Ok, now that the weather is a little nicer out, I've been running with the windows down. With the windows down, I keep hearing a noise that is bothering me. It almost sounds like the brakes rubbing.

So today I took the front passenger side wheel off and found a torn CV boot. The drivers side is perfectly fine. There is grease all over the place. Yes, I do have a 2.5" level.

So, here's the question. How do I know if I need to replace the whole axle, or just replace the boot? I know the passenger side tie rod was replaced about 2 years ago (4 wheel parts said it was bad....).

Here are some pics. Photo 2.jpg is the grease I wiped off of the caliper.

 

not good O_O

 

That is why i will not put a leveling kit on my new truck. Had leveling kit on my 02 that i just sold and had the exact same problem except i had a rip on both sides and grease was everywhere..it was a big mess, had to get both of them replaced b/c they were just worn apart. Love the look of a leveled Ram but just dont want to have this happen to me again. Good luck on the fix man

 

I'd just go ahead and replace the CV, it's not bad $ wise if you do it yourself. The part is cheap, it's the labor that can get stupid.

I'd bet there is a sh*tload of gravel and crap in that joint at this point, so just re-greasing and replacing the boot ain't gonna do anything but buy you a little time...

 

Yep, need a shaft.
You'll need a deep 34mm socket for the axle nut, and a pitman arm puller to pop off the balljoint.

Anybody have any tricks for engaging/disengaging the damn c-clip on the axle shaft?

 

Thanks for the advice on axle replacement vs boot replacement. Are there any howto's/DIY's for the axle replacement? I didn't see any in the FAQ's. Usually if I can see what I need to do, I have a much higher chance of successfully completing the project.

joe

 

Ive seen replacement boots but never heard good things from them. Either they dont hold up or cant get clamped tight enough. So with that being said, replace the shaft as a whole.

 

Download a service manual from Weed's sig, it'll walk you through it

 

FYI - The axle nut was a 35mm on my truck. I have no idea if they've changed this over the years, or what? It was kind of annoying, because I bought a 34mm first, too small, then a 36mm, too large (both rentable from Autozone), and then had to buy the 35mm. Oh well. That was the easy part. I still haven't been able to get the inner CV off of the shaft. I even borrowed a 5lb slide hammer with CV adapter, and it's on there good.

I'll work more on it tomorrow. I have some one coming over to help me out. Hopefully he'll be able to get it moving, then I can replace the axle and move on with life.

joe

 

Go on YouTube and search for a video, I watched some and this part looks like the easy part, not the first step.