[iLabmAn]

After a family jaunt to Zellers this evening in the EGT, I noticed some grease on my passenger side rim. I then looked into the rim and noticed black all over the inside of the wheel. Looks like grease everywhere.

I pulled the wheels last week to do the front discs and pads and noticed some extra grease on the nipple (gotta love that word) of the ball joint, but that was it. Rim was clean.

CV joint? I haven't noticed any play in the wheel or anything out of the ordinary when driving or turning. What should I listen/feel for?

Ideas?

 

[fixitmattman]

If it's grease on there it's either the cv joint or the wheel bearing.

Matt 8)

 

[siragan]

If it's grease, it could be the following:

1. Ball joint
2. Tierod end
3. CV joint
4. Wheel bearing
5. Shock (unlikely)

Going by the fact that it was splattered on the backside of your wheel, 10 bucks says it's your outer CV joint boot. Just jack the car up, take off the wheel, and check out the boots to make sure you don't have any tears.

The joint may be fine, but boot may have torn. If you hear a "chattering" sound that changes when you transfer power to the wheels, and also when you take turns, that's generally the sign of a bad CV joint. Sometimes bearings will sound like CV joints, but bearings usually make a moaning sound, and it gets a lot worse when you take a turn, and it usually doesn't sound too loud when you're going slowly.

 

[iLabmAn]

Thanks Siragan, you are my Escort-god.

As for sounds, there is NO sound at all when I turn, drive straight go over bumps...nothing. I will pull the wheel tomorrow morning and inspect the boot.

Recall, I just had my wheel bearings done. There was grease noticeable BEFORE the job done by the mechanic in question, but this is the same f**king shop that is now requesting more money from me (see post in General section). Who knows, maybe they damaged something pulling the wheel to get at the bearings. F**k.

I replaced the ball joints myself. Shocks are in good shape too.

Let's hope that is a torn boot. Easy to replace or repair? I don't want to spend any more money on this car except for some needed belt changes and the valve cover gasket replacement.

 

[91sleeper]

They sell quick-boots thats you can just install over the torn one, or you can replace the torn one with a brand new boot.

 

[siragan]

Let's hope that is a torn boot. Easy to replace or repair?

It's about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. Maybe a 4 because it requires special tools (large gear puller).

All you have to do is jack the car up, take off the wheel, take off the axle center nut (stub nut, as the haynes manual calls it). Then you have to take off the brake caliper and rotor. Then it helps to disconnect the tierod end, shock (the two bolts where it connects to the knuckle), and the ball joint. Basically, you just need to free up the knuckle enough so you can push the CV joint out. The backside. Here's where you need the large gear puller. You need to put the puller with the jaws around the place where the wheel studs go, and put the center section on the CV axle, pushing the axle out the backside.

Then you'll have access to the boot, which is put on with little metal clips. The hardest part about this job is that many of the nuts in that area are very sized with rust because roat salt and crap flings around in there by the wheel. A good breaker bar is going to be your best friend.

 

[KFC_Or_Bust]

I say replace the whole CV Joint Shaft. It'll save you headaches down the road and it's not terribly hard...Until you get to the actually pulling of the CV Joint out of the transmission. I tried doing my passengers side joint a few months back on my LTS, neither me or my fairly strong dad could pull the joint out no matter how hard we tugged, pulled, hit, swore at, kicked and punched that shaft. So after all that disassembly of the right side of the suspension I had to put it all back together and just pay a friggin mechanic to change it for me...Blasphemy.

 

[siragan]

I tried doing my passengers side joint a few months back on my LTS, neither me or my fairly strong dad could pull the joint out no matter how hard we tugged, pulled, hit, swore at, kicked and punched that shaft.

You know that you're supposed to use a prying device, right? This sounds unorthodox, but a chisel works really well to start it off, then you move up to a large flatheaded screwdriver, and then a crowbar. Works every time.

And if you're anything like me... if it ain't broken, don't fix it. The CV joint is kindof a pain to get off, but I don't see the need to replace it if it ain't knockin'. I say leave it alone and wait until it really breaks to replace it. But it's up to you.