Tue, 5 Mar 96 20:05 CST, khooper@wsp1.wspice.com (Ken Hooper) wrote:

>>Also, how difficult (time and tools) is it to replace a boot on the cv
>>joint?  Mine is cracked.
>
>I was doing mine today (bay window). It's not expensive--$6.00 at Sears for
>the tool, $2.50 for a huge tube of grease, $15.00 for the boot kit. Get two
>kits and do the whole axle.

I missed the beginning of this and the year-model.
My '90 GL has eight cap screws in each CV.
They take a 6mm hex drive tool (allen-wrench with a 3/8" or 1/2" drive).
I bought the boot kits available at the local import parts place ($18US),
but my guru, Herbie, told me to exchange them for German-made kits.  He
said that the non-German versions were mostly crap and could fail at any
time - and this happened to him before he went all-German on this repair.
Is the cost more important than the inconvenience and sheer grossness of
having to do this over sooner?

The German boot kits also (allegedly) contain the grease needed, a clamp
for the small end of the boot (which the American-made units had as well),
and a complete new set of cap screws.  I'm still waiting for the
foreign-FLAPS place to get them in to prove this is true.

I'd also concur on doing as many as you can at once - you're down there,
you're getting really greasy, why not get it all done at once?  I'm doing
all four of mine while I have the tranny out for a clutch/flywheel
replacement, and none of them showed any sign of trouble in spite of
120,000 miles on them.

bcnu - Grungy            Houston, TX
jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu
'61 dddPanel Walkthru  (The BozoBus)
'68 & '69 Bugs (Frunobulax & Bertha)
'89 Vanagon GL
'90 Vanagon GL