[ocky]

I have to replace my half shafts (96 Rodeo)due to those damm CV boots (and yes I have thought about all the alternatives including the cleaning routine but I'm going with replacing the shafts). Anyway, due to the Isuzu design no mechanic here will touch the job for less than $600 (inc parts). Something about having to get into the transaxle to pull shafts out. About right?

 

[LTC Don]

I'm sure someone else will chime in, but pulling ISUZU CV shafts is not for the timid - 'specially a driveway job - been there done that.

Having said that though, it certainly can be done with hand tools and air tools greatly ease the pain. It is a time-consuming process and that's why the high labor bill. The fact its an ISUZU is irrelevant - all mainstream SUV/Soccer Mom vehicles are IFS now, each with their own ideosyncracies.

Replacing is an expensive way to go. I would suggest looking into having them rebuilt rather than replaced UNLESS that is not an option at all.

Have you contacted any axle shops? Since they specialize in CVs, you might get some better estimates. Of course, if you can pull you own shafts and deliver them, the rebuild cost will be substantially cheaper.

Good luck in any case - axle maintenance can be a PITA.

Cheers,

 

[ocky]

Thanks Don. Tell me about it. I don't think the labor cost of rebuilding would be any cheaper than replacement...

Is there really no better design that anyone can come up with than these ridiculous CV boots. $600 for damage done by $5 rubber parts.

 

[Tad]

To quote someone, "Changing CV boots is a job that everyone should have to do once, just so that they can appreciate how much it sucks."

It isn't terribly hard, on the scale of things, but there are a lot of steps, and it is time consuming. You have a HUGE advantage with your SOTF Rodeo, since both half-shafts are the short style, and you can remove them (yes it is possible) without dropping the entire front axle.

Having said that, you might want to try new boots. You can replace the boots without removing the CV shafts from the axle housing, which is a significant time savings. The general process is:

Remove tires, brake calipers, hub flange (including the snap ring), tie rod from spindle, abs sensor, upper ball joint (seperate it from the spindle), old inner cv boot, and then tilt the spindle out to release the cv shaft. Then both boots can be replaced.

There is a good article about it at:
http://www.4x4wire.com/isuzu/tech/CVboots/?

If you are in there, I STRONGLY recommend replacing the outer boot at the same time. No sense doing the job twice.

-Tad

 

[¡Oracle!]

It really wasn't that hard for me. Just very time consuming.

Saved me a lot of loot because my dealer wanted close to $700 to just replace the boots. I replaced my boots for about $120 once I factor in the tools I had to purchase for the job.

If you have all the tools in hand you can do the job for about $20-40 depending on the brand of boots you buy.

Good luck!

 

[LTC Don]

To quote someone, "Changing CV boots is a job that everyone should have to do once, just so that they can appreciate how much it sucks."

Hehe, if I didn't coin that phrase, I should have

It isn't terribly hard, on the scale of things, but there are a lot of steps, and it is time consuming. You have a HUGE advantage with your SOTF Rodeo, since both half-shafts are the short style, and you can remove them (yes it is possible) without dropping the entire front axle.

I wondered about this and that's why I didn't go into more detail on my 1st post - not knowing the 4wd setup on the Rodeos. Interesting.

The general process is:

Remove tires, brake calipers, hub flange (including the snap ring), tie rod from spindle, abs sensor, upper ball joint (seperate it from the spindle), old inner cv boot, and then tilt the spindle out to release the cv shaft. Then both boots can be replaced.

Oh, is that all :wink:

My axle/CV rebuild was a whole $70 or so as opposed to a whole new shaft for say, $150. I thinks it's worth it - arguably if you have resources and skilllz :wink:

Cheers,

 

[1 Rodeo 1 Toyota]

1-888-726-2234 ari tech line. These guys supply 80 percent of o.e. shafts.I sell them every day out on the west coast for napa auto parts. They will build new or you can opt for reman.

 

[lowzone]

i just did the boots on my 96 Rodeo, i replaced my outer, which was the original reason i had to change the boot, but in order to get to the retaining clip on the alxe you need to remove the INNER boot, so if you are there, change them both. The inner and outers have different part numbers, but are identical from ARI. Dont over pack the boot or it will pop off the tulip, been there done that. I keep extra set of boots for the other side when they decide to go, but it is a PIA to do on the truck. The strapping tool is clumpsy and hard to use from any angle except underneath. Good luck

 

[roc]

try a split boot. you dont have to pull the shaft at all. i also have a bad outer boot and am thinking of this method. I might put manual hubs on also, to save wear and tear on the shafts, but im trying to save money by using the split boot , so buying manual hubs ruins the saving money theory...

although i understand the split boot will last longer with the manual hubs due to the shaft not spinning all the time, thus a reason to do it.

 

[¡Oracle!]

I didn't find it hard to do, just very time consuming and messy.

Considering how much mess you will create anyway and how important the part is, I would avoid using the split boots.

 

[roc]

I didn't find it hard to do, just very time consuming and messy.

Considering how much mess you will create anyway and how important the part is, I would avoid using the split boots.

i picked up a split boot and it looks like a piece of crap, and the other boots look like they will go soon also.

how did you do yours? did you drop the differential or use the shortcut method of pulling the upper ball joint, etc...

 

[lowzone]

AH....i remember in the middle of winter, 10 degrees outside replacing my axle boots, the nightmare that was. Doing axle boots on the vehicle are soooo much fun, trying to get the boot strap tight with limited clearance to get the tool in.. The alternative is having the axle shafts removed (unbolting from the differential, which i tried with an impact gun, to no avail) and having new axles pressed on which is sometimes the best route. I do my own work to my trucks and NEVER AGAIN will i do an axle boot in winter. Atleast you are doing yours when its warmer out. I didnt want to get salt and snow in the CV joint.

 

[roc]

i was considering just gettign new half shafts and swapping them out, but it looks like the differential mount bracket is pressed on the the right side shaft, and i dont want to deal with getting it pressed on and off, and since the shafts are good anyway, figure ill change the boots. ive done just about anything to every car ive owned, yet i have never changed a c/v boot yet. Im more of a rear wheel drive car guy than a front drive or a truck guy, so i havent had this pleasure yet.

 

[roc]

do you have to have a special tool for the boot clamps, or can you just use some pleirs or dikes? I still dont know how to tighten them things down.....cutting them off was easy enough, havent really studied the install yet....

 

[lowzone]

my 96 was a PAIN IN THE *** to do the CV boot, but if you have the strap tool and some patience its not to big of a deal. Dont overgrease the joints, just enought to cover it well. My first time i packed the cv boot and it popped off about 20 miles later, so i had to buy more straps and go thru this again and clean ALL the grease off the truck (it gets everywhere at 60 mph). If you have friends that have done this, get their help if you dont feel comfortable doing this. yes the axles have to be pressed on, but the good thing is they are equal length shafts, left and right are the same part number. Good luck
Ron

 

[Tad]

Ahh, no. The front axles aren't pressed on. There is a C-Clip behind the plate that you can remove to release the inner CV shaft from the plate. The hard part is getting to that C-Clip.

I'll dig up my post about how to remove the CV shafts later today.

-Tad

 

[¡Oracle!]

Shortcut method. When popping the balljoint don't use a fork or you will need to buy a new ball joint.

http://4x4wire.com/isuzu/tech/CVboots/?

While you're at it, repack the hubs.

 

[roc]

Ahh, no. The front axles aren't pressed on. There is a C-Clip behind the plate that you can remove to release the inner CV shaft from the plate. The hard part is getting to that C-Clip.

I'll dig up my post about how to remove the CV shafts later today.

-Tad

according to the haynes manual, the half shaft is pressed onto some kind of mounting bracket for the differential, thus the reason (i assume) that removing the shaft requries dropping the diff. then you press the bracket off the old shaft and onto the new, and bolt it all back together.

if it wasnt, why drop the diff to remove the shaft? I guess the bracket im talking to is fitted around the out cup on the inner c/v joint.

to bypass this, the method seems to be to leave the outer cup (the green part) installed on the vehicle and remove the half shaft from the cup by cutting the boot and pulling the c clip that hold it into the outer cup.

am i understanding this right?

 

[¡Oracle!]

inner cup is the one that joins to the diff.

As far as whether the inner cup is pressed on or not I have no clue.

 

[Tad]

It isn't pressed on. On my (4) 10-bolt axles, that plate is actually a bit loose once it has been unbolted from the diff. You may have to tap the bearing off of the shaft, but I'm quite sure that on mine it wasn't pressed on, like the rear axles are. There is a C-Clip on the inside of the bearing that you can't access until you get the plate off of the differential housing, which is the reason to drop the diff.

-Tad