Anyone Ever use a Quick Boot for a CV shaft?

[alamantia]

Putting new front pads on my Tahoe last night I noticed that the outter CV boot on the passenger side was riped and all the grease spewed all over my A-Arm. Not wanting to split the knuckle and remove the entire shaft I picked up one of these "quick boots" today but its not split down the center like i remember. Its telling me to cut the old boot away, remove the circlip and split the shaft then slide this boot on????

Maybe I took too many pucks to the head in my lifetime but I always remember seeing them split down the center. Can I actualy slash the old boot off and split the joint while the shaft is still in the truck? I have never done this. I did half shafts on front wheel drive cars before but had to break the ball joints apart and remove the whole thing. Im at work and cant go look at it now but i wonder if i either bought the wrong part or am totaly not understanding these directions.

Any imput???


Edit:

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/04/d0/d7/0900823d8004d0d7/repairInfoPages.htm

[BonzoHansen]

Split boots are crap, but that does not appear to be a split boot. I don't know how you'd change a full boot w/o pulling the axle out. I cannot imagine how you would "Remove the circlip and separate the joint from the shaft" with the shaft in the car.

Is there even still grease in the joint? They go bad fast once they get water & dirt in them. You can probably get a reman half shaft for $150 or so.

Damn, my truck needs a 1/2 shaft too. "clack clack clack clack clack clack clack"

[alamantia]

well, seeing as how i hardly ever use the 4WD there isnt much load on it but i agree that a joint void of grease will eventualy fail seeing as how every time the front wheels spin the ball bearings do move. I had just noticed it and i did not remember seeing any grease on the A-arm last time I greased the ball joints a few months ago so it must have just happend in the last few weeks. According to that write up it says the joint detaches from the axle, well, if thats the case the half shaft would be come two entities at that point, one being affixed to the hub and the other affixed to the differential, if thats the case why couldnt i just split the shaft slide th eold boot off and the new one on? Thats what im reading here..... i guess I will just have to look at it tomorrow.

[Stevoone]

You don't need to break the ball joints apart or anything to get the shaft out. This is out of a service manual on a 2002 Tahoe but they should all be the same back till the 80's.

1. Raise the vehicle.
2. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
3. Remove the drive axle center cap, if equipped.
4. Insert a drift or a large screwdriver through the brake caliper into one of the brake rotor vanes in order to prevent the drive axle wheel drive shaft from turning.
5. Remove the nut and the washer from the hub. Do not reuse the nut. A new nut must be used when installing the wheel drive shaft.
6. Using the J 45859 or equivalent, press the wheel drive shaft from the hub.
7. Remove the 6 bolts securing the wheel drive shaft inboard flange to the output shaft flange.
8. Remove the drift from the rotor.
9. Remove the stabilizer shaft link from the lower control arm. Refer to Stabilizer Shaft Replacement .
10. Wrap shop towels around both the inner and the outer wheel drive shaft boots in order to avoid damage to the boots during removal and installation.
11.Pull the wheel drive shaft through the lower control arm opening.

I you don't have something to press the axle through the hub (step 6) I usually tap them through with a hammer. Just be careful not to mushroom the end of the axle and ruin the threads. After you get it out of the car its just like any other front wheel drive CV boot.

[alamantia]

You don't need to break the ball joints apart or anything to get the shaft out. This is out of a service manual on a 2002 Tahoe but they should all be the same back till the 80's.

1. Raise the vehicle.
2. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
3. Remove the drive axle center cap, if equipped.
4. Insert a drift or a large screwdriver through the brake caliper into one of the brake rotor vanes in order to prevent the drive axle wheel drive shaft from turning.
5. Remove the nut and the washer from the hub. Do not reuse the nut. A new nut must be used when installing the wheel drive shaft.
6. Using the J 45859 or equivalent, press the wheel drive shaft from the hub.
7. Remove the 6 bolts securing the wheel drive shaft inboard flange to the output shaft flange.
8. Remove the drift from the rotor.
9. Remove the stabilizer shaft link from the lower control arm. Refer to Stabilizer Shaft Replacement .
10. Wrap shop towels around both the inner and the outer wheel drive shaft boots in order to avoid damage to the boots during removal and installation.
11.Pull the wheel drive shaft through the lower control arm opening.

I you don't have something to press the axle through the hub (step 6) I usually tap them through with a hammer. Just be careful not to mushroom the end of the axle and ruin the threads. After you get it out of the car its just like any other front wheel drive CV boot.

Good to know, I looked it up on All Data and the first few steps were the same but then it starts going into splitting the knuckle.

I guess because it gets bolted to the flange by 6 bolts, once you take that off that side of the shaft is now free and flopping around. Then its just a matter of taking the nut off the other side and, pressing it out.

I will try that first before i split the knuckle, thanks for the advise, I hope to get to it next saturday.