CV Joint

[WyrTwister]

Has any one seen electrical wire ties used to secure CV joint boots . I have done this 1 or 2 times and the kits came with various types of metal " bands " . Do not know how much real stress the wire tie would be subject to ?

The wire tie should be light enough not to present an out of balance problem .

Has any one else , besides me , ever replaced the whole CV joint , along with the boot ?

Thanks ,

 

[benjayman227]

I don't imagine it would be subject to much direct stress, but I'd be more concerned about deterioration of the polymer it's made from. Zip ties do not last long outside. UV, salt, vibration, debris impact, the list of enemies goes on. For reference, just look at what happens to those infernal plastic clips they use to attach basically everything to cars these days. After a few years, they crumble at even so much as a sideways glance.

On the other hand, a pack of heavy zip ties is always part of my emergency kit, ever since that plastic underbody panel let loose on me on I-80 in God-knows-where, PA. Of course that was just temporary.

 

[Lyman]

I have seen people use a metal lined wire tie. This was for an off road truck.

 

[nthach]

I've seen the aftermarket kits use a "band-it" type self-fastening clamp. You just cinch the clamp down by pulling the loose end through the buckle and cut it off. You'll see a bigger variant used to attach street or bus stop signs onto a streetlight.

The Japanese are fond of the folding type of boot clamp - you use a tool to draw the clamp down through the buckle and then to lock it in place you fold down two tangs at the buckle over each other and stake it in place with a center punch.

 

[Hakkinen]

I was under an F-150 that had a ziptie around a boot for the steering rack and it was moving on and off freely.

 

[Wolf359]

I just replaced the boot on a CV joint. It had ripped where the metal band holds the boot on the inside of the boot. I'd just get the clamp. I think there's a special tool to pull those bands tight. For my car, it was cheaper to replace the boot than to buy OEM (1000) or aftermarket (300), the cardone part I had used before which was in the $50 range gave the car a vibration.

 

[Dan55]

I used a nylon T&B ty rap on one of my VW years ago temporarily until I could get a new metal clamp. No leakage

 

[Driz]

There's a big difference between plastic and nylon zip ties. The nylon with the stainless tooth are so tough that it's a struggle to cut one with dikes. A couple of those I'd trust though monitor periodically. You can get the steel band and rent the tool ( free) from auto zone . I used one twice and it was miserable to use to say the least.

 

[WyrTwister]

At the supply house , if you ask for wire ties , the white one is non-UV resistant and the black one is UV resistant . Think I have that correct .

Under the car , I wonder if it matters much ?

I think I have used the " standard " boot that comes with a CV joint kit and a split boot . The split boot seemed to work OK . The car was run into & totaled , maybe a year latter , so , it lasted as long as it needed to .

It was the type of split boot that glue was used to hold it together . Can not remember what type od " strap " came with it .

I have also seen the split boot that used a bunch of little screws and nuts to hold it together . Never used one of those .

Thanks ,

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
At the supply house , if you ask for wire ties , the white one is non-UV resistant and the black one is UV resistant . Think I have that correct .


Yes, same for belts and other plastic parts. The carbon black reduce the amount of lights passing through the plastic / rubber is what I heard.

Why are we talking about UV under the hood?

 

[exranger06]

I've used them on slip-joint boots on axle shafts and driveshafts. They've held up fine for years. Those just have a light coating of grease though; not nearly as much and much higher viscosity than CV grease. I'd just get the proper clamp and the pliers to install it. You can buy a clamp and pliers at the parts store for less than $15 total. They're easy to install; I just installed some for the first time last week.

 

[Eddie]

I used electrical wire ties on CV joints many times without any issues. I did get high quality wide ties though and not cheep narrow ones. Ed