Front Outer CV Boot Repair

[mferek]

So I decided to try and tackle my torn front right outer CV boot today. I know it's been torn for at least a couple months and probably a least 1000 miles, so I decided not to chance driving it anymore and fix it. It's also coated everything in grease, which has in turn mixed with lots of brake dust, so everything in there is completely black.
Here's the black inside of the wheel:


torn outer CV boot:


I figured that I would get a CV boot repair kit rather than a whole new drive axle, and while I was in there, I would inspect the CV joint and decide if it needed to be replaced or if I could get away with just replacing the boot. This is the DIY I've been following: http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...mw-x5-e53.html. It took me most of the day, partially due to having to go pick up some new tools, but I've successfully removed the swivel bearing, associated control arms, and drive axle.

Everything removed from the swivel bearing.


Unfortunately, that's as far as I got. I ripped the boot on my tie rod when I was disconnecting it from the swivel bearing and I broke the hub dust shield with my bearing puller. I don't know how you would ever NOT rip the tie rod boot, unless there's a better tool to use than one of those pickle forks. The hub dust shield broke because I had a claw type puller rather than one that screws into the lug holes (just like in the DIY). I guess that's a good example of where having the exact right tool is the only way to go.

Ripped tie rod boot:


I've decided that I need a whole new drive axle, for a couple of reasons. When I finally got the drive axle free, I found that the inner boot was leaking as well. It wasn't ripped, but the smaller seal on the drive axle had grease coming out of it, and it was no longer seated in its little groove. Also, I had a really tough time getting the outer CV joint off (read, I couldn't get it off), so I haven't figured out what to do with that yet. Lastly, because I'm not sure how long the boot has been torn, it seems like a safer bet to just get a new axle. They're not all that much more expensive, and I really would rather not have to take all this crap out again in the near future.

Inner boot leaking:


I'm not sure what color CV joint grease is supposed to be, and if it's different for inner and outer joints, but my inner joint grease seems rather odd (pic below). Does anyone know if that's what it normally looks like?

Inside of inner drive axle connection:


Inside of inner boot:


Here's where I am now:


I think tomorrow I'll be trying to get the rest of the drive axle off so I can just pop the new one in when I get it. Also going to get everything cleaned up so reinstallation is cleaner and easier. have new sway bar links to put in as well.
Also going to get ready to put some new transmission fluid in and hopefully get rid of my Transmission Failsafe Program error.

Lastly, how do I put pictures in the body of my post without also making them attachments? Seems like that should be really easy....