outer cv boot replacement
 

Hi I have read all the post i could find great input from all, but 2 questions, can this be done without removing the axle nut (collar nut)? and if i get to the point of freeing the shaft (A) out of the cv / bearing casing (I), can i just leave the cv casing and bearings in place, re grease them and then try to pop cv shaft back in? went and bought myself a new axle nut in case it does have to come off,

No, you have to disassemble the bearing between (A) bearing housing (I) to replace the CV boot.

thanks for the input , yes i know it has to be split so the boot can fit, but can i do this without removing (i)? and just repack (i) with grease and pop (a) back in? and not take off axle nut not shown here

When i did mine, i removed the axle completely away from the X and working on it. Yes i removed axle nut and replaced with new nut from dealer. I do not recommend you to replace the cv boot just "repack I with grease and pop A back in", it is not my way to treat her. Look at the picture you attached above, remove the axle nut and pull the axle completely out, hold (A) and using plastic heavy duty hammer band down the bearing case (I), install the new cv boot with grease and reassemble, you are done.

I would think that if you tried pulling the CV joint off the axle, you will end up pulling the inner joint out of the differential.

Yes, you should pull the entire front axle out of the differential to replace the outter boot and just leave the inner boot/bearing alone, work on the outter then put everything back.

thanks for all the input spent 2hours with my mechanic, and laptop with pics and got this done will go through in more detail soon, but basically
1.took axle collar nut off (bought new one to replace it)
2.brake caliper and roter removed, caliper hung os spring with zip tie and out of way
3.abs sensor disconnected too and out of way
4. and undid all other bolts or control arm and wishbone and whatever was in the way
5. used a 3 prong extractor tool with pnuematic gun to force the outer cv joint inwards towards engine and away from the hub which we didnt remove
6. this then left the axle hanging and we cut of the damaged boot and started to tap it on the flat section of the 'star' shaped part of the housing that holds the bearings, wouldn't move, then twisted around in different positions and with one tap it came loose, be patient don't give up my mechanic at one point was insisting it would not come off and that it was fused in place!
7.pass retaining clips and the new boot onto axle, cleaned and greased bearing and housing and then proceeded to re-assemble, and not much force needed to put cv joint back together, the c clip on the axle will make a clicking noise once it is seated, diy on home page gives more details
8. pass through the assembled cv joing with the new boot cover into the hub
9.line it up and whack it, and then proceed to loosely attach the rest of the bolts takne off earlier, at this point use a chunk of wood over the hub and pound it until you see the end of the cv joint protrude through, you need just enough so as to be able to screw on the collar but
10. the rest was history, so far so good, took it for a 10mile drive over mixed terrain, both pot holed, mud roads, and highway, checked it and still looks o.

will add more details as soon as i can, didnt take pics as it is all included in the diy and posts by other members.

I know this is a very old thread but just to close the loop on this subject, it certainly IS possible to change the CV boot by removing axle "A" from CV joint "I" without removing the CV from the knuckle.

It does take a knack and a helper (or a third arm) but with the rear control arm disconnected at the sub-frame end and the suitable application of a suitable force in a suitable location, the axle will pop out of the CV inner pretty easily. Slip off the old boot, slip on a new one, re-grease the joint, close up the boot etc... :thumbup:

ok fella good to know, right that mechanic that took 2 hours had never touched an X5 before, soon after one side went the other side went too, I saw another mechanic wip it all off in about 20mins then he went slow motion mode and I decided to leave garage.....wpoll ironic you should bring up this post as when car was on ramp last week during starter removal i noticed some surface cracks in the rubber of the circumference at the smaller end of the cv boot nearest to the the clamp holding it on.....shown with red line in pic.....so I got some bison rubber glue and coated whole circumference of affected area up to top of nearest first below below and also the actual clip holding boot.....ps i also sprayed in past with silicon spray as a preventative measure to prevent dry cracking.....

I personally think the best solution when a boot rips these days is just replace the cv axle.

Axles are $70something dollars at autozone with lifetime warranty. Just isn't worth the hassle to go any other way as cheap as they are now. Just my 2 cents.

ahhh if only Cyprus was the same as the u.s....

I agree, I just replaced mine, because the boot was broken.

Not checked how much they cost here but highly doubt will be less than the equivalent of 2-3 times the 70 dollars you mention...anyhow get to that bridge when its time....

Same here in NZ - a boot is like $20 and an axle is more like $400.

I've replaced a LOT of CV boots in my time... ;)

Indeed the boots are reasonably priced here too...shame they dont last long....maybe should look at silicon rather than rubber ones going forward? Also advice i read about conditioning the rubber boots by giving them a good clean followed by application of silicon spray to keep em supple sort of seems to have worked apart from surface cracks at smaller end of boot.....i think the rubber glue/protector i used should help. In the meantime off topic starting is still fine now 9 days after starter change....

CV boot is not likely to tear down at the small end - not much flexing there. They usually go at the "valley" of the largest bellow section - where the most flex occurs.

Conditioning them may help but not likely. Quality of material is what matters here....

yup you are right i guess, so far both fronts when they perished did so on larger end of bellows that flex more, those were the oems on car for about 10years....replaced one side with febi brand and the other can't remember....to be frank the spraying of silicon on em has mean't they are spotless,no grime or grit seems to have collected on em...will keep an eye out on the small end of one of them where it has cracked superficially....

The CV Joint big ball bearings last the life if the car, they easily last some 300K-400K miles.

They fail mostly bc of torn boot, allowing debris to get in.

If the owners of the vehicles routinely remove the axle every 100K and replace using GKN boots, then the CV joint lasts forever.

Most axles from local auto parts are made in China with questionable quality.

That was the brand GKN, one boot is febi the other gkn....now the quality of replacements (axles and the like) being degraded because they are made in eastern Europe or china or whatever makes me think don't the parts suppliers have any quality control in place and adhere to various ISOs etc?

There's a reason why those axles at AutoZone are only $70.00. That's because they are "Made in China". Now I got nothing against things being Made in China, even my wife has the "Made in China sticker on her feet if you flip her over, and they do make a phone call the eye phone.

Unless you have been driving with a torn boot to the point that the CV joint is destroyed and is clicking even when the wheels are pointed straight, I would just clean, regrease and reboot the axle. You can also just replace the outer CV joint with a Febi CV joint (but they are probably Made in China).

Just my 2 cents.

If they can survive my driveway everyone else's street queens will do fine with the autozone axles where ever they are made.

Its not uncommon for all the torque to be directed at one wheel on mine up some rather large climbs.


As for having to do the boots in other countries where they cost so much that makes tons of sense to change the boots in place of replacing. In the united states autozone is the only logical choice wallet wise. Not to mention install time wise.

The new axles have already have over 50,000 miles put on them plus the driveway torture test. Zero issues.

Yep, I've had Chinese axles on mine now for over 5 years and 50,000 miles and not even as much as a torn boot. :thumbup:

I just discovered mine let go at the small end when I was doing my brakes.

Turns out the fastest way to be proven wrong is to make a statement on the internet... :confused:

At least the small end is easy to deal with until you can replace the boot. A foot of PIB tape (polyisobutylene - self-amalgamating rubber or rescue tape) should hold it for many months... :thumbup:

I’ll be replacing it the week between Christmas and New Years. I have it off. Leaves me plenty of time to deal with it when this “simple” job turns complicated.

Someone told me BMW Genuine CV boots are better and thicker than GKN?

I thought they are the same.

What is everyone's experience using GKN boots?

I have had both to compare and they are not the same. Everything changes (a lot these days) though so it might be like wheel bearings and you don't know exactly what you are getting until you open the box, and maybe not even then!

My 2006 X5 M54 with 143K miles outer CV boots just cracked.

Realoem lists:

1. INNER boot: straightforward, only 1 PN.

2. However, OUTER boot has 2 choices...
* 31607565316
* 31607507402

Does anyone know why 2 choices?

----

"A" AND "B" axles have different size axle shafts and 1 uses the softer boot and the other the hard boot (like the E83 which goes forever, I hope I don't regret saying that! ;)) I have a feeling that the type "B" is the hard boot and was only used as an updated axle for replacement but could be wrong.

Is A and B left and right or what?

To add to the confusion I think GKN was the original supplier for the soft boot and Loebro for the hard boot but now they are the same company and both names are on the boxes!

Back when I did get OE BMW boots they came with the really heavy duty clamp that you would probably have trouble installing with the usual tools.

Subscribed. I need to do this job and don’t want to loose the thread.

At 143K miles, I wonder if I should replace the axle seals too...

Just received the Cardone front axles from Amazon after reviewing posts here. Will share my experience once I get them installed.

Very important trick for installation

https://youtu.be/Qo4aeTEFGZs?si=D-UrIABTDW6Lvn-H

I did GKN ones from FCP. They were not cheap. But I've never had anything but terrible luck with the less expensive axles, I'm done with those. lifetime replacement on good axles

Only one of them came with a nut, and it was the wrong size nut and I didn't want to buy another never otherwise used 12-point socket, when I just bought one for the stock nut. The missing nuts held me up about a week. So make sure the ones you're ordering from wherever come with new nuts and you have the correct socketry which may or may not be the same OEM size.

I didn't do the seals because it didn't look like they were leaking at the time, and now lo and behold the one is leaking, so I get to do it again. Which I knew I was going to do them again anyway soon due to the oil pan gasket, so I guess that was why I decided not to do the seals. Definitely do the seals while you are there.

They were pretty easy to carefully tap out of the hub with the right size punch into the hole in the center. Getting the new ones back into the hub was a little harder. I hammered the ring on the hub with a 4x4 block of wood for a long time and it slowly walked in. The block of wood didn't hold up so well. Tapping them out of the diff was a little tricky as well just required some rotation, and then getting them in also required correct orientation per the video. Which I was not aware of when I did this job and struggled a bit to get the clip in.

I plan to replace the axle seals x 2.

Re O-rings x 2 (1 in the front diff, 1 in the RH carrier)...
Should I leave them alone?
I hardly ever hear a leak from these 2 O-rings.

PS: helped a friend replace the 2004 X3 E83 Front Diff
a few years ago, and I am trying to avoid removing th
Front Diff.

Hopefully better than mine. Rebuilt OE from cardone and I’ve got a blown outer boot on the left, and cracking outer boot on the right. 2 years and maybe 13k on them.

Not sure about the e83 front diff, but the e53 is painful to get in and out. I’ve got a very slow weep somewhere along the mating surface of the two half’s, and am ignoring it. I thought I could shortcut Bentley when I did the motor swap and sneak the diff in after the motor was in….nope. Motor has to come up a bit and subframe needs to drop a few inches.

The E83 X3 front diff is painful too.

Anyway, at the Front Diff side, 3 potential sources for leak...

- Axle Seal, after 143K miles and millions of revolutions by the
axles, any seal dealing with a rotating shaft will leak...
I will replace the seals.

- Gasket at 2 halves of front diff. Rarely leaks, even if
it leaks, it is a slow leak. Probably can watch.
Btw, do they sell the gasket or you have to make your own?

- The 2 O-rings, I have not heard any complaints in this
forum over the years... probably can watch them.

I am just trying to minimize my work lol...

So, the E53 2006 X5 M54 6spMT with 143K miles...
- CV OUTER Boot leaks on the L side.
- The R side shows rubber cracks but no leak yet.

As mentioned above, the OUTER boot has 2 choices. If you look closely,
the difference is mostly in number of ridges: 5 vs 4:

* 31607565316
* 31607507402

I have not done the CV Boot yet but from looking at FCPEuro website (prices
as of Apr 2024), I think I have the "31607507402 type"...

PS: For 31607507402, Autohausaz website says: "For models with
production date through 3/2006. For models with 92mm ID and 24mm ID
boot connections, MUST verify prior to ordering as variations do exist."

I don't have 31607565316 in front of me, but it appears to be made from
"thermoplastic", the hard plastic seen in 2004-2009 Volvo S60, V70 P2
series, which is much better than rubber.

Anyway, even if rubber, I cannot complain that it lasts some 18yrs/143K miles...

---

I am pretty sure I have the P/N numbers and boot types listed in another thread. The hard boot has the larger axle shaft.

It would be interesting to find out if anyone has the type b axle with the hard boot original from the factory or was it just used as a BMW supplied update.

Wasn't the type B from the factory 3/2006->. On mine (9/2006) it only lists that version on the diagram.

That makes sense that maybe it was only from the factory on the very last ones made. I never checked to see if was the only one listed on the later ones, so maybe it was supplied as an update for the earlier vehicles ?? That's the kind of thing that can get interesting when you start having the axle rebuilders mixing and matching and boxing stuff under the same axle number. I put the hard boots on my type A axle but had to squish down the small end with the clamp so probably will fail there. I meant to do something different to get around the squishing on the second boot but was in too much of a hurry so that didn't get done. Both holding up well though so far :)

I bought the OE inner and outer kit from FCP, based on what popped up for my vin (2002 4.4i). I haven’t done the job yet, but will look at what boots and part numbers they sent, and put a caliper on my axle and the boot when I get a chance.

Do you actually have the hard boots on the car? I assume then you have never replaced them ??

A few years ago (then 250 tkm) I did a total overhaul on the car (all wishbones, bearings etc.). Also took the drive shafts apart and assembled them with fresh grease and new boots. Actually the old boots were still fine but did that as a preventative measure while they were off anyways.

Yeah the hard boots are much better. Good to hear ;)

Any chance you could post a pic and/or measure between clamps to give an idea how it looks with the small end attached at the right location on the axle shaft? I am assuming there is a ridge or depression on the shaft for the small end but I get the feeling it is different for the type A shaft so would be nice to know. :) Cheers :)

Hi gurus...

I saw a post "CV Boot in 30-min" lol....
Turned out they undo the INNER CV Joint to replace both boots.

I plan to remove the axle from the X5 for a proper cleaning and rebrease/reboot.

The Q is: is it easy to undo the E53 X5 INNER Tripod?

PS: In the 2004-2009 Volvo S60, it is virtually impossible to undo the INNER Tripod bc the stake-in is very hrad to remove.

Do you mean doing it in situ without removing the drive shaft? If you're trying to pull the tripod out of the cup you would still have to remove other parts to pull the hub on the side. And putting the inner joint back together in situ would be a bit difficult because the grease on tripod is guite liquid, more like oil. The tripod part is quite hard to remove from the axle. I would say you need a suitable puller for it. When I had my shaft apart it was much easier to remove the outer joint than trying to remove the tripod from the axle.

I will do the CV boot with axle out of the car.

This is the thread about 30-min CV Job lol.

I don't know how they separate the Tripod from the cup
so easily....

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...0-minutes.html

Separating fact from fiction in that thread was not fun. I don't think the "30 minutes" estimate includes reading time there.

But it is possible. I did it. Following are my notes taken back in the day, soon after doing it. I did not do it this way for speed reasons, but because I did not want to rely on separating the outer end of the axle from the hub, etc. My general experience with axles is that they are easy until you run into the simple step that turns out being impossible. So having workaround methods can save you.

This is for my 2001 3.0i E53. Was written for my own notes (for next time), so refers to my own specific tools in some spots.

On 12/21/19 did both boots on left front of x5. If knowing both boots will be replaced, I think this is the best way to do it, without chance of getting stuck.

If I am SURE I want to leave the inner joint/boot untouched, it may make sense to try to pop out the outer joint.

Things not touched: axle nut, brakes, outer CV joint/axle (other than the boot, and wiping away grease; i.e., the splined axle end is not pulled out from the joint)

Jack up front end, both sides on jack stands (opposite side up, just in case need to rotate opposite wheel - not needed in this case). Wheel off.

Remove inboard end of lower control arm. 16mm bolt head, 18mm nut. When reinstalling, 100Nm + 90*. This was the only bolt/nut removed in the whole process.

Turn steering wheel all the way to whichever side is being worked on - moves tie rod (in front of axle) all the way out, creating space.

All clamps and old boots will need to be removed. Can do all now. At a minimum now, remove the inner boot's big clamp, pull the boot off at that end, wiping any grease that spills out.

Pull knuckle outboard as far as convenient (it will want to spring back), bracing it from returning using the adjustable Lisle hood prop ; 45900 HOOD PROP ; https://www.lislecorp.com/specialty-tools/hood-prop

While doing that, pull the inner CV joint tripod out of the housing.

Wipe off grease from exposed inner CV joint.

Remove retaining ring on inner end of the tripod, using Craftsman Professional Retaining Ring Pliers 009-47386. On the right side, the tripod assembly was stuck, would have required removal with a small 3-jaw puller. On the left side, it was loose, moving freely even before the retaining ring was removed.

Tripod can then slide off (gear puller if needed) the end of the axle shaft. When reinstalling, the flatter of the two sides goes against the retaining ring.

At this point, I made some weak attempts to pop out the axle shaft from the outer CV joint, but it would not come, so ...
And this is why this is my preferred method - it completely avoids any risk of the outer CV's c-ring being stuck. The tradeoff is that the tripod may be stuck, but if so, there is easy full access to it, and it can be removed using a gear puller, rather than hammering and hoping the c-ring is aligned and not stuck deep in the rectangular groove of the splined axle end.

Cut / slide / remove all boots and boot clamps. Wipe everything as clean as possible.

So at this point, the outer CV joint is fully intact, with the axle still in it. The inner CV joint's tripod assembly has been pulled off. The inner end of the axle can be freely moved around due to all the space created by steering the tie rod to the outside, and using the hood prop tool to hold the knuckle out.

Slide on new boots + clamps, all in correct order.

Tripod on, oriented so the flatter of the two sides goes against the retaining ring. Retaining ring back on.

80g grease in each boot, clamps in place but not tightened.

Not sure if necessary, but at this point, before final clamp tightening, I jacked up the brake rotor so the suspension was level (just as the chassis begins to lift off the jack stand), and re-connected the control arm + bolt (100 Nm + 90*).

With the suspension leveled here, I made sure the boots were not pre-stressed or pressurized with air, then pinched all clamps using my Knipex 2-way Oetiker clamp tool.

The quickest and easiest (as long as you have the tools) is to leave the inboard side of shaft alone and pull just the outer joint portion with the special tool. I don't know who did the write up for that but I am pretty sure it's on here somewhere.

Late reply, but I finally got some work done on the X5 today. While I was at it I put some calipers on the front axle just inboard of the outer CV boot clamp and came up with 27 mm. The new outer boot I have waiting to be installed is just a hair under that (ID), and seems to be a harder, more plastic-ish rubber. They are OE BMW boots that I bought for the job.

Oddly there is only one part number on one of the two boxes, (31607565315) which RealOEM says is the inner repair kit. The other box contains the outer repair kit, but no PN. The one sticker also says GKN on it.

I think the the inner boot is the same for both A and B axles. So you ordered a "kit" with both boots for your 2002 and the outer boot (with no part number) is the harder one and the original is soft?

Was trying to add to the discussion of if there were two different axle sizes and corresponding boots, part numbers, etc. I figured I’d measure my axle and boot kit since I had them handy.

Assuming you have factory axles, just count the ridges on the CV boot as I mentioned above: 4 vs 5

Just turn one wheel all the way R or L.
Turn off engine, get down on your knees with a flash light to count the ridges.

Yes, I think it would be cool if the differences and part numbers between the boots and shafts/axles could be sorted so maybe people can have the option to switching to the hard boots or even the type "B" axle if they order new axles.

I’m finally putting this job on my calendar for next week. I’ve put it off for several months since I discovered the left outer boot split and throwing grease. It failed where the small boot clamp goes around the axle.

Word to the wise, I took a look at the “kit” I bought from FCP and realized they don’t include an axle nut. Sort of surprised at this, but then again, I didn’t read the description closely enough when I ordered. Two nuts now in route as I’ll also need to do the right side in the not so distant future. Hopefully some heavy duty RV tape can extend that boots life a bit.

My initial thought was to do both inner and out boots on the left side as long as the axle was coming out. However, since it seems after reading the above that can just do the outer boot without pulling the whole axle, I’ll take a good look at the inner and decide when I’ve got it up on the lift. I did break down and buy a good press to push the axle out of the carrier, amd the special tool to pull it back in so the whole exercise should hopefully kill far fewer brain cells. I’ll knock out an oil change while the x is on the lift.

Which tool is it that you bought? This job is in my future too

I'm not sure what he means by "a good press to get the axle out" but there is a thread or two on here describing the process and tools that make it easier. I have noticed they sell the tool to pull the axle back in through the hub on Ebay and Amazon now so that's a bonus.

An adjustable axle puller…but it really presses the axle out of the carrier…so I called it a press. https://www.amazon.com/DearChan-Univ...44902c37ee6a78

I also did buy the tool that pulls the axle back into the hub. https://www.amazon.com/CTA-Tools-505...e%2C124&sr=1-2

That CTA axle puller is worth its weight in gold.

The 2006 X5 3.0i 6spMT with 142K miles has a crack in Left OUTER boot.

- I plan to do it the old-school way (removing the axle from the car and replace both inner and outer boots with GKN brand (already bought the parts).

- While there, I plan to replace the axle seals too.

Question:
===> Do I need to remove the bottom aluminum plate?

Yes, if you want to fully remove the axles, with the plate on you won't be able to see where they mate into the front diff / half shaft to get the pry bar in there. The higher you lift the car the more room you'll have to pry (I barely had any room last time). For getting them in the diff, put the opening in the circlip up at 1200 and give it one true push and it will go right in.

The bolts on the plate are torque to yield, so if reused a bunch they don't hold well. There's a long thread on these bolts. BMW is hoarding the remaining stock, charging appx $70 each for these lousy bolts. In that thread Andrew posted some equivalent hardware from Belmetric that can be reused over and over. The bolts are nice I can link them if you aren't able to find it.

Thanks.

- I replaced the front diff for a friend's 2004 E83 X3 a few yrs ago, so I am familiar with the process. But I hate playing with the bottom plate in the X5. I guess I have to remove the X5 bottom plate then.

- The super long thread on the bottom plate bolts: very well aware of the discussion there. I don't necessarily agree with all the blah blah that Andrew said. I have re-used the bolts many times over the last 10 years. I have my way of doing it, and I posted in that long thread.

Grade 12 Belmetric bolts are cheaper than the BMW bolts and can be reused repeatedly as they won't stretch. I put them in mine for the peace of mind.

Left axle can come out without dropping the stiffener, but the right one is more challenging for reasons mentioned in previous post

I've pulled both without dropping the stiffener. In fact I changed the right one last month. I have found that it can be pretty easily popped out by opening the access cover in the stiffening plate and using a pry bar and a hammer. Put the pry bar on the edge of the inside CV and whack the end of the pry bar. I put the open end of the clip facing down when I put the new axle in as that puts most of the clip in the slot in the axle and only the two sides need to be compressed.