Axle boot hell...

[EVfun]

What is the best split axle boot for swingaxle available now? I'm a bit frustrated because I have a buggy sitting still in the garage with a near new, but failing axle boot. A couple years ago I swapped transaxles and when I did I swapped my "old" axle boots onto the replacement transaxle. These boots may have been 3 years old but had few miles and looked great -- no checking of the rubber inside or out, no stress marks, no visible wear, perhaps 6000 miles use. I put them on, filled the box -- and one leaked. After some searching that turned out to be a tiny pinhole. It looked like a single fine strand of wire had punctured it, leaving a nearly invisible hole. I don't want to replace both because that looks like some fluke failure, plus I had a new boot still in a bag. Age unknown, it was picked up with some parts or another I swapped and was new.

That new boot has stress cracks in the rubber from just sitting in place in the garage for the last year. I was careful to install the boot with the axle level, and not twisted. Camber is slightly positive as the body is off, but the torsions are lowered so I have slightly negative camber when driving. In this almost level boot I see cracking that is close to a split! I don't dare poke it without draining the transaxle first.

So, what is the best currently available split swingaxle boot? I didn't even drive on that one and it failed!
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[EverettB]

I have seen multiple people on there say that the black EMPI boots are the best.

I haven't tried them myself but I can confirm others (Febi for one) often failed within 1-2 years.
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[EVfun]

Thanks. I bet the other boot is EMPI, but current quality is sometimes not what is used to be. Without other recommendations, or un-recommendations based on recent replacement failures, I will likely go that route.

Does anyone recognize the brand logo on the side of the boot? I don't want to buy that brand on accident!
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[Luftwagen 2180]

A couple of years ago I replaced mine on the Buggy with CIP ones, Maybe 1 year before cracking? Noticed it on the weekend before a car show and there was not enough time to order another from CIP. No one stocked local so I ordered one from my FLAPS. The guy at the store said they order from World Pac. It came with the clamps that you need a special tool for. Molded into the rubber was "Volkswagen" and "Made in West Germany". The package said made in Germany. The price was good so I got a couple of spares. I just checked and the new ones stored in my shed so no signs of cracking even when folded over on itself. Hopefully it's just the mold that is old, since the country has gone out of business. Hope this helps.

[dustymojave]

Similar issue discussed in the topis "EMPI AXle boots on CRACK" @
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=763567

A very successful family of Class 11 offroad racers the other day also recommended the black EMPI poly split boots. In spite of more than a decade working in plastics R&D, I don't know why the colored boots would be more inclined to crack and fail than the black ones. The plastic should be the same aside form the colorant. Just the other day while talking to my friend Manny about his boots failing, I looked at the boots on my Hi Jumper buggy that I retired from racing in 1984 after a severe crash. It STILL has the same yellow poly boots on the axles that it had then. Not cracked or otherwise damaged. They may not look real new, but they're still fine. Bit of quality difference.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
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[EVfun]

A couple of votes for the black EMPI boots. It looks like DustyMojave is talking about this style. EverettB, are you talking about those ones or the EMPI stock style?

I've never used those thinner bellows style boots. I think mostly because they looks to me like they would be inclined to leak a little where the split seam flange meets the hose clamp area. Perhaps I've been shunning the better choice, but this thread isn't very favorable to them.
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[MrGoodtunes]

I have had the fanfold bellows style black boots on my daily driver buggy for over 30 years with no leak, but EMPI was a different company back in the mid-1980s when I bought them.

[toxicavenger70]

[dustymojave]

[EVfun]

It looks like the problem picking a good axle boot is that by the time you realize you have a bad one a couple years have passed. With the ever changing (declining?) quality of suppliers what you bought before and what you get now may be different, even from the same source.

It is clear that the good older boot on the left side is an EMPI #9916 stock style boot. Since current quality looks like a roll of the dice I ordered up the same to replace the right boot. I'll see how that works.

Does anyone know how much gear oil needs to be removed to swap the boot without making a huge mess? I pumped most of it out last time, clearly way more than needed.
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[clonebug]

Just jack the side you are working on above horizontal so the oil won’t drain out……
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[EverettB]

[EVfun]

[clonebug]

[EVfun]

[clonebug]

The disc of the axle cover seals up the trans pretty good. With it jacked up a bit so the axle tube drains back into the trans the leakage is minimal and you can wipe the clamping surface quickly before installing the boot with the flange up between 10:00 and 2:00.
I don't recall having a problem with leakage when I changed my boots. I try to get the axle and trans square with each other so there is little strain on the boot when installing.
My last set has done the best and have been on there for almost 3 years without leaking.
I had more trouble with the sealing in the end cap but fixed that with a better o-ring from Oringsandmore.com. They have also been leak free since I installed them.
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[MrGoodtunes]

IIRC @EVfun, your buggy chasis is a '62 swing axle. So you can take advantage of axle tube capacity for holding some trans gear oil, by raising rear withOUT raising rear wheels. Which ever side you're working on can go up a little higher, but let that wheel droop so fluid goes down that tube toward wheel. You can straighten it out after getting the boot in place; and when straight, finish tightening the hose clamps.