I just took this all apart last month and today I was under the truck and saw this, have no clue why it came apart, the rubber that's left is still very tough not rotted at all, either I put too much grease in there which is doubtful, I put it in pretty sparingly or I clamped it too close to the carrier bearing and somehow created a bindup, I am stumped. Anyway I have a 1500 mile trip coming up next week and can't get the $21 Spicer kit in time and the local dealer wants $90. I'm thinking I can still make the trip though without it, what do you think?

I might go to the parts store and look for a universal CV boot that will fit it for now.

 

for a one time trip, go

you aren't going to leave it off permanently

 

I looked at it again and the only way it could have popped like that was from grease inside the boot. We went offroad a couple weeks ago, not long after I greased the yoke and I'll bet the pressure from bouncing along offroad popped it like a balloon. Note to self: put the grease on the splines only and none in the boot where it doesn't do anything anyway.

 

yes,
only a thin coat on the splines, the boot is just to keep dirt off the splines, not to be packed with grease.

 

Curious if the CV repair boot works in this case. Used them twice before in actual CV situations and they were very temporary.

But this is a simple longer/shorter flex, no side to side.

 

I went and looked at them and the small end would work but the large end is way too bog and by the time you get down a few bellows to a smaller diameter it's too short..

 

I think the $90 that the dealer wants is still cheaper than a new spline drive and the cost to rebuild and balance a two piece driveline assembly as a set.

In 1,500 miles of driving in the dry summer out of and back into the southwest, the grease on the exposed slip joint will attract a torrent of tire flung debris, dust, and abrasive dry grit sucked under the truck by the vacuum of moving forward. The axle bumping along the road will move that grit into the splines, and the high rotational speed of the driveline will work that grit like a flap wheel on the end of an angle grinder.

I'd cover it up with a proper boot to preserve the integrity (spline to groove contact clearance) of the original (balanced as an assembly, at higher speeds - 3000 RPM - by more expensive equipment in a manufacturing environment than most driveline repair shops can afford, who sometimes can only balance at 500 RPM) driveline assembly... even if a new boot is only available in the immediate term at $90.

At least the Ford boot comes with new clamps to secure it, and a tube of Teflon grease to use for other purposes... such as towing coupler grease, etc.

 

Thank you for chiming in, whenever I post here I always hope you will drop by with your unparalleled knowledge. I got to thinking the same thing yesterday, and it likely broke on the road to Castle Hot Springs which was extremely dry and dusty so there could have been grit in there already (look up Castle Hot Springs for a good historical story, and no we didn't stay there, I can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a few days at any resort). So I broke down and went to Ford 10 min before they closed and got the new boot with clamps and grabbed 4 new bolts per the FSM. Last night I cleaned all the Teflon grease off the undercarriage then this AM I was out there bright and early and pulled the driveline, cleaned the splines, re-greased and re-assembled. The good part is it only took me 31 minutes having just done it about a month ago, all the tools needed and the torque value was still in my head. (BTW it did not come with the grease but I still had some left from the last time)

I also didn't know that after market driveline shops may not be able to balance as well as factory due to equipment costs.

One nice thing about doing your own work, no matter how much the parts cost it is still cheaper than paying to have the job done. I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my vehicles and I'm kind of mad at myself for closing the first boot up with grease in it, now I'll enjoy my trip more knowing everything is right under there. Thanks again and have a good holiday weekend.

PS I see I missed some grease, it was slung everywhere under there.

 

don't worry about that grease, it is stopping RUST.
just get some FLUID FILM, and spray the rest of the truck's underside so it all looks wet....
no rust in future with Fluid Film.

 

I did use Fluid Film when I went to the beach but that's the only time I ever see salt. Now that I have a Jeep TJ the Ford won't be driving on the beach any more.