the car is a 99 si and has just over 35,000 miles on it. the driver side front axle boot is covered in grease, any idea what this could be from. do i need a new CV axle or something. any ideas and possible cost would help. thanks
-andy

 

Check the whole CV boot and look for a rip. If you have a rip, replace the boot ASAP . If you let it ride with a rip then you are running the risk of the CV joint getting contaminated with sand and dirt which will eventually destroy the joint.

The process is a pain if you replace the boot with a standard cv boot, but you can also get a split boot that you glue the seam together, so you don't have to remove the wheel hub, etc.

Good luck!

 

what if i dont find a rip? could this be a bigger problem. what kind of cash does it usually cost to fix just the boot?

 

The boot itself is easy to replace (you can even buy a boot replacement kit at napa)

 

any ideas on cost?

 

When the boot broke on my 99 civic si, i didn't notice for a long time, I didn't know how to do it at the time so I had the mechanic take the boot off, we checked the joint for any debris, but it was looking good. Repacked it with new grease, put a new boot on for $90 total cost (dealership wanted $300)

 

i bought my boot replacement kit at honda for like 20 bucks, its just a pain to install

 

True dat, a REALLY big pain, but do-able.

REMEMBER!!! SPLIT BOOT

 

It may be best to go ahead and replace the whole CV joint. May cost a little more but one, it's much easier to do, and two you don't have to worry about whether or not the joint is contaminated.

 

If this is a new problem there is no need to repalce the whole joint, just the boot- mine is the same way but ive been riding around on it for a month now.