Front axle boots and seals

[Recovry4x4]

The quality of aftermarket boots is degrading at the same rate of the boots. Someone posted pics of the yellow boots but they look like they were torn not degraded. I put GI boots on the wrecker a few years back and the look great. Last year right before the 2010 GA Rally I put silicones on. Look good so far.

Few pics of how I did mine here. http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/7356-axle-boots.html

 

[jasonjc]

The quality of aftermarket boots is degrading at the same rate of the boots. Someone posted pics of the yellow boots but they look like they were torn not degraded. I put GI boots on the wrecker a few years back and the look great. Last year right before the 2010 GA Rally I put silicones on. Look good so far.

Few pics of how I did mine here. http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/7356-axle-boots.html

I remember that thread, now that I reread it. I did one of my trucks at that same time and the one pice boots are still on and still look like new. I went out and looked at them this morning. Pushed and pulled and poked them and they seem good. I must have got the some of the few good sets of one pice boots out there.

 

[Z71]

Can someone post which boots are good quality ( both solid and zippered kind)?

 

[jasonjc]

I don't know how you would/could tell them apart. And when they were made and by who.

 

[Z71]

I don't know how you would/could tell them apart. And when they were made and by who.

Isn't there at least one known dealer that consistently sells good quality boots?

 

[Clay James]

The installed new boots and seals from OD Iron back in December and the seals failed after a few months so I got around to replacing them again a few weeks ago and one is already leaking again I made **** sure I installed everything correctly the second time and the vent is fine so I'm at a loss as what's going on. The boots are pretty dry rotted too. I'm pretty pissed right now.

 

[treeguy]

I have said this before in another thread. The lower section/ribs on 6 mo. old zipper boots on my truck seem to be bulging and have a thinning feeling. There seems to be a build up of grease here. There are also developing degraded cracking forming on the ridges in this area also. I have been thru two sets in two years. No off road and no self induced cutting - JUNK RUBBER! Right?! so what IS the answer, are the one piece silicone boots the way to go?

 

[DieselBob]

The installed new boots and seals from OD Iron back in December and the seals failed after a few months so I got around to replacing them again a few weeks ago and one is already leaking again I made **** sure I installed everything correctly the second time and the vent is fine so I'm at a loss as what's going on. The boots are pretty dry rotted too. I'm pretty pissed right now.

Just a thought but does the bushing (#37) in the spindle show much wear. The front axle shaft relies on this to keep the shaft rotating in a circular motion around the center plain of the shaft and not a orbital motion which will cause added wear and stress on the inner seal.

 

[Clay James]

I'll have to check it when I get it apart again and probably just replace it to be sure. Are they difficult to replace? The seals I pulled felt to me like they were a little out of round so that could be the problem.

 

[Z71]

I am beginning to wonder if these boots are not just some Chinese made junk made of substandard rubber that is not even grease resistant.

The zippered boot set I just bought off eBay has the zippers riveted on and the rubber feels fresh and pliable. But so did the rubber on previous boots that cracked after several years.

What bothers me is that I cannot find any markings on the boot that would give me an idea where it was made and by whom. The boots feel pretty flimsy and thin. It seems that boots on a large vehicle such as this should be at least 3/16" thick. These are maybe 1/16" at best.

I could have gotten solid boots instead, but I am really not in the mood to take apart the whole axle for this. It almost seems like these zippered boots are an equivalent of split CV boots on front wheel drive cars. I have tried all kinds, but none work. They always start leaking grease after a while. Solid CV boots are the only ones that are good. Maybe it is the same with these M35 front axle boots as well. Solid silicone thick ones is the way to go.

 

[DieselBob]

I didn't have to replace mine during the rebuild last summer so not sure how hard they would be to remove. Installation would be easy because they are right at the inside end of the spindle. One caution would be you might need to have a reamer to size the bushing once it is installed. You might also check the steering knuckle end play shown in TM 9-2320-361-34, sec 10-6 page 10 - 40. The play in the spindle and knuckle are additive with each other when it comes to how much the axle shaft can move laterally in the seal. Not to say this is the problem but it would be worth checking.

 

[Clay James]

Now that I think about it there was enough play for the end of the axle to touch the bottom of the spindle when I took the hub off. Is that a sign of a worn bushing or is it normal? I'm gonna be a master at breaking down these front axles soon.

 

[paulfarber]

The zippered boot I got was in a sealed bag and had a slip of paper with the part number (it was like a 7 or 9 digit number).

What are these 'aftermarket' boots coming in? I called an M35 parts place, asked for an M35 boot and it appears that I got a USGI part.

Are these 'cheap Chinese' parts coming in some sort of identifiable packaging?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Newstar, which is the major aftermarket supplier, ships their boots in platic bags. Sealed GI parts almost always have a part number and NSN on the bag.

 

[Countryboy21]

i just got my one piece silicone boot from Erik truck supply out of California. They said the boot was made in less than a year and they have a one year warranty on their boots. He said to keep it away from brake cleaner and engine cleaner. i will post up mine on thursday when i do the work.