Due to my recent front end trouble in my '02 Escape, I was wondering. Anyone know about the longevity of cv joints in the escapes? Anyone have any ideas????

 

Long time...

 

Can depend on number of factors, but what usually kills them is a torn boot. THat can happen after years of drying out, hitting something, etc. The agnels don't seem bad at all, and my boots still look really good after a few years. My previous vehicle had torn boots at 70,000 miles at 5 years old, and less than 30,000 miles after that on the replacements. And when I sold it with 170, 000 miles on it, it needed at least one again. Other vehicles I've had experiences with seem to need them around 75,000 miels or 5 years of age. And you can drive on a worn out joint for a while if you don;t mind the clicking, though they can break apart, and I've heard of that happening once. All in all, if you ever have yours taken in for anyhting before you hear any clicking, something likea tire rotation, oil change, or brake inspection, the shop tech will usually let you know if you;ve got a torn boot, or you can just take a look under htere yourself, and check for cracks or tears. As long as everything is in tact, you're golden. Grease is sealed inside the boot, and as long as it's there, they are fine, it's when the grease is gone that causes problems. You can replace the boots first for a little less than the whole axle, if you think one is looking ragged. The grease inside can probably last a couple hundred thousand miles or better without issue, but the boots usually wear out before that, whether it's just time or mileage, or something else.