"CV" is too short to search, so forgive me if this has been asked a million times.
I've busted 5 CV joints now, and I'm sick of replacing them all the time.
Are there axle shafts I can buy that are super heavy duty, or something like that?
It just seems that there must be an alternative to constant replacement.
I would really appreciate a better solution!


My transmission has been shifting incredibly smooth lately. I'd say 75% of my shifts are practically imperceptible. I'm extremely pleased and amazed at it, and I want it to keep it up!!
I do have a transmission cooler. It was winter-ish the last time I got a drain and fill. The shifts used to be really harsh.
So I'm wondering, is it the fact that I haven't changed the fluid recently that is giving me good shifts, or was the transmission cooler during the winter causing rough shifts? Do either of those points have any logic behind them?
I'm trying to decide if I should take off the tranny cooler during the winter, or if I should forgo changing the fluid from now on. Or maybe both? Neither?


Thanks for any help!



...oh, and there were folks in a TL with NY plates taking pics of my car

 

like the CV boots for the axles? Are you lowered? and how low? camber kit? i busted like 2 in a year because i was too low... then raised my car a bit.

 

3.0 lowered on neuspeed sports with kyb agx shocks.. not very low
Yes, I have a camber kit.
Are there heavy duty axle shafts/cv boots/cv joints?

 

For future reference, search cv*

 

"The search term you specified (cv*) is under the minimum word length (4) and therefore will not be found. Please make this term longer."

 

weird, it used to be 3, meaning cv* would work, wonder when that changed. Try searching for boot or axle

 

The amount of shafts you're going through is far from normal. Are they being installed correctly?

 

I assume so. I've had the past 3 done by 3 different shops. I doubt they all replaced them incorrectly.
I have busted joints on both sides now, and I don't have the money to pay to have them replaced. So I was hoping I could buy shafts with beefier boots/joints and install them myself.

 

Is the shaft itself that breaks all the time (this would allow for shaft play, which just means you can move the shaft around when the car is intact but up on a jackstand or lift), or is it the boots that keep tearing?

 

I guess the boot keeps tearing, even though I don't really see the axle grease splattered everywhere like it was the first time.
I haven't gotten under there to really inspect the boots, since I can tell the joint/s busted anyway.
The clicking is really bad on all left turns, but I can only hear it when turning right if the wheel is turned all the way.
I also experience shaking in the car, which I thought may be an alignment issue (turns out the align. is fine) or a balancing issue (still could be so), but I figure the busted cv joint/s are probably the culprit.

 

An axle with a bearing or bearings broken will cause a harsh vibration and clicking sound you are discribing. What I can't understand, is how you went through 5 of them in a fairly stock CL and a short period of time.

If the cv boots tear, just drive it anyways. Eventually over a long period of time, water will get inside, rust the shaft, and then it'll break. But I've had my car on torn cv boots for 2 years and it never snapped (everyone here knows how hard I beat my car back when it was a 3.0). At least you know you can drive it around for a good while untill you're better situated financially wise to get around and buy another one.

As for breaking the bearings in the axle over and over. I'd go ahead and buy an axle with a warranty. That way you don't have to keep buying them. And the install is fairly easy, with plenty of DIY's that can be found on the net to help you.

 

This is prob. what's happening with my car...my car has been clicking like crazy lately, its just reallly gotten worse the past few weeks, and when idling, it vibrates and coming out of first gear can be a bitch sometimes without the whole dash vibrating...unless i let offf the clutch real slow, which doesnt seem right to me. started off as a light "swooshing" sound when taking a left turn, now, even when driving straight, its clicking and swooshing...and I've def. noticed a lack of performance in my cars pick-up.

 

Thanks for your help Cocoa.
I always drive them out until I can afford it, but I just blew a tire today, so it looks like it will be quite a bit more time until I actually get the axle replaced.
If it does turn out to be a ripped boot again, do you know if they make stronger boots, maybe out of something besides rubber?

 

I haven't heard of anything else besides rubber boots. Also, I don't know where the buy the boots themselves to replace yourself. Clicking sounds and harsh vibrations (if it's truely caused by the axle), is going to be caused by a bad bearing, not by a torn boot.

 

Well I know you can buy the regular rubber boots at car parts stores, but I meant it would be nice if they made them out of something stronger than rubber (like wire mesh or something?) so the next boot on the new axle shaft doesn't tear too.
But I guess there's only rubber.
And it's not the boot that causes the problem obviously, but the leaking boot causes the joint failure. So a stronger boot would therefore prevent a busted cv joint... which I was hoping they made :\
Oh well...