Re 2007 Subie OB w/70k miles. I maintain this car for my deceased friend's widow. I service it every 6 months in May and Nov. It was fine in May but she called yesterday to tell me about some black goo on her garage floor. Just looked at it and BOTH inboard CV boots on front axles are split wide open. On one you can see cracks which appear to be dry rot. This car is kept in a garage and driven only 5-6k miles per year. How could these boots both fail so prematurely? Is it a Subaru thing? Thanks.
Subaru CV Boot Failures
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Parts getting contracted out to the cheapest supplier maybe?
Stick some good quality ones on there and call it a day.
Stick some good quality ones on there and call it a day.
My 07 Subaru did the same thing..at about 70k several years ago. It is a DD. The one just above the catalytic/exhaust failed first. I made the repair and then a few months later the other CV boot failed.
I thought the exhaust heat may be the cause of the boot failure. Now I don't think so. Usually the outer CV boots on the steering axle fail..they articulate more than the others. Very strange the inner CV boots fail so early. The replacement CV boot kits from Subaru were better made, as I recall, than the original CV boots on the car. It may be an improved replacement part.
New new CV boots are still going alone well...yes, I think it was a Subaru thing..
Another Subaru thing..check to see if you have oil on the spark plugs exterior..oil leaking down into the spark plug gallery. The rubber seals at the top of the valve covers will leak and fill the gallery. It causes a miss fire eventually. New valve cover gaskets will fix that problem. You have to loosen the engine from its motor mounts to move it around to replace the valve cover gaskets.
I thought the exhaust heat may be the cause of the boot failure. Now I don't think so. Usually the outer CV boots on the steering axle fail..they articulate more than the others. Very strange the inner CV boots fail so early. The replacement CV boot kits from Subaru were better made, as I recall, than the original CV boots on the car. It may be an improved replacement part.
New new CV boots are still going alone well...yes, I think it was a Subaru thing..
Another Subaru thing..check to see if you have oil on the spark plugs exterior..oil leaking down into the spark plug gallery. The rubber seals at the top of the valve covers will leak and fill the gallery. It causes a miss fire eventually. New valve cover gaskets will fix that problem. You have to loosen the engine from its motor mounts to move it around to replace the valve cover gaskets.
Out of the many Subarus in our family, I have seen some odd CV boot failures front or rear. This was on ones more than 10yrs old with well over 100K miles though.
No idea however the boot on my 2005 Legacy/190k is split currently for first time....The part is likely Mexican made as Subaru Legacy/Outback are made in Indiana USA.
Not sure how long you expect a rubber part to last....
Not sure how long you expect a rubber part to last....
In the 80's ours split all the time.
A fiasco
A fiasco
I did one recently, I think it had about 80,000 miles on it.
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Same thing in a 2000 Forester I used to maintain (GF's car). One of them was too close to something hot. Got ride of the car, I hated it.
But it depends upon how soon its noticed. After awhile dirt and water will work its way in, damaging the bearing.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
Thanks for the responses. Turns out this is a common Subaru problem...happens all the time. Some speculate it is heat related as the passenger side sits over the cat conv and drivers side over exhaust.
Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
It's not necessarily "too late." If they haven't been broken too long I would just clean them out, regrease and reboot.
Your other options are questionable aftermarket axles or not-cheap quality axles.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
It's not necessarily "too late." If they haven't been broken too long I would just clean them out, regrease and reboot.
Your other options are questionable aftermarket axles or not-cheap quality axles.
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
It's not necessarily "too late." If they haven't been broken too long I would just clean them out, regrease and reboot.
Your other options are questionable aftermarket axles or not-cheap quality axles.
I agree with this. Last winter I rebooted the outer CV joints on my Saab, after watching a YouTube video to see how they come apart. I spent about 45 minutes on each side, taking the joint off, disassembling, cleaning, greasing, and reassembling. I used Moog boot kits and Red Line synthetic CV joint grease. Also, OTC makes a special pliers that makes it easy to crimp the clamps.
I've had two different friends install the cheap remanufactured axles that RockAuto sells, and both had problems with them. Apparently they use inferior CV joints to save money.
Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
It's not necessarily "too late." If they haven't been broken too long I would just clean them out, regrease and reboot.
Your other options are questionable aftermarket axles or not-cheap quality axles.
I agree with this. Last winter I rebooted the outer CV joints on my Saab, after watching a YouTube video to see how they come apart. I spent about 45 minutes on each side, taking the joint off, disassembling, cleaning, greasing, and reassembling. I used Moog boot kits and Red Line synthetic CV joint grease. Also, OTC makes a special pliers that makes it easy to crimp the clamps.
I've had two different friends install the cheap remanufactured axles that RockAuto sells, and both had problems with them. Apparently they use inferior CV joints to save money.
Originally Posted By: Joel_MD
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
It's not necessarily "too late." If they haven't been broken too long I would just clean them out, regrease and reboot.
Your other options are questionable aftermarket axles or not-cheap quality axles.
I agree with this. Last winter I rebooted the outer CV joints on my Saab, after watching a YouTube video to see how they come apart. I spent about 45 minutes on each side, taking the joint off, disassembling, cleaning, greasing, and reassembling. I used Moog boot kits and Red Line synthetic CV joint grease. Also, OTC makes a special pliers that makes it easy to crimp the clamps.
I've had two different friends install the cheap remanufactured axles that RockAuto sells, and both had problems with them. Apparently they use inferior CV joints to save money.
It is not my car and owner can not afford enough down time for me to do what is proposed. Even if I got everything meticulously clean and properly reassembled, I have no guarantee the joints will last because of damage which may have already occurred. She is a widow who totes her grandkids around in this car and she does not want to worry about things going wrong. I can get Subaru remanufactured axles for $170 each which is a lot better than $400 each for new OEM and hopefully better quality than the ultra cheap aftermarket junk. Labot to install both is $250. From what I have read on several Subie forums, Subie axles are problematic at best and I do not want the responsibility for this job. If it were my car, I would jack her up, take my time and fix it myself. I have pulled half axles before but never on a Subie, don't have all the right tools handy and just don't want the hassle of something going wrong. If it were just one axle and I were 20 years younger, maybe I would go for it, but not two axles at almost 67.
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Just pull out the axle and reboot it with a new boot from the dealer.
Too late for that.
It's not necessarily "too late." If they haven't been broken too long I would just clean them out, regrease and reboot.
Your other options are questionable aftermarket axles or not-cheap quality axles.
I agree with this. Last winter I rebooted the outer CV joints on my Saab, after watching a YouTube video to see how they come apart. I spent about 45 minutes on each side, taking the joint off, disassembling, cleaning, greasing, and reassembling. I used Moog boot kits and Red Line synthetic CV joint grease. Also, OTC makes a special pliers that makes it easy to crimp the clamps.
I've had two different friends install the cheap remanufactured axles that RockAuto sells, and both had problems with them. Apparently they use inferior CV joints to save money.
It is not my car and owner can not afford enough down time for me to do what is proposed. Even if I got everything meticulously clean and properly reassembled, I have no guarantee the joints will last because of damage which may have already occurred. She is a widow who totes her grandkids around in this car and she does not want to worry about things going wrong. I can get Subaru remanufactured axles for $170 each which is a lot better than $400 each for new OEM and hopefully better quality than the ultra cheap aftermarket junk. Labot to install both is $250. From what I have read on several Subie forums, Subie axles are problematic at best and I do not want the responsibility for this job. If it were my car, I would jack her up, take my time and fix it myself. I have pulled half axles before but never on a Subie, don't have all the right tools handy and just don't want the hassle of something going wrong. If it were just one axle and I were 20 years younger, maybe I would go for it, but not two axles at almost 67.
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