CV axle boot leaking

My drivers side CV axle boot is leaking at the boot closest to the diff. Can just the boot be replaced or the whole axle? I can’t see or feel any tear in the boot itself. Is it ok to drive with it like this? I am having a shop look at it next week.

 

Anyone?

 

You can drive on that for a long time still. It’s easiest to just replace the whole cv axle instead of the boot.

 

Ok thanks for the info. It’s leaking a little diff fluid it looks like. I’ll prob have the shop replace the whole axle. How much is a new axle?

 

If it’s lesking oil then the bushing and seal in the dig need to be replaced. Believe there’s a special tool for this. The axle has to come out either way so if you have a cracked/ torn cv boot then this would be the time to replace it. You can either replace just the boot (s) or buy a reman axle. My friends 05 had this happen and it didn’t take long before it started puking oil. I think the bushing wears out then the excess play takes the seal out.

 

Bushing and seal in the diff? I just had the ECGS bushing installed a couple months ago. Any issue driving it the way it is for another week?

 

No.
But since work was recently done I would make absolutely sure there's a leak of grease, the boot itself can't leak diff oil

 

It seems like oil not grease. There’s no leakage around the diff seal at all. It’s somewhere on the boot it seems.

 

To the best of my knowledge and memory the end of the axle stabs into the diff. It doesn’t bolt up to a flange at the diff. You have to use 2 pry bars to release the axle from the diff then there’s a tool that pulls out presses in bushing. I’d say it’s totslly safe to drive as long as you keep the fluid topped off. Not sure what type of seal it is but most will actually seal better when the shaft is turning and when it stops then leakage gets worse. My friends truck was making a huge mess but he just kept it full until he got it fixed. I’m sure there’s some more knowledgeable folks on here than me since I’ve never pull the axle on my truck but had everything else removed.

 

Easier to replace than reboot. Use CVJ Axles. They take stock ones, rebuild them, then sell them for around half the price of a new one from the dealer. And I think it's better quality. Core is like $100, but just make sure you save your box they sent it in and send your old one back. Also consider doing the ECGS bearing swap and your axle seals. Here's a how-to I did a few months back when I did mine:
https://youtu.be/mfI1agKret0

 

Correction, my friends truck was an 04/ first gen so possibly different than 2nd gen?

 

This is so painful to read

 

Why

 

I'm not seeing a leak in the pic.
You are suppose to actuate 4x4 at least once a month or the seal will weap oil from the diff. You don't have to do the Rubicon, just find some grass or gravel. If you had a grease leak it would be all over the boot and slung above it. Your seal definitely should have been replaced while doing the bushing and I would have probably done the boots since you already had it all out. If you used a shop I would recommend never going there again, they aren't looking out for you- unless you refused their suggestion.

 

Changing boots and grease is easy btw, removing the CV can be a pain especially if you don't have the proper tools

 

The leak is hard to see in the pic. It’s closer to the metal clip not around the diff. The axle seal was replaced during the ECGS bushing install but again the leak is not around the diff or the boot area near the diff

 

Thanks, this is helping me 6 years later.