CV Joints

[Ascinder]

Wow, cool idea on the tape! If you go under "axle products" at independent4x, then go to the Isuzu 10 bolt IFS and rear, you will find the Mecatech CV boots about a third of the way down the page on the left side. I don't know about the brand you mentioned, but I did some research when I got mine and I personally couldn't find anything better than the mecatech boots. They run $20 each and come with pretty much all you need except for the tool which allows you to install them over and around the large green housings on the CV boots. They sell a kit with this in it, and if you go to the mecatech website, they have instructions. Personally, if it was me, I would go down to Harbor freight, or some other bargainmart type tool place and buy a long oil funnel for like $1.00 and put some cuts in it because it looks like that is all they are doing at mecatech. When I did my lift, I pulled the CVs completely out and dismantled them. Taking them all the way down like that is very time consuming, and to get all the old grease out, I recommend at least a can or two of brake cleaner. As an added benefit of taking them all the way apart, you don't even need that tool to install your new CV boots. Personally, I would just get some new CVs if it were me. Yeah the will run $160 for a set of two compared to $80(2 per CV shaft @ 2 shafts), but it is way easier and far less time consuming.

[tom4bren]

Schlepping some grease into the CVs did quiet them down - even before wrapping the old boots in tape while awaiting the new ones. You're right though, why go through all that trouble and not replace them. I'm sold.

[tom4bren]

I ordered the boots. Now I can't find the CV joints themselves. Can the joints be replaced without replacing the axels? If so, where? I haven't contacted an Isuzu dealer yet because I thought it would cost more going that route.

[Ascinder]

Well, Bimati was led to believe that there was an auto parts store that sold each shaft assembly for $75 a pop, plus a core charge, but he said they charged his card, and never delivered and were unreachable. I think this is because at the time, they didn't have a core charge listed at all, but who knows. I would definitely get ahold of someone by phone first of all, and hammer things out in advance. You can always reverse the charges if they end up being deadbeats. Also, there aren't any individual parts you can get ahold of. New units from the dealer(at discount pricing) are $700 a pop. Here's the link to try out the cheaper ones:
http://www.alldiscountautoparts.com/...e=arc&s=1&my=1

Good luck!!

[tom4bren]

Thanks for the lead. I'll check into it. I was about to take the ultimate gamble and replace the boots and grease the snot out of the joints and pray that I could get a couple more years out of the joints.

[tom4bren]

I went to the All Discount Autoparts site you referenced (Thanks). The interesting thing was that the part number is the same for both left and right yet the axels are different lengths. If anyone else plans on ordering them, make sure you specify which side so that you get the right one. They indicated that they do have them in stock. I will probably order them over the phone since there is the issue with part numbers and also since you mentioned somebody else had delivery problems. I'll let Y'all know how it goes.

[tom4bren]

Well, I just ordered the shafts so we should know in 4-7 days how reputable the source is.

I replaced the boots and over packed the CV joints with grease but the noise actually got worse. What a waste of time - I gambled and lost.