CV joint boot leaking grease, but appears intact (SOLVED)

Hi,

I'm looking for experiences from real mechanics, not just people who try to replace their limited knowledge from internet forums with actual experience, like I'm doing myself.

Car: Ibiza 6K1 1.9 TDI, ASV engine.
My left front wheel axle boot is leaking grease, see pictures.
The cuff itself is new (installed 8 months and 4000 km ago by an independent workshop) and has no cracks. The grease is apparently being forced out at the contact surface between the wheel bearing housing and the axle cuff. However, the clamp (metal band) in this location is firmly in place, as I tested by simply wiggling and pressing it with my thumb.

Question: What's going on here?
a) Too much fat in the cuff.
b) The clamp or cuff needs to be replaced.
c) I missed something.


Best regards, Georg.

Does it actually fit properly and is it secure?
Have you ever turned it around and looked at it from all sides?

Do you think the cuff should actually be attached further to the left, as indicated in the following image?

I can easily compare it to the other side.

Hi,
Regarding the last question: no.
the questions at the beginning:
a) may be;
b) yes;
c) possible (band not tightened correctly, crack, corrosion under the cuff, incorrect cuff).
With a small amount of fat, I would verschandeln it up and continue to monitor. However, in this case, a significant amount of fat has definitely come out. If that component is missing from the universal joint, a problem will develop.
hg
Herbert.

Position as assembled --> OK.

- Clamp not tightened enough (it appears), or a foreign object is lodged between them.
Cuff is defective.

Depending on their age, I would replace them. You have to open it anyway to fill it.

Thank you for the answers.

I'm redoing the cuff and hoping I can seal it by simply crimping it with pliers.

Best regards,
Georg.

Quote:

...and hope that I can seal them by simply crimping them with a pair of pliers.

Not possible. There's a lot of pressure on.

Normally, you need this: http://www.stahlgruber.de/Kataloge/werkzeug/index.php?sb=15013

If necessary, you can use a pair of pliers. Clamp the head of the pliers with the drive shaft into the vise and squeeze it until the clamp is tight.

Do not overstretch!

You can really feel the quality in the "Heuer Front" vise.

Rough indication ---> Clamp of the right driveshaft.

Here's another idea: The sealing surface of the boot on the joint wasn't originally rust-free, or it wasn't adequately cleaned before the boot was reinstalled. This is suggested by the partial corrosion visible nearby (see the last three pictures), with small areas of flaking. No one knows for sure if the amount of grease used was correct. I assume that even a regular repair shop would know approximately how much should be used. More likely, it's hobbyists who completely fill the boots with grease and then wonder why the grease eventually bursts the boots when the steering is turned. You can roughly feel if there's enough pressure left by gently squeezing the cuff.

If you feel there's still enough material left, I would verschandeln everything thoroughly and try to re-crimp the clamp. Before doing so, carefully inspect it with a good flashlight to see if there are any potential damages (cracks, etc.). Otherwise, remove the clamp and slide the cuff back slightly. Wipe the sealing surfaces on the joint and on the cuff. Remove any corrosion from the joint and also verschandeln the cuff's seating surface. Then, properly fill the cuff and slide it back into place. With a snap-on clamp, everything could be done without having to disassemble the joint again.

Quote:

Whether there is still enough inside can be roughly felt by massaging the cuff.

They are made of Hytrel, which you cannot massage or feel. Due to their increased strength, the clamps are made of stainless steel, which makes them difficult to tighten without special tools.

Rust is usually only present on the exterior.

Normally, the fat accumulates in the joint and remains there for the most part. The cuff serves to create a seal, but it is not a reservoir for joint lubricant.
Once something gets caught in the cuff, the rotational forces will keep it there.
Therefore, it's pointless to check the joint filling by examining the cuff.
hg
Herbert.

Okay, so it seems I'm stuck at the "anno Zopp" stage. The 206 and Saxo models both have relatively soft rubber bellows that can be squeezed together by hand. I confirmed this afternoon when I examined the 206. I also learned that you should completely coat the joint with grease and then add a little more to the seal, but without filling it completely.

That's correct; you don't get the entire prescribed amount injected directly into the joint. I've experienced that myself many times. However, whatever remains in the cuff area is essentially left as an excess. In the mechanism, instead of retracting into the joint, the rotation pushes it outwards into the folds.
Sure, here's the translation:

"Best regards."
Herbert.

I'm currently dealing with a similar situation here.
The clamps were obviously tightened with pliers. (Image 1). This doesn't look very neat; the band can't be tightened properly because the compressed area forms a "U" shape. Furthermore, this "U" protrudes so much that the relatively new cuff already shows visible impressions from the clamp on the shaft side. This is simply a mess.
You can't avoid getting a decent pair of pliers. A pair of side cutters won't do the job.
I would recommend the pliers shown in image 2. You will certainly always want to use the clamps that come included in the hose clamp kits. These clamps are available with a profile on the strap (image 3) and without a profile (image 4). With this pliers, you can also tighten the clamps without a profile because it has a lower jaw that prevents the formation of an "O" shape. The result is shown in image 5. This pliers is available with and without a half-inch tool attachment in the arms. However, it should have the tool attachment, because then you can also change hose clamps that require a specific torque when tightening the clamp.

Here's another close-up of the head of the pliers with the holding device.

Hi.


Besides the pliers... I once had a problem with an S2 where the boots kept popping off, or the grease would end up everywhere except inside the joint after a highway drive. This was due to air being trapped in the 'bellows.' When it got warm, the air would push the grease out, or the entire boot would come off the joint.

The solution was to press the cuff flat and then crimp it. On one side, it has already lasted 10,000 km. On the other side, we have a section of flattened brake pipe installed inside, against the shaft (including...). (Sealant, etc.) It seems to work just as well...

Steffen W wrote:

I would like to recommend a pair of pliers like the ones shown in image 2

.

Hi Steffen,

Thank you for your detailed description and pictures.

In the meantime, while I'm waiting for the ordered coupling to arrive, I tightened it using pliers and a vise. While it works okay, it does form a "O" shape, as you described.

I saw that there's a similar wrench with a 1/2" drive available at an auction house for less than 20 euros. Do you think the leverage of that wrench is the same as the one linked by the user "Autoservice" above? That wrench appears to be the same as the VAG special tool 1682, and it's supposed to be tightened to 25 Nm in my case. Can this number be directly applied to the pliers you showed?


Best regards, Georg.