CV Grease Leak/RTV Fix Attempt

I noticed this the other day and snapped some pics. How bad is this leak? Can I keep driving on it fine?
Leak is on the Pass side.

If not, what do I have to replace here and how much would that cost?
Thank you.

Sorry if the pictures are bad. It's hard to get a good angle under the truck.

Facing rear of truck.


Facing pass wheel.




From underneath.


Facing front of truck.

 

Take a look at the hoses on the reservoir. Could just be a loose clamp.

 

Dip a finger in it. That almost looks like axle grease flung around.

 

This. Notice the spatter. Also, is that your O2 sensor harness hanging free in the 2nd pic?

 

Yes, I discovered this spatter while replacing my B2S1 o2 sensor. I'll get under the truck and take a closer look when I get the chance. Driving the Honda for now.

If it's axle grease being flung around, what would cause this? And how much would it cost to fix it?
... And most importantly is it safe to drive on?

 

Damn just noticed my pic didn't post. Check this out. Clear splatter lines below, to the side, and above.

 

Wow.. Thank you. What am I looking at?

 

M'yes upon further review that is grease from your CV. M'yes.

 

See all that splatter that looks like a someone sprayed black popcorn everywhere, or radiating lines of weld spatter? That's heavy oil or grease sling.

You can see it on the bronze piece in the background (top right arrow) which is above this. Also on the left side, just not as obvious. But it's clearly peppering the two frame crossmembers in the lane I drew with the red lines.

 

Got it. Looks terrible... I like the lines you drew btw, very clear. What part am I looking at replacing? Is it safe to drive on or am I f*cked?

 

Yes it's safe and very common. You can either reboot the CV axle or replace it. No need to stress over it.

 

My truck had axles that looked similar to yours when I bought it. I rolled with them for a while. You can either replace the whole axle or do a reboot which to me seems like a big pain. You want really good axles go with CVJ remanufactured. You want the best axles get OEM (real high dollar). I got the extra beefy rock auto axles (which are exactly the same as NAPA HD axles) and they seem to be pretty good quality and dont break the bank.

Hang on to that factory axle as if you ever decide to go CVJ remanufactured then you'll need an OEM axle for the core charge.

 

Thanks for all the info.

I'm going to drive the truck with the axle like this on a 2-week, 2600 mile round trip in a couple weeks. Is that fine or is it suicide? For the record I'm not sure how long it's been leaking like that, and have driven the truck on many longer-distance trips already.

Also, can you point me toward a good re-booting tutorial or axle replacement tutorial? I'm weighing my options, not worried about spending the money if it'll contribute to the truck's longevity.

Found a couple videos on Youtube actually. Will reference.

 

Upon watching some videos, it looks like either I'm missing a clamp there or it's buried in grease and hence invisible. The boot itself doesn't look torn, hopefully I can just re-clamp it. Will need to clean it up.

 

I think I can see the clamp on yours still. Mine were about the same. Seems like it's ripped under the clamp or something. If money is no object I'd say get brand new OEM. Otherwise do CVJ reman. They send you axles they have rebuilt and then you ship them your OEM axles for them to rebuild for someone else. That's the route I would have went but just didn't feel like spending the money on them.

 

I'm thinking CVJ reman or re-boot it myself after my big trip. For now I need the truck so I'm just gonna drive on it. Thanks for the recommendations, I definitely feel like I know how to proceed with this issue now.

 

Mines looked like that for 20,000 miles, haven't cared to replace them yet. No need to worry..

 

My vote -

 

What brand is that? I've heard about the "red cv boot" just dunno where to get it.
Your self description says OEM junkie but these don't look OEM.

 

I’d CTL ALT DEL that mofo. If grease is getting out, then moisture and dirt can get in. Grease is there to lubricate the axle. Why take the chance of having to repair/replace the axle while on the road?

 

You assume this is my truck??

https://www.offroadsolutions.com/products/high-angle-inner-cv-boot/

 

Thank you. $81 per boot seems worth it for long-term safety.

I didn't assume that's your truck, I assumed you know what product that is which you did. I did assume that boot is not OEM but still gets your vote.

 

Guilty, I am a fan of these boots. They do exactly what they’re designed to do. Just as my Husky liners do, all can’t be OEM on 16 year old trucks.

And guilty again, that was my truck

 

I cleaned the joint off very well with a brake cleaner-soaked shop towel and for the life of me could not identify any visible leaks. The boot itself looks fine. So my best guess is it's coming from the clamp area, and the splatter seems to agree with my guess.

I am considering doing a reboot with a really good aftermarket kit but have to rustle up the cash and the time. Until then I have smeared some RTV from finger to the non-articulating clamped area that it SEEMS to be leaking from. After it sits for the appropriate 24hr curing time I'm going to wrap it with clear Flex Seal tape.

Before you say "this man should never work on a vehicle again" I'm doing this in the name of let's see what happens. The joint is not clicking even though it's lost some flung grease. It's a temporary quick fix until I can fully reboot.

Cleaned up. The angle is the way it is because the truck's on jack stands:



RTV applied using finger and turning the wheel with my other hand to coat it all around:


My weapon of sin leftover from recent trans pan replacement:

 

One of mine looked like someone had caulked it with household caulking when I got it. Was still leaking though. Hopefully you have better luck.

 

I got a set of these "second hand" still new from @TRDGen (maybe his account got deleted?) for like $20 or something. I guess I got a steal on them. they feel very high quality. not installed yet.

 

Hoping this buys you some time!

 

Admittedly shoddy tape job around the RTV'd area, about 3 or 4 layers of clear Flex Seal tape wrapped around. It was hard to tape neatly considering there are a few different circumferences in that small 1" wide area to wrap around. But the Permatex Ultra Black is the main leak stopper, the tape is just there for my peace-of-mind that I can't find the words to explain.

I will be reporting back here if it holds up or if it fails, or if I've completely missed the leaking area and wasted effort.

 

I would definitely unclamp it if it can't be tightened, check if adequate grease left and reclamp with a $30 tool you now need to go buy!

Either that or zip ties and I wouldn't do zip ties for something critical like a CV boot.

 

No way would I go the ziptie route! The RTV and Flex tape is the limit of how far I'd go haha. I don't need a special tool to remove that clamp do I?

My plan ultimately will be buy snap ring pliers, new boot and grease, 35mm socket, and new clamps with soft padding on the inside so the clamp doesn't cut into the clamped boot portion. It's a matter of ponying up for good stuff and making the time.