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Updated: 8:45 AM Dec 4, 2006
Give Me the Boot
When you hear your mechanic talk about your boots, do you picture something like cowboy boots? Well, the boots on your car actually don’t look anything like that, but here is why you want to check them.
Posted: 4:58 AM Nov 17, 2006 |
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When you hear your mechanic talk about your boots, do you picture something like cowboy boots? Well, the boots on your car actually don’t look anything like that, but here is why you want to check them. Your car's CV boots are actually rubber covers on the axles on front wheel drive cars. Because the axles need to move up and down and turn with the wheel, they need what's called CV joints in the axles. CV stands for “constant velocity”. The boots cover those joints. They keep grease on the joint, and keep contaminants like muddy water out of the joint. Most times CV boots get torn open from an object in the road, and it is almost always the outside boot that gets torn. If the CV boot never gets torn, you can expect 100 thousand miles or more out of most CV joints. But when it does get torn open, all of the grease comes out and the joint will fail. When the CV joint starts to fail, it will make a clicking noise when you are making a turn. When the joint gets really worn out, it can break completely and leave you stranded. When you do have a CV boot go bad, it is usually advisable to replace the whole axle. If the boot has been open for any length of time, the CV joint inside has usually been damaged, and rebuilt axles are usually pretty inexpensive to replace. You usually don't need to make a special appointment to get your boots checked. Every time that you are getting an oil change, remind your mechanic to check your boots, and I don't mean cowboy boots. The Auto Guy – Jim Champion Charlie Graham Body and Service Click on my email below to send any story ideas or questions on cars. jim@charliegraham.com Helpful Car Links: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/ http://www.trustmymechanic.com/index.html http://www.autosafety.org/index.html http://www.doityourself.com/auto/ http://www.carcarecouncil.org/index.shtml http://www.kidsandcars.org/frameset.html http://www.uautono.com/recalls.html |
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