CV Joint Boots - Finally found some quality made boots that last

[Wasted youth]

Ray, the bellows on the Beseler enlargers are a bit stiffer than what I applied that goop to (4x5 Omega View), but I would think it would be good, albeit not the grey color of the Beseler bellows. So coat the whole thing and make it uniform.

Boot longevity in my mind needs to last the interval of CV joint servicing, so material used would not need to live past five years I would think. That said, I would be happy to pay twice what I have been paying for boots that will last more than three years without troubling signs of pending annoyance.

[raygreenwood]

[69BahamaYellow]

Just a quick update on my recently failed Neoprene CV Boot. This one split open at the axle end, but on closer inspection, it really wasn't too bad, otherwise. Again this is a neoprene boot after 4 years and 40,000 miles.

Here's a picture of the outside of the boot, stretched out to reveal the surface cracking in the valleys of the pleats.

And below is a picture of the inside surface of the same area. It looks brand new. It's plyable, and gives me no indication at all that the grease is somehow attacking it.

Of the 2 boots, one is still in service, and this one tore in a spot that did not have much surface cracking. Seeing that the surface cracking really is not going as deep into the rubber as I initially suspected, perhaps this one just got cut by road debris or something.

In the short term, I'm just going to replace this one with an EMPI, which appears identical to the Moog / Precision Axle branded boots (it has the same "MBI" stamp on the metal collar and the same "86-1086C" cast into the rubber).

I'm also going to try matching what's left of my old boot to an OEM, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Chevy, Dodge, or otherwise mass produced modern car. It was pretty easy to un-crimp the old boot from the metal collar, so if I find something close, I'll make it fit.

[69BahamaYellow]

Also, I purchased some of that Nexzett Gummi Pfledge a previous poster suggested and applied that to my remaining CV boots. The stuff is a thin milky liquid that seems to absorb well into aged rubber, but balls up and rolls off of brand new rubber. I kind of thought it would be more waxy

I also put some on all my window seals and dabbed some in a test area on one of my tires. It seems to have the same effect on the rubber as Armor-all, but without the shiny stickiness that Armor-all gets.

[Wildthings]

Just picked up 4 Beck Arnley boots from Rockauto for $41.50 delivered. They are MBI boots and came with bolts and grease.

[69BahamaYellow]

I'm beginning to see a pattern here that the neoprene boots are all coming from MBI, no matter what the brand. so far, EMPI, Moog, Precision Axle, and Beck Arnly Neoprene are the same boots.

After dissecting my last failed one, I'm beginning to think the grease is not what's killing them, but rather it's Ozone or Heat, or fatigue from flexing. I'm trying the Nexzet Gummi Fledge on the outside of the boots for a little extra protection, but it gets completely removed after a drive in the rain and won't apply at all to a brand new boot, so I'm just going to smear some plain old Vasaline on them next.

[raygreenwood]

[jtauxe]

So, Ray ... while we have your expertise here... and if you don't mind...

I had a work colleague in a machine shop who liked to smear his boots with DOW #4. It's a silicone-based (I think) release compound. What can you say about that practice?

Yesterday's windshield installer is a fan of using WD-40 on the window rubber. Is that OK?

Also, FWIW, I recently had a tire installer tell me to never put that tire shine crap on my tires -- that it ruins the rubber. Thoughts?

And what about ArmorAll, 303 Protectorant, and Gummi Pfledge?
_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[raygreenwood]

[jtauxe]

Wow, Ray -- what a lot of great information. Thanks!

Couple of follow-ups?

You are right about Dow #4 as a dielectric. I misspoke -- I meant to ask about Dow #7, a release agent.

Now that I have treated my window seals with WD-40 at the request of the installer (grr), is there anything I can do to help them? Now that the WD-40 has attacked the rubber and opened it up, would adding silicone to the seal be of benefit, for example? Or do I just let these fail and count on replacing them in a few years?

I looked up the MSDS for 303 Protectorant. It is called a "solvent mixture", so there's a red flag. But, as you said, they do not list the actual ingredients. It's all "proprietary". The chemical industry really has little interest, it seems, in public health and safety. They will hide their ingredients in the name of trade secrets.
_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[Tcash]

Glycerin
https://www.google.com/search?ei=oIcAW6acFYi48APrr...2QGRSljeBw

[raygreenwood]

[69BahamaYellow]

[raygreenwood]

[udidwht]

The pleat area flexes far more than the exposed outer edge of the boot when the wheel is turning. Dirt is more likely to be trapped there allowing for more wear of the boot.

I'm still using a set of Lobro boots that I installed in 1998. They are now showing subtle signs of wear.
_________________
1972 Westy Hardtop/Type-4 2056cc
96mm Biral AA P/C's~7.8:1CR
Headflow Masters New AMC 42x36mm heads w/Porsche swivel adjusters
71mm Stroke
73 Web Cam w/Web solids
Dual 40mm IDF Webers - LM-2 - 47.5 idles/125 mains/190 air corr./F11 tubes/28mm Vents - Float height 10.45mm/Drop 32mm
Bosch SVDA w/Pertronix module (7.5 initial 28 total @ 3400rpm)
Bosch W8CC plugs
Pertronix Flamethrower 40K coil
S&S 4-1 w/Walker QP 17862
3 rib 002 Trans
185R14 Hankook tires

[raygreenwood]

[SGKent]

Elon Musk recently launched a Tesla minus an engine. I has the finest quality parts in it available these days. The estimate is that organics in the car (including plastics) won't last longer than a year because of the UV and cosmic rays. https://www.livescience.com/61680-will-spacex-roadster-survive-in-space.html

FWIW maybe folks are looking at the CV boot issue hoping that a chemist or a witch doctor somewhere can come up with a brew that lasts. Just replace those things every few years when you repack and you'll be fine.

_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[udidwht]

[raygreenwood]

[SGKent]

just carry saran wrap for cracked boots like Colin does.....

Ignoring maintenance on a CV joint will not make it last longer. They do require periodic greasing and cleaning because the old grease does get dirty. Even if the boot is perfectly intact it gets particles of metal in it as the CV wears.
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin