Axle boots

95 toyota t100 4wd, need to replace a torn outer boot. i am trying to decide which type to use, the OEM style or the easy clamp on. any horror stories on using the clamp on type? Thanks,

Before you spend the time and money on just replacing the boot, take a look at how much grease got flung out of the CV-joint, and how much grease is left in the CV-joint. If a lot of grease is missing from the CV-joint, it’s probably contaminated to the point where no matter if you regrease it and install a new boot, it’s going to fail anyway. If that’s the case, you’re better off with installing a remanufactured halfshaft.

Tester

The clamp on type is the only one there is. You just have to get the crimping tool. The split boots aren’t anyone’s favorite when you have to glue it together.

The clamp type doesn’t matter. They don’t get stressed enough to come off as long as you get them on reasonably tight. I’ve used both with no problems. Just keep tester’s advice in mind. How long the boot was torn and whether the joint is making noise already may determine if it’s worth doing the work. Conversely, boots tend to be pretty cheap. If you do the work yourself, you can always replace the halfshaft if the joint goes bad or gets worse.

Other than agreeing with comments about mileage, lack of grease, and simply replacing them, I prefer the original style boots rather than the split boots.
The latter just seem downright cheesey to me; and I’ve seen a few of the split boots that seemed to be insistent on not remaining seale

The parts houses here get 27-30 bucks plus for ONE boot (OEM original or split) and many reman axles can be purchased for the price of 2 boots, or a bit more.

Replacing just the boot as per the factory method is prohibitively labor intensive (it involves removing and completely disassembling the joint. The clamp on kind are very difficult to get on properly and will be fragile if you ever drive on rough roads. You can probably get a brand new half-shaft for 60-70 bucks (or a reman for a bit less, but I think new is the way to go) and it’s not a terrible job on this truck-- it’s definitely the best way to go.

I will mention that if you’re not in 4wd, the CV axle doesn’t move so it’s not quite as pressing as it is on a front wheel drive car.

I’m going to jump in with a comment & my own question. I have an '00 Olds Silhouette and recently noticed a bad boot on outboard driver’s side. A fair amount of grease has been flung but I don’t know if it counts as “a lot” or not as I don’t know how much grease goes into these things.

To the OP’s q, my own impression matches up with what has been said so far - a lot of the time by the time you notice a problem the joint is contaminated and going out anyway. Add to that the fact that time & material on doing a boot is nearly a horserace with just putting in new halfshaft, I assumed few if any boots were done anymore.

Anyway, to my own q - my leaky joint is currently quiet and has no apparent problem other than the leak. My own plan was to just leave it alone and drive it until a) it starts to show serious signs (noise & such) or b) the end of next summer when I’ll have some extra $$ and it won’t hurt to just replace the whole halfshaft.
- this post just has me wondering if I might buy a little more time by putting on one of the “cheesy” split boots. I can get one for $10-$20 - if it bought me 20K or so I think I’d consider it worth it. Or is it more likely to be a waste of time?

It’s entirely possible to install a split boot and have no problems at all. Much depends on how long the boot was torn, how much dirt and water it’s seen, etc.

There’s a difference between a DIYer doing this job and a shop doing it for hire.
The DIYer is only out 25 bucks and a bit of time if problems develop. If a shop replaces a boot only (and with a prior explantion to the owner and pre-approval) if the job goes sour the owner may have a tendency to blame the shop because the boot was replaced and a week later the joint is gone.

The advantage of replacing an original style boot, if a boot only job is done, is that with the halfshaft removed it can be thoroughly cleaned and the CV balls and races can be inspected closely. This is not possible with the shaft in place.