Inner CV joint boot
 

My passenger side inner CV joint is throwing grease, must have cracked in the cold weather we had just these last few days because there was no grease there the weekend before, so perhaps the CV joint is not badly contaminated with dirt. So question: can I replace the boot with the axle shaft still on the car or should I pull the whole shaft and rebuild it with a CV joint boot kit ($28 from FCP)? Considering the vehicle has 125K on it and there is no record of CV joints ever being repaired, would it be worth installing a whole new axle shaft from IPD (made by DSS, not OEM) for $175?

RE: Inner CV joint boot
 

I would just do the axle shaft.

RE: Inner CV joint boot
 

Since you really have no idea if the joint is contaminated, I would replace the whole thing and be done with it

RE: Inner CV joint boot
 

Wow, FCPGroton sell the right drive axle for $134 on ebay! I'll install that and maybe rebuild the old one if the inner joint looks good.

RE: Inner CV joint boot
 

The new drive-axle has arrived. To get the old one out I just remove the steering knuckle and the intermediate bearing support and pull the drive shaft out of the bevel gear? Is there any special puller I might need to get it out or should it just slide straight out? Any tricks for getting it out if it's stuck? Install is reverse of removal presumably....

RE: Inner CV joint boot
 

It will just slide out once the bearing clamp is off.(half the bracket)

Well that was a snap, easiest job ever, old axle slid right out, new one (DSS brand) slid straight in, no problems. Funny thing is I can't see anything wrong with the inner CV joint boot but there was grease all over the place so I know it was leaking, weird. Compared to the new one the inner joint felt very loose, but other than that the axle seemed fine, wonder if I replaced it for nothing....

One thing, I didn't pay attention to the strut mount bolts and now see VADIS says I should have measured the position of the hub carrier in the mount to set the camber alignment. Really there is very little movement in this position anyway, 1 or two degrees and I see that the Haynes manual says the camber alignment should be -0.3+/- 0.9 degrees so from +0.6 to -1.2degrees? It doesn't seem like there is even that much flexibility in the mount, but maybe I'm wrong, should I pay to get the alignment checked? I just set the bolts in the middle of the two extremes figuring it would be about right. Feels fine to drive.

You can have it checked but I have done a ton of them where customers never wanted to do an alignment and all was fine.

Just keep an eye on tire wear.

Wooot!!? Today I am under the car and I notice that the driver's side axle shaft is also throwing grease, not a whole lot, but there is a pretty good layer on the transmission. It appears to be coming from exactly the same place as when my passenger side failed, the seal between the inner joint and the boot. Is this particularly sensitive to damage somehow? Could I have caused this when I changed the wheel bearings? Although I'd driven over 6K miles with the new bearings without any problems. I guess that's another drive-shaft I need to order...

It is a pretty common problem on these cars. It is almost like the clamps aren't tight enough from the factory or something like that.

Well, two new drive axles. The driver's side one was a little more tricky, I couldn't get the darn thing out so pried at it with a screw-driver, then it came out, OH! there's a locking ring :) Then I couldn't get the new one in, DOH, darn locking ring! Tapped on the end of the axle with a hammer and in it went, reassembled and everything works as it should.

One issue though, when I went to pull the axle out I noticed a bunch of fluid all over the side of the transmission, the frame and dripped into a small pool on the floor. I was like, darn! A coolant leak. But, upon further investigation seems like it was coming from the brake fluid reservoir. I installed new rear brake pads last weekend but no leak then (I did oil and stuff at the same time). Could the new pads have raised the level of fluid in the reservoir such that when I pushed the cylinder in to get the front caliper off this time extra fluid leaked out?

It is very possible.

where is this lock ring located... i cant find one thanks

There is a snap ring on the driver's side axle, you can't see it when the axle is in the transmission. It holds the axle into the transmission meaning extra force is needed to both remove and insert the driver's side axle.

Unfortunately, this common problem occurred to me now.
3 days ago, I began to hear noise when the car starts to move, and when pushing the accelerator (especially at speed 50~65MPH) my '02 S40 begins to shake violently. But when I release the accelerator, the shake disappear immediately, and when the speed reach 75MPH, the shake was decreased. The shake comes from the front. Regarding this, I raised regular 87 to 89 and bought 2 bottles of injector& fuel system cleaner. No effect at all, as well as paying $16 to do front wheel balancing.
Today I had a mechanic to do a check, he lifted the car and pointed out the problem - The front / left side CV joint root was broken. But he just suggested me to replace the CV joint boot, not mentioned a whole new axle shaft, about which I'm not sure, is it the one shown in following link?
http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exe...ategory_id/103
If not, who would tell me how to locate it? thanks !

If you already have the vibration replace the axle only. The boot is a waste of money.

The axle shaft is supposed to be replaced as a whole regarding this situation?

Yes the inner joint is worn out. Only doing a boot is not going to do any good.

Ok, last night I paid $81 (additional $28 for USPS priority mail)to purchase a whole axle shaft assembly (right side) from Fcpgroton which is providing 15% discount now.
I had a long trip from Texas by driving since 8Feb, now I stay in San Diego waiting for the delivery of the part.
The local parts shops provide this part at very expensive price. The least price of rebuild one (by Volvo) is $280, but the wholesale asks for more than $400, and the new one is above $500 or more. So, I like Fcpgroton very much.

Also, my car has another issue, that's the left tie rod boot was damaged, I can see a hole on the boot. The mechanic didn't think it was the major issue for shaking. I'm unable to find this boot online. Does it matter? or I may consider to fix it later?

If it is only the steering rod boot you can fix it later.