2006 Subaru Outback CV Boot Dilemma!

zenproductions

Hey all, I own a 2006 Subaru Outback with 60,986 miles about 250 miles ago my pass CV boot ruptured spilling it's guts all over my engine. This isn't so bad, fluke right? Wrong, my car is back in the shop right now getting the drivers side front CV Boot replaced because it ruptured 250 miles later. This is unacceptable to me. I own a 1995 saab with almost 200,000 miles on it and I've never replaced a CV boot.

Is anyone else having this problem? How much should it cost to have this replaced at a dealer. I ended up paying $200 for the last one and they just replaced the boot. Is this high?

I've contacted Subaru about this and I am yet to hear back. I'll keep you informed.

xwesx

Which boot was it; was it the exterior boot (nearest the wheel) or the interior boot (nearest the transaxle)?

I replaced both axles on my '96 outback due to boot failure (nearest the wheel) at around 130,000 miles and 8 years of age. Lifespan of those boots is highly dependent upon the conditions to which they are exposed (I live in Fairbanks, Alaska, so the winters are hard on them), but I would think your Saab has experienced the same conditions as the Subaru, so that can likely be ruled out.

At any rate, I would say they failed prematurely barring any damage from an external source.

zenproductions

It was the interior boots. Get this, The car resided in sunny florida for it's first few years of life, no salt, hills or slush.

It is in Maine now but it is yet to endure a winter.

Cheers
Conor

paisan

That is a little premature, and $200 to replace just the boot is crazy. The whole axle and CVs cost about $60-70 for the parts and takes about 1.5-2hrs of labor.

Never replace just the boot because once the boot is torn dirt has entered and contaminated the cv joint.

-mike

ateixeira

That's funny because I was going to say the opposite - we had a boot tear on our Mazda 626 and it ended up costing a small fortune, something like $600 IIRC.

The Mazda dealer was always overpriced so to be honest I'm glad we ditched that car.

I don't think $200 is that bad, I'd have been thrilled to pay 1/3rd of what my wife paid for her Mazda.

To make matters worse, the grease spilled on to the oxygen sensor and blew that part out as well. Add another $220 just for the *part*! Ouch. :sick:

paisan

Juice, he is talking just the rubber boot, not the whole CV. CVs for the subies cost like $75 which includes the boots, joints, axle, etc...

-mike

ateixeira

Mine was just the boot, too!

They said they had to take it off to rebuild it.

Later Pat told me there are kits where you can do the fix without removing the axle. It was the wife's car and I usually work mostly on my cars.

paisan

Yeah you can slip-on a boot for like $20 or so, the problem is that once it's torn the CV joint is actually shot because the grease becomes contaminated. It also may have been a more difficult job on the mazda. On the subies you loosen a few bolts on the suspension and it slips right out.

-mike

ateixeira

Cool.

This was the front axle on the 626, which is FWD and had that V6 crammed in transversely, with the tranny under it. A crowded mess, basically.

zenproductions

Well, it sounds like Subaru agrees with me. They think the CV boots should have lasted much longer as well. Even though the warranty ran out at 36,000 miles they said they would pay for the replacement of one of the CV boots. My faith has been restored. They were truly sorry for the inconvenience and called it a good faith gesture. Thank you Subaru. I guess it boils down to the fact that cars are a pain in the butt no matter what you own. I am just happy I have an AWD that gets 30 mpg.

Cheers All, thanks for the advice.

ateixeira

Happy ending. Glad they took care of you. :shades:

phil2000

I have 2000 Forester and the inner boot failed. I am getting knocking after driving 40 miles or so. I ordered an axle for $75 over the internet. What should I look out for when changing the axle out?

phil2000

I have 2000 Forester and the inner boot failed. I am getting knocking after driving 40 miles or so. I ordered an axle for $75 over the internet. What should I look out for when changing the axle out?

ateixeira

paisan would be a good person to ask. It's not exatly an easy task, I've heard.

xwesx

Well, no, it is not difficult to do it, but it does take a lot of labor to get to the point of being able to remove the old one and then get the new one in. I would say that as long as you have a guide book (Haynes, Chilton) to inform you of the procedure, you should have no problems. The axles on my '96 Outback were held to the transaxle with pins that crossed the diameter of the spline. That was the toughest part for me. PITA to get the little bugger out (and the new one in). I lucked out on my second axle though, and did it while I had the engine out of the car. Hahah; what a breeze that was! :shades:

paisan

Yeah it's a bit of a PITA but just go through it and you can probably do it in about 3hrs. We can do it in about 1-2hrs these days after practice. Like wes said the pins are the hardest part. The newer cars (newer Imprezas and Legacies) don't have the pins.

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

kapl3959

I have a blown head gasket that i am replacing in my 98 outback. I am to the point of removing the engine and i have all of the trans axle bolts and engine mount bolts removed but the engine won't come out. Do you have any tips on getting the engine out? It seems that the trans axle bolts are running through from the engine to the trans axle and that could have a little something to do with it. I am scared of trying to force anything apart. Any ideas would be great!

paisan

Splitting it apart isn't an easy task. Especially on an older car.

Getting the transmission apart from the block may require an air chisel to split it apart. Also try some good penetrating oil.

-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor

xwesx

Well, it is a bit tricky, especially because the engine mounts have studs, meaning that "removing the bolts" actually entails removing the nuts from the studs (which are affixed to the mounts that are in turn bolted to the engine block). That means the studs stay on the engine, so the engine must be lifted both up and forward to remove.

Here's how I did it with mine, twice:

First, place a floor jack under the transmission pan, and lift the jack, with a 2x4 (or other large-surface-area block of wood) between the pan and the jack to avoid damaging the pan, just to the point where it connects with and applies slight pressure on the transmission. Then, remove the support the connects the top of the transmission housing to the firewall of the car. It should be very obvious, located directly on the top of the transmission and exactly centered on the firewall. You need only remove one end, firewall or transmission, not both. Once disconnected, swing it out of the way. Now, your transmission has some wiggle room.

With your engine attached to a puller, lift it a little. Now, lift the jack a little until pressure is applied to the transmission again. Rinse and repeat. Okay, forget rinsing, but you get the picture. Once you get the angle just right, you should be able to separate the engine with some forceful wiggling. There are two short (3/8" or so?) studs on the transmission that align it with the engine, so once you separate it that far, they should pop apart rather suddenly. Then, you simply slip the engine out of the bay.

Oh, now that I look, you did remove the flexplate screws, right? If not, you will find the removal to be... challenging. I assume you did, but if not, there is a covered access port in the back, top, left side of the block. Pull off the rubber cover, turn the engine using a 22mm socket on the crankshaft bolt until the first bolt appears in the access, then remove. Repeat for all five (or were there only four?).

xwesx

Oh, jeez. Just noticed that you posted ten days ago. You probably had the engine out and back in by now!

Apologies....

missv1

I was just reading about your dilemma and I am going through something similar. Mine is an 05 outback with only 45,000 mi and I have already had to replace all brake pads and roters, both Cats and now the boots on both interior CV boots are blown apart. And to ice the cake my warreny ran out 3 weeks ago!!! The Dealer I took it to is trying to charge me $750 to replace the CV joints and axles!!! I almost died. My husband is on the phone with Subaru now, but is getting nowhere with them. I am very dissappointed so far. My 98 outback has over 200,000 mi and not one of these problems. I should just fixed the rust..*sigh*

ateixeira

Is it driven under heavier duty circumstances?

A rock tore a boot on our Mazda 626. Not much you can do but change it. The grease shorted out the 02 sensor so it cost a bunch to fix. :sick: