Front CV Axles spitting grease

[ldp01]

I've got a 2000 LX470 (82K miles) and noticed that the front CV axles are spitting grease out the end of the inner boot. Grease has coated everything including the wheel well.

Not sure if this is common and what can be done about it?

Anyone else seeing this?

[Uleesis]

Originally Posted by ldp01

I've got a 2000 LX470 (82K miles) and noticed that the front CV axles are spitting grease out the end of the inner boot. Grease has coated everything including the wheel well.

Not sure if this is common and what can be done about it?

Anyone else seeing this?

You might have a punctured or loose CV boot strap that causing this grease coating. Just do a close up check and probe the rubber boot..
The grease must be coming from somewhere in the area..

[ldp01]

Yeah, my original thoughts was that it was a loose strap...and consequently, can I easily replace it.

Both sides are spitting from the same location on the axle...I'll take a pic and post it so others can see what I'm talking about.

The boots are in terrific shape (structurally) and the strap seems tight enough. However, I don't know what kind of stress it experiences at highway speeeds.

If it's not fixable (without removing the axles and replacing the boots) I think I may just inject some CV grease in there as part of my routine maintenance.

I'd really like to hear from some others who may have experienced the same thing...

[tidythatshed]

Originally Posted by ldp01

I've got a 2000 LX470 (82K miles) and noticed that the front CV axles are spitting grease out the end of the inner boot. Grease has coated everything including the wheel well.

Not sure if this is common and what can be done about it?

Anyone else seeing this?

Hi,

I've got a 2001 Landcruiser 4.7 litre V8 thats doing the same thing !
Mine is only doing it on the left side, the grease seems to be pushed out onto the axle & then flicks off. I wiped it away the first time, but a week later its done it again. The straps are not loose & the boot is not punctured or split.
Did you find out why yours is doing it ?

Regards,
Trevor

[ldp01]

Originally Posted by tidythatshed

Hi,

I've got a 2001 Landcruiser 4.7 litre V8 thats doing the same thing !
Mine is only doing it on the left side, the grease seems to be pushed out onto the axle & then flicks off. I wiped it away the first time, but a week later its done it again. The straps are not loose & the boot is not punctured or split.
Did you find out why yours is doing it ?

Regards,
Trevor

Hey Trevor,

I still have not figured out what is going on. It's strange in that centrifugal force should cause the grease to be pushed to the larger side of the CV joint (not the shaft part) rather than the smaller end of the boot. With that said, I now believe that it may be pushed out when the wheel is turned hard to one side causing the axle boot to compress and push the grease out...then when the wheel rotates at speed, the grease spits all over. That only makes sense since the strap is not loose what so ever.

I'm not sure what to do about it. I don't know if a new CV boot would fix the problem; it's a large job to remove the axle and replace the boot. I'm thinking that I may begin to inject some grease using a needle injector inserted through the boot as part of normal maintenance. Anyone know what kind/manufacture of grease I should use?

What do you/anyone else think?

Regards,

Larry

[tidythatshed]

Hi Larry,

Mine is leaking grease from the inner boot but on the small (axle) side, no grease at all from the larger side of the rubber boot that is attached to the differential tube closest to the engine. Is your vehicle still under warranty ? (mine's not), perhaps Toyota may have some information ?
It has been suggested that the clips may be loose but mine are not.
By the way, according to my Toyota workshop manual, the inboard joint grease capacity is 293 -303 grams (10.3 - 10.7 oz).
CV joint grease is special stuff, have a look on the CRC website, part No SL 3174.
I dont think injecting grease thru the boot is a good idea, as the small hole from the needle would cause a leak to develop. The grease is NLGI No 1, so it not thick.
I am wondering if the rubber boot is getting pressurised somehow from the front axle / diff ?
Alternatively, there is a fair bit of heat from the exhaust, maybe that is melting the grease ? But you would think that factory testing would sort that out at the vehicle development stage.
Mine is a petrol, is yours petrol or diesel ?

Regards,
Trevor.

Originally Posted by ldp01

Hey Trevor,

I still have not figured out what is going on. It's strange in that centrifugal force should cause the grease to be pushed to the larger side of the CV joint (not the shaft part) rather than the smaller end of the boot. With that said, I now believe that it may be pushed out when the wheel is turned hard to one side causing the axle boot to compress and push the grease out...then when the wheel rotates at speed, the grease spits all over. That only makes sense since the strap is not loose what so ever.

I'm not sure what to do about it. I don't know if a new CV boot would fix the problem; it's a large job to remove the axle and replace the boot. I'm thinking that I may begin to inject some grease using a needle injector inserted through the boot as part of normal maintenance. Anyone know what kind/manufacture of grease I should use?

What do you/anyone else think?

Regards,

Larry

[ldp01]

Originally Posted by tidythatshed

Hi Larry,

Mine is leaking grease from the inner boot but on the small (axle) side, no grease at all from the larger side of the rubber boot that is attached to the differential tube closest to the engine. Is your vehicle still under warranty ? (mine's not), perhaps Toyota may have some information ?
It has been suggested that the clips may be loose but mine are not.
By the way, according to my Toyota workshop manual, the inboard joint grease capacity is 293 -303 grams (10.3 - 10.7 oz).
CV joint grease is special stuff, have a look on the CRC website, part No SL 3174.
I dont think injecting grease thru the boot is a good idea, as the small hole from the needle would cause a leak to develop. The grease is NLGI No 1, so it not thick.
I am wondering if the rubber boot is getting pressurised somehow from the front axle / diff ?
Alternatively, there is a fair bit of heat from the exhaust, maybe that is melting the grease ? But you would think that factory testing would sort that out at the vehicle development stage.
Mine is a petrol, is yours petrol or diesel ?

Regards,
Trevor.

Hey Trevor,

Mine is leaking from the same place as yours, the smaller shaft side on the inner joint. Mine is not under warranty (90K miles) and runs on petrol.

Thanks for the info on the grease...have no idea how much is actually missing though so it's hard to guage how much to replace. Injecting through the boot would actually work quite well and in my opinion would not cause a leak provided the injection was on the inner rib. Not to mention that it's already leaking...

I too believe the boot is being stressed by either pressure as you say or compressed when turning the wheel or when the axle floats side-to-side during driving. I don't think the differential could cause it to pressurize since the axle is solid and the diff is vented. Also, there is some heat, but shouldn't cause the grease to thin so much as to become so fluid that it would pour out. As you suggest, Toyota would have sorted that out way early on.

Can anyone else shed some additional light on this?

Regards,

Larry

[tfeld]

I understand that all the 100-120 series LC/LX trucks eventually leak at the CV joint. It's partly due to the fact that Toyota/Lexus uses a rather thin grease in the joint, and partly due to the angle of the axles relative to the diff. The bands/clamps they put on also seem to loosen a bit with age, but you can't tighten them since they're permanently put on (no adjustment).

Do you guys have lifts installed? If so, you can alleviate most of the problem with a diff-drop kit (try Slee Offroad). If you're stock, the easiest way to correct it would be to cut off the old band, and put a new clamp on there (nice stury one). Much cheaper to do yourself than to have Toy/Lex do it for you.