Hi guys,

Anyone dealt with a torn front drive shaft boot? Can these be replaced without pulling out the driveshaft? AutoZone had nothing for me.

Just for clarification, I'm talking about the driveshaft going from the transfer case to the front differential, there's a boot about 2/3 of the way down the shaft. Inside are gear teeth, which I can clearly see because of the torn boot (torn completely around).

Also, should there be some sort of grease in there?

Mike

 

I think you are refering to the expansion joint, there are split boots available, they wrap around the joint and are then sealed with adhesive, the ends are clamped with boot straps.

 

I accidentally pulled mine apart when I was replacing my radius arm bushings. I just opened the clam and pulled it back on and then clamped it down as best as I could.

I'd recommend finding a different parts store as the boots should be replaceable.

 

Aquanaut20 is correct about the split boot, just make sure there is no grease or oil the two edges of the boot that is to be glued together.

 

Hi guys,

I've tried several stores, online searches, and a Ford dealer. Still not finding this boot (not even a non-split type OEM part).

Does anyone have a part number for this?

Is the term: "front driveshaft CV boot" the correct name for this part?

The Ford dealer was useless, said 1994 parts come up as "obsolete" or "discontinued." He wouldn't even look in the computer.

Mike

 

try advance or pep boys.

i have seen them in each.

advance is online.

 

F81Z4421AA BOOT LIST $28.10 FTE $20.23


Ed

 

Thanks Ed!!!!

What am I doing wrong? The website you gave me is one of the ones I searched. I tried drilling down the menu, searching for keywords (boot, cv, etc.) and it kept giving me no results... How did you find this part number?

Mike

 

input the number in the part search field, drop down bar to ford, click search part should come up. or send me a note from the contact us link and i'll send you the link for the part so all you have to do is add to cart and process.

"How did you find this part number?" skills, LOL

I looked it up in my catalog. Some times the thrid party web site catalog is not as detailed as mine is, and I do this for a living.


Ed

 

So you CHEATED!!! I LOVE IT! At least I'm not losing my mind (completely, anyway)!

I did enter the part number you gave me, and it came right up with the part, price, etc. No images though.

Are there any other parts (clips, etc.) that you can think I might need when I pull the driveshaft to replace that boot (assuming I caught it in time and the splines are OK)? If so, please give me those part numbers too.

I should be able to just pull off the front side of the shaft from the differential to replace the boot, correct? I hope I'm not getting into U-joint work here.

I also need one of those small clamps for the boot on the drivers side front axle shaft (that didn't come through on the search either). Part number?

I'll place the order for these parts when I get that part number(s) from you. I assume the link you gave me is for your business?

Thanks again!!!

Mike

 

the clamps comes with boot kit.shouldn't need any other parts for that.

yep pull the shaft out slide out of flange install boot, well thats how it looks from my catalog picture.

clamps for axle boot are

E3TZ3B478A outer

E3TZ3B478B Inner

not sure which one is the smaller one.

Thanks Ed

 

If the boot is torn completely around, it's likely that the CV joint is blown. Make sure you can't spin the shaft seperately from the CV joint. If it's bad, you'll need a new front shaft. And yes, there should be grease in there.

 

The thing is this is not a CV joint they are talking about. This is where one piece of the driveshaft splines onto the other.. There is no need to fill the boot with grease as you do on CV boots, however it is a good idea to grease the splines before reassembly.

Remove the 4 bolts holding the shaft to the front differential. Push it in a little and it should drop out just far enough to pull the axle apart into two pieces. Cut off what ever is left of the boot and the clamps on both shaft halves.

Then put clamp and boot onto transfer case side of the driveshaft.. dont worry about tightening it yet. Install the other clamp onto the diff. side of the driveshaft. Apply some high quality grease to the splines and push the shaft back together. Install the differential bolts, then center the boot and tighten the clamps. You may need a CV boot clamp tool to do this (can probably borrow one from your local autozone, or whatever)

As far as damage to the slines as a result of the torn boot, I wouldn't worry too much about it. This is a lot more durable and resiliant to the elements than CV joints are. A big reason why CV joints go bad after torn boots is because it allows all the lubrication to fling out. Most of the lube on the splines of your driveshaft is already imbedded in the splines. Your boot serves to keep out water, debris, road salt, etc, whereas on CV joints it actually holds the grease in. You should be just fine!

Good luck!