Torn boot. Help identify.

[thisdsm]

Can someone please help me identify the following torn rubber boots? If Im correct those are the upper ball joints. I need a second opinion. They're circled in red. Do those torn boots have anything to do with my car shaking while accelerating?

passenger side

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drivers side

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Take notice of the front drivers side tire. Somehow it's crooked. It's not parallel to the ground. It seems I have a bent control arm or something, but Im not sure. You can't really tell from the pics but the tire is crooked. What caused this? What do I need to do to fix it?

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BTW, the car shakes violently when I go above 50mph and I also have a torn rubber lower ball joint. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Mods, sorry if the pictures are a bit to big, but I couldnt find the recommened size to upload in rules. Thanks!

 

[jtmcinder]

Pics needs to be 700x700 or less. This info is on the upload pop-up page.

- Jtoby

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

Shake can be anything from out of balance wheels, to CV joints worn, worn tie rods ends or wheel bearings going out.

 

[thisdsm]

ugh. are you guys kidding me about the unauthorized referer?

 

[wret]

ugh. are you guys kidding me about the unauthorized referer?

This message is from uploader.ws, not from here.

 

[thisdsm]

This message is from uploader.ws, not from here.

Sorry. I'll reupload the pictures using another host.

 

[thisdsm]

Shake can be anything from out of balance wheels, to CV joints worn, worn tie rods ends or wheel bearings going out.

I just balanced my tires. The passenger side cv boot is torn, Im guessing just recently because the grease looks fresh and there arent any dirt in or around the boot. Im guessing it's either my tie rod ends or my ball joints.

 

[WatchItExplode]

Well no matter what's causing your shaking, those ball joints need to be replaced. As for your CV, I don't know if the 2g boots are replacable, but it's usually a pain to do. I'd replace the whole half shaft since the grease is probably already contaminated and that would be the easiest way to fix it. Tie rod ends are cheap, might as well do those too. That will also give you an excuse to have an allignment done, which should be able to tell you if anything is bent.

 

[thisdsm]

Well no matter what's causing your shaking, those ball joints need to be replaced. As for your CV, I don't know if the 2g boots are replacable, but it's usually a pain to do. I'd replace the whole half shaft since the grease is probably already contaminated and that would be the easiest way to fix it. Tie rod ends are cheap, might as well do those too. That will also give you an excuse to have an allignment done, which should be able to tell you if anything is bent.

Thanks.

 

[dewdew]

Torn boots aren't good because it will allow dirt into the joint, accelerating wear, but it doesn't mean they are bad yet. Worn front end parts won't usually cause a vibration unless they are really bad. A bad CV axle will make a clicking sound when going around corners. An out of balance tire will cause a vibration ALL of the time at around 50mph+. A constant low speed vibration is either caused by a bad tire (tread seperation or out of round,) bent wheel, or bent hub. A bad motor mount can cause an vibration while accelerating (usually more noticable accerlerating from lower speeds.) You should start by checking all front end parts (ball joints, tie rods, bearings.) Jack the car up under the lower control arm as close to the wheel as possible. Shake the wheel left-right, and up-down. left-right is usually an inner or outer tie rod end, up-down is usually ball joint play. left-right and up-down is usually bearing play.... or a loose wheel.... make sure all your lug nuts are tight. Replace whatever is bad, wether it will fix your specific problem or not.

 

[Woodsy0]

As for your CV, I don't know if the 2g boots are replacable, but it's usually a pain to do. I'd replace the whole half shaft since the grease is probably already contaminated and that would be the easiest way to fix it.

The 2g boots are replacable, you can get them for ~15 each at thepartsbin.com or another comparable online vendor. However, he's right - it's a bit of a pain, you'll need to open up the boots, clean everything out, repack the boots with fresh grease, and then tighten the boots with boot clamps and a CV boot tool (can get at autozone). If you do go this route, make sure you measure the length of the boot when you fasten it on, there's a spec you can find in the service manual you're supposed to adhere to. It's alot easier to buy the entire shaft (~60), although be wary, I tried going this route and they sent me the driver's side axle for a FWD (AWD driver axles are different), and after hassling with them and finally returning it, I just changed out the boots.