how many times have you bottomed it out?

The grease may be from the upper and lower ball joints??? The bulbs on those look suspect.

I recently pulled my wheel off and noticed this rubbery thing that appeared chewed up, in the first pic.
I asked a friend about it, and described it to him, and he said it was a boot that contained gear oil or something like that.
Then I noticed as you can see in the 2nd pic, splattered grease (it's grey-colored, with a creamy texture) all over that compartment.
I assume this grease is leaking and splattering as a resulted of that busted boot, is that correct ?
And how serious is it, and how urgent to get it fixed ?
If it's serious and urgent, can anyone tell me how to fix it myself, if it's novice-friendly ?

 

[Fear The Spear]

Thanks. Yea, I think you're right.
That definitely isn't the CV Joint, after doing some research. The CV Joint is connected directly to the axle.

 

[Nobody]

The CV is the two accordion looking rubber boots with the rod going through them. The top rubber boot right behind the rotor is your upper ball joint. That one you showed in the first picture, that's something I've never seen on a car, so I have no idea what its purpose is.

On a side note, unless they do things differently on different vehicles, your tie rod end is in upside down. Not for sure if it is, just that every vehicle I have ever worked on had it the exact opposite of how yours looks. The tie rod end is the rubber boot and bolt on the bottom of the last picture with the long rod connected to it.

And don't worry if your CV ever does go bad, it isn't big money, the entire assembly runs about $50-$60 unless you let yourself get ripped off.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Thanks Ex. I watched a youtube tutorial video on CV Joints, and the mechanic guy said something similar. That once it starts to make a noise signaling it's starting to go bad, there's no rush to get it fixed. It can wait. Or something along those lines. Can't remember exactly.

 

[SkinnedAussie]

The second pic shows that there may be wire wrapped around the outer CV joint boot. As these boots are supposed to flex when the wheels are turned, anything restricting such movement will eventually damage the boot, and thus, damage the CV joint.

 

[Dead Money]

The second pic shows that there may be wire wrapped around the outer CV joint boot. As these boots are supposed to flex when the wheels are turned, anything restricting such movement will eventually damage the boot, and thus, damage the CV joint.

On second look that seems to be the inner retaining wire to the cv boot showing. Not good if so. Good eye aussie

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[SkinnedAussie]

I've never known a CV joint boot to have ANY wire Due to it's construction, it is just a 'concertinaed' rubber boot, with clips to hold the ends in place. Look at the inner boot and you'll understand what I mean.

Whatever the case, the wire wouldn't be doing any good and should be removed.

An easy way to test for a bad cv joint is to drive the vehicle, slowly, with the steering wheel turned fully to the left. Drive for a couple of circles and listen for any clunking or clicking noises. Repeat with the steering wheel turned to the right.

 

[Nobody]

View attachment 702

I only do this for clarification, since there is no wire on the CV that I can see. I'm just not seeing it. The pink circled area at the top is the upper ball joint. The yellow circled area below that appears to be the ABS line. The green circled area below that is the CV axle and boots, and the blue circled area at the bottom is the outer tie rod end. So where is the cable or wire you guys are talking about that appears wrapped on the CV axle? The only reason I ask is because the only one I see is the ABS line, which is nowhere near the CV axle or boots. In the middle, it did appeared chewed up, which would be a huge problem, but when I look at it closely, it appears to be just grease and dirt that caked up on it from that boot welded on the frame busted. That boot is something I have never seen, so I don't know what it is, I just now without a doubt that it has nothing to do with the other parts mentioned.

Now, if you're talking about the shiny parts on the outer CV boot, that is just grease on the ridges from the part above it being busted. The retainers on CV boots are intentionally designed smaller than the boot itself, and if a situation ever were to happen that would cause the ring to slip off, the entire boot would be gone.

 

[Fear The Spear]

I see the wire he's talking about. It's right above that bolt on the outer tie rod.

 

[Dead Money]

The outer cv boot either is shiny from grease or there is a retaining wire from the boot exposed. I've never seen a wired boot on a regular passenger vehicle before. Could just be an illusion but it looks like the boot has worn away and left the wire behind. The more I look at it the more I can't tell if it exists or not.

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[SkinnedAussie]

What I see as wire could quite easily be that the boot's ridges are shiny as being the outer boot, it will flex more than the inner boot.

 

[Fear The Spear]

An easy way to test for a bad cv joint is to drive the vehicle, slowly, with the steering wheel turned fully to the left. Drive for a couple of circles and listen for any clunking or clicking noises. Repeat with the steering wheel turned to the right.

Thanks SA ! A very helpful test, that I am going to try tomorrow. And it doesn't even require any tools, work, or getting greasy !

The outer cv boot either is shiny from grease or there is a retaining wire from the boot exposed. I've never seen a wired boot on a regular passenger vehicle before. Could just be an illusion but it looks like the boot has worn away and left the wire behind. The more I look at it the more I can't tell if it exists or not.

What I see as wire could quite easily be that the boot's ridges are shiny as being the outer boot, it will flex more than the inner boot.

Hmmm, good point. My first thought was that it was an external wire around the boot. But now the more I look at it, the more it looks like it might be an internal wire, that has become exposed from wear. Just like SA's simple CV Joint test above, this also can easily be answered tomorrow, when I perform a visual check during the daytime.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Okay I took a closer look and there is no wire at all. Apparently that was just an illusion.
However, a closer look revealed a tear in the boot.
Here's a few pictures at different angles.
The 3rd pic is probably the most revealing angle
Is this real serious ?

 

[SkinnedAussie]

A torn boot can be a source of major problems if not replaced. Dirt and dust can enter the joint, with the subsequent wear-and-tear, as an example, causing the joint to wear out quicker than normal, or in the worse-case scenario, causing the joint to overheat and/or seize, and being and outer joint, shearing the hub. No need to guess what might happen if you do lose a front wheel!

 

[Terry]

A bit of duct tape should fix that right up.