CV Boots on my TRD are leaking!

[chevyfumes]

Or that's what the tech told my wife, he made it sound like the boots were ripped and joints exposed. The boots are fine, just one side of one boot on each side has slipped from its holding clamp.
Suggestions?

Should I try and repack them and then zip tie or hose clamp the ends. The factory clamps apear to be a one time thing. Apparently they weren't secured good enough the first time and I don't have 600 bucks laying around to pay those fock wads to reclamp the ends.

 

[Fordum]

What the heck is a TRD? Turd Rolling Downhill?

If they are like the covers on my CV joints on my 4wheeler, the clamps are technically reusable, but it takes a special tool.

When I replaced the boots, the kit came with some stainless pull clamps. Worked like the seals on a tractor trailer door.
You put the band around the boot, slid the end into the one way part, and pulled on the end when it came out with a pair of pliers.

I had problems getting them tight enough, so I went with screw type band clamps.

 

[Fordum]

This is not a good picture, but in the zoom, you can see the clamps that they sent.

http://www.bikebandit.com/quadboss-cv-boot-kits

Actually, I think this is a better picture.

http://www.bikebandit.com/moose-racing-cv-boot-kits

 

[chevyfumes]

Both pics are pretty blurry but they look similar.
So should I just use a hose clamp? Should I try and pump some grease in with a needle tip?
Kinda BS that those didn't hold and the boots just slipped through. Good news is they don't look like they've lost a ton of grease or move back and forth more than a 1/4".

BTW a TRD is a 07 Toyota Tacoma.

 

[nvrenuf]

You can buy he grease and clamp kits separately from Carquest.

 

[Fordum]

Fumes, got sidetracked and did not get back with you. Sorry about that.

Most of the time when you have boot issues, either torn or loose, the damage is not from grease loss, but dirt and sand getting in.
I doubt you can clean and repack the joints on the car, and they might or might not be rebuildable.
Not sure on that vehicle.
If the boot did not slip too far back, you might be able to work it back enough to clean the area that any sand might be, and repack it.

Make sure you use a grease designed for those joints.
It is usually easier than you would expect to get those axles out so you can work on them.
Some are a real pain, but others are not all that bad.
You can get rebuild kits for some axles that have new boots and grease. If your joints are still good, you should be able to get just the grease and/or boots.

They also used to sell replacement boots that you could put on without taking the axle apart.
They were spit lengthwise with a seam that was supposed to snap together after you got it on the axle.
Never heard anything good about those, and they may be off the market.

Not what you probably want to hear, but if everything looks OK in there, then your best bet is to probably clean as much contaminated grease out as you can, put in some fresh, seal them back up and keep an ear out for noises in a few months.

While pricing replacement axles.
Most of the time, you are ahead to buy a complete axle rather than a kit.

 

[Fordum]

FWIW, I just checked Rockauto, and they sell the complete assembly for around $50, so you might not want to put too much time and effort into it...........

Just be sure to not replace both axles at the same time. Sometimes if you pull both out, bad things can happen in the transaxle.
Do them one at a time.

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

Yea man.... Both sides, same time....

Guys like me LOVE yer $$$, to replace transaxle diff's.....
But, brotherhood-wise.... Just replace both.