FRANKENCAMRY

Was under my (recently purchased) '93 LE this weekend and saw that the right inner CV boot is held on by a cable tie which has slipped part way off and is allowing grease out. Whole area is slimy w/ grease. Boot itself is in very good shape. Car shows no signs of CV damage.

Question: Before putting on a correct boot clamp... should I attempt to pull the boot back to put more grease in? And what kind of grease is correct?

Mike Gerber

I would suggest trying it, just to be safe, since you will already be under there. There is a specific cv joint grease. Most auto parts stores carry it. I have seen it in a toothpaste style tube. I would look for that, since it will be easiest to work with for you.

Mike

Daniel M. Dreifus

I would use Mobil 1 synthetic grease.
Prior to installing a Toyota remanufactured axle, was considering just replacing a boot. Raxles uses synthetic grease in their rebuilds, and the only dedicated axle boot grease I could find was black and very low viscosity - Sta-Lube I think - quality of that grease did not impress me.

RIP

One tip - rub a bit of the grease thats left in the joint between your fingers. If it's gritty you have a problem. The grit of course is dirt. You'll have to change the axle before too long if you leave it in there. I would try your best to get the remaining grease out and thoroughly clean the joint. You'll then have to repack it with grease. I used engine degreaser and brushes. Compressed air helps to get all the degreaser out. When you repack the grease, take your time and thoroughly repack it. If it looks good pack it some more. Don't forget to clean the boot too.

Many don't recommend trying this with the axle installed on the car. They say you can't be sure it's completely clean or completely repacked. I've done 3 or 4 with good success. The two I did on my daughters Camry three years ago are still working fine. The key is don't get in a hurry.

BTW - If before you found this you noticed a clunk noise as you accelerate or decelerate it's a good bet the joint is bad and you have to change the axle anyway. You should have the idiot who used the cable tie do this for you.