1997 GMC Jimmy...grease build up

[JediKnight2]

I am looking at buyin my cousins Jimmy. He has a mechanic friend that he sends it to to be repaired. He said if the guy tells him he needs something fixed, he asks how much and has the guy do it. He cannot remember exactly what he had him do do the joints at the front end, but said he had him do something. I looked at the boots and they are not torn or anything, but there is a high build up of grease as you can see by the photos. Now, that could have been there for a while....not sure though. Any thoughts...there is a ball joint in the same area that has a nipple on it for a grease point, but I don't think that could all come from there.

There is also some sort of rubber cushion that is ripped...its the orange thing. Just looks like it keeps things from knocking around to hard if you go off road.

Just don't want to be suprised later down the road....I also took a photo of the drive shaft where it goes into the rear end...I would expect some build up there since it is a 97

[old_master]

Both of these things are probably due to the front ride height needing adjustment. The grease is from the CV joint and must be repaired. The bumper should also be replaced after ride height is adjusted. Torsion bars weaken and sag over time which causes ride height to decrease. The clue here is how close the bumper is to the lower control arm. When ride height changes, the angle of the CV joint also changes. When the CV joint is out of it's operating range, it wears rapidly and spews the grease out. After all repairs are done, get a front wheel alignment. Differential looks fine... pictures are a wonderful thing for helping us diagnose problems!

[JediKnight2]

I assume the alignment place adjust the ride height? Why does the bumper need to be replaced when doing this...just curious?

Can I go on these CV joints for a while? Is it a typical CV joint repair? I had my Camry done last year when I supplied the CV Joints and it was like 175 or something to have a place do it.

I also took this photo


this is forward of the oil pan...I believe the really oily part is attached to the oil pan...I assume this is normal oil leak type things for a 10 year old vehicle..

OH AND THANKS for the reply!

[old_master]

Ride height must be checked/adjusted on a perfectly level surface, like an alignment rack. The bumpers keep the control arms from crashing against the frame over bumps and dips in the road. Cheapest and easiest repair on the CV's is a remanufactured half shaft. They may go for a while like they are, but no guarantees. Probably going to cost more than your Camry if you hire it done. The oil leak is more than likely the front crank seal... keep an eye on it, if it gets worse, replace it.

[JediKnight2]

LOL...the bumpers! NOT the bumper...LOL I was like...Huh..yeah..the orange bumpers. I assume that is an GMC parts department part only? What I might do is get the bumpers replaced, get it to the alignment place, then have the guy repack the boots...that might get me for a while.

[old_master]

You'll spend more on replacing the boots and joints than you will by replacing the entire half shaft, which includes both new CV joints and boots! Check with your local parts store and I think you'll find half shafts for around $50 to $60.