CV Joint Life Expectancy?

If you are on sealed roads virtually all the time, you may get away with what you're suggesting,..but according to the trans/suspension shop who replaced a torn boot on my '96 Camry, he said Toyota CVs are very good quality with decent depth case-hardening and that they will last 200,000 miles easy if they are looked after. So with that in mind, I paid the $150 smackers to have them cleaned, re-packed and re-installed. OTOH, cars like the Mitsubishi Diamante (they're called Mitsy "Magna") out here, have lousey case-hardening which starts to break-up even with no boot problems at around

70,000 miles on sealed roads. So the message was clear (at least to me) look after the originals and they will give excellent service.

Jason

Reply to
Jason James
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$150 is entirely reasonable and I agree that $150 spent fixing the boots before damage occurs is definitely money well spent (the only reason I suggested what I did was because the original poster was quoted an exorbitant $500 for this service).

Reply to
tylernt

That's a radical idea - it's just might be crazy enough to work!

Reply to
dsi1

The only thing with CV clicking is that if a state inspector (where applicable) catches it then it fails the inspection on the spot. A cracked boot only gets written up. Clicking CV is considered a safety hazard, like potentially losing steering control when it gives.

Yes I know people drive a while with it clicking, I'd just get it fixed on the first sign of a cracked boot (not even all the way through).

Reply to
johngdole

That's precisely why repacking and re-booting is still an option for me (besides swapping out with new aftermarkets like ~$80 NAPA MaxDrive or Cardone Select). And using Redline CV2 synthetic grease in repacking too.

Except in tuner circles 200,000 miles is considered worn out and thrown out. So it also depends on how hard people drive. Grandma to the supermarket? No problem.

On Nov 28, 12:51 pm, "Jason James" wrote: [snip]

[snip]
Reply to
johngdole

Do you really think Toyota CV joints are that much better than others? In

30+ years of owning cars with CV joints, I have never had a CV joint fail. I've never actually driven a car to 200,000 miles, but between me and my Sisters we have run several cars past 150,000 miles. A couple of mid-80s cars in my family tended to eat outer CV joint boots, but they were easily replaced. We had a 1978 Fiesta that at 150,000 miles developed a vibration in the front end. We couldn't find the problem. Finally in desperation, I repacked the CV joints (boots were original and in perfect condition). This eliminated the vibration.

I doubt that the problem is "lousy" case hardening. It is more likely that the joints were under-sized for the power, and/or that the steering angles were greater, putting more stress on the joints. For instance, compared to a 2001 V6 Camry, a 2001 Diamante has more torque and horsepower, weighs 10% more, and has a shorter turning radius despite having a longer wheelbase (implying greater steering angles). All these factors stress the CV joints more. If the Diamante CV joints were exactly the same as the Camry joints, they would have a higher failure. Toyota is usually very conservative when choosing driveline parts. I'd wager the higher failure rate for Diamante CV joints has more to do with the size of the parts than the build quality (undersized, but OK quality parts).

Ed

Reply to
Ed White

Well, it could be what you say is true,..that Mitsubishi use outer CVs that are too small for the job, however isn't that the same problem? They underestimated the part for the job? The comments I included were from mechanics (Noddy in aus.cars,.a mechanic of many years experience, and my local trans/suspension workshop) so to that extent, I thought their coments worth mentioning, plus my own experiences with the Camry and a '87 Mitsubishi Magna 2.6L 4 cylinder)

Jason

Reply to
Jason James

I just got back from having the snows mounted. I had wanted to look at the boots myself, but that wasn't feasible because of the layout of this local shop. The old geezer who did the tires said the boots look ok. The guy who inspected the car last month - and is known for being thorough - didn't mention the boots. The shop that wanted to put new brakes on it last Summer didn't mention the boots. I've concluded that the boots are probably just dry-rotting and the Toyota dealer wanted to make some money. We're going to leave them on for Winter and I'll check them myself in the Spring. We'll continue to drive it gently.

Reply to
mjc1

I've heard it rumored that hitting the boots with silicone spray, Armor-All, or petroleum jelly will help them last longer. No idea if it works though.

Reply to
tylernt

Maybe it's Christmas time and the Toyota dealer was asking for charity? ;) ;)

Reply to
johngdole

Both of you may very well be right. Afterall isn't Mitsubishi a bottom dweller in quality (literally in the JD 2007 IQS rating)?

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Well, it could be what you say is true,..that Mitsubishi use outer CVs that

Reply to
johngdole

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