um i'm new to atvs. granted i've riddin alot before but this BB is my first own atv. explain to me why boots are so important and why there such a pain. i know there important but what do they protect?
CV joints are the knuckles at each end of your axles connecting the differentials to the wheels.
The "Boot" is the accordian-looking rubber cover that protects the cage-gear that allows the drivetrain to provide power to the wheels.
If this rubber boot fails, foreign debris (a.k.a. dirt/sand/mud/organic material) into this vital joint and give way to failure.
(Imagine pouring sand into your vehicle's engine... how long do you think it would run?)
CV Boots need to be periodically inspected, and special care needs to be taken when driving a vehicle with CV joints (4x4 SRA, and IRS models) not to drive over brush that could fly up and tear said boots.
Always a good idear to spray those rubber boots with the same armor-all or tire treatment that you do your tires.. to keep them soft and pliable.
ohhh. i knew there were to prevent sand and debris from gettin inside but i just didn't know to what. thank you. um if one ever rips and needs to be replaced do i need to remover axle or are there other methods..kind of goin back to the way this tread started.
In order to replace a CV boot, the axle must be removed.
This usually means:
Removing the wheel
Removing the lower shock bolt, swinging shock up and out of way
Removing lower a-arm bolts that secure it to the frame... and swinging it up allowing the axle to slide out of the knuckle
Pulling outward firmly on axle to remove it from the differential...
Removing the boot clamps (tin snips work great)
Removing the boot (scissors work great)
A parts cleaner works great (if you have access to one) to clean up the knuckle to see if any damage has occurred.
From there, you should be able to find the e-clip or snap-rings that hold the joint together
Take the joint apart, push the new boot onto the axle, put the joint back together, fill with grease, slide into place, use hose clamps to tighten back down...
And reverse order to install the axle back onto the machine...
From the best of my memory (been a couple of years since I've done one) that's the long and short of it.
