CV Boot leak on driver axle

[zipster]

I had a leak on my bug that looked like oil and grease mixture.
It was not bad to start and the grease has stopped but the oil leak has got worse, so I stopped by a jiffy lube so that we could look under neath to see where it was comming from.

Here is what the mechanic told me.

He said the cv boot has cracked and leaked and it appeared that all the grease was gone. He said it needed a axle replacement. It drives great with and seems very tight. Is there no way to add grease and a new boot? If not how expensive of a repair??

The oil leak he said he traced it up to what I think he called a cam bearing leak at the valve cover. It was on the drivers side and he showed me two indentions about flush with the valve cover (one toward the front of the car and the other straight back a few inches toward the driver 's seat.) He said it was flowing down some hoses and showing a leak at the front below the oil filter and another drip at the back of the transmission.

All right go ahead and give me the bad news because it seems like everytime I turn around I am spending money. I really hope there is some not too awful news in this but give it to me straight up.

2000 VW Beetle GLX
thanks,
Zip

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by zipster

I had a leak on my bug that looked like oil and grease mixture.
It was not bad to start and the grease has stopped but the oil leak has got worse, so I stopped by a jiffy lube so that we could look under neath to see where it was comming from.

Here is what the mechanic told me.

He said the cv boot has cracked and leaked and it appeared that all the grease was gone. He said it needed a axle replacement. It drives great with and seems very tight. Is there no way to add grease and a new boot? If not how expensive of a repair??

The oil leak he said he traced it up to what I think he called a cam bearing leak at the valve cover. It was on the drivers side and he showed me two indentions about flush with the valve cover (one toward the front of the car and the other straight back a few inches toward the driver 's seat.) He said it was flowing down some hoses and showing a leak at the front below the oil filter and another drip at the back of the transmission.

All right go ahead and give me the bad news because it seems like everytime I turn around I am spending money. I really hope there is some not too awful news in this but give it to me straight up.

2000 VW Beetle GLX
thanks,
Zip

You MIGHT be able to get the boot changed out and new grease put in. The boot kits come with the CV grease and clamps. Have a reputable small shop do it if you want but I suggest having VW do it. The inner CV joint bolts need replacing when you do this job, and most places don't know enough to do this. If you drive around for a hundred miles or so after doing the job and you lose the inner joint, don't come back complaining to me!
Good luck on the oil leaks. VWs are prone to these leaks in my experience, as long as you aren't dropping a quart every tank you should be okay short-term. The transmission on the other hand, is sensitive to lost hydraulic fluid in automatic applications. Don't wait for the tranny to start slipping. If it's low enough to tell by driving it, you've probably damaged the transmission. Manual tranny cars are near bulletproof as far as lost gear oil is concerned. I drove a 1980 Audi 5000 for about a year missing it's fill plug, with no problems shifting until the very end. That's the reason I got the gear oil and tried taking the fill plug out in the first place! Yes, it was a "Jiffy" lube type place that left the plug out on my friend, the previous owner... Consumer, beware!

[zipster]

Are you saying that there is a connection between the leaking grease from the CV boot and the transmission. I do have the auto transmission and it shifts very good and I have not noticed any problems that I am aware of or any leakage of auto trans fluid.

Hopefully, you are just informing me on how delicate the auto trans in these cars and you really need to watch the fluid levels.
If that is the case............I might be over my panic attack but if not it will get parked immeadiatly.

One other thing is I have read that to replace the camshaft seals you have to tear the engine completely down and mine as well do a belt job and waterpump at this time. Is this true as I am about 10,000 miles away from a belt job so that could kill two birds with one stone.

Advise on the transmission please,
thanks,
zip

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by zipster

Are you saying that there is a connection between the leaking grease from the CV boot and the transmission. I do have the auto transmission and it shifts very good and I have not noticed any problems that I am aware of or any leakage of auto trans fluid.

Hopefully, you are just informing me on how delicate the auto trans in these cars and you really need to watch the fluid levels.
If that is the case............I might be over my panic attack but if not it will get parked immeadiatly.

One other thing is I have read that to replace the camshaft seals you have to tear the engine completely down and mine as well do a belt job and waterpump at this time. Is this true as I am about 10,000 miles away from a belt job so that could kill two birds with one stone.

Advise on the transmission please,
thanks,
zip

No the CV won't really affect the trans, but leaking "oils" may be a sign that that engine OR trans is leaking. You need to know which it is, or both. Just check your trans fluid on a regular basis, and if you find it low over a short duration, then that's the sign to get it fixed in a quick way.
I'd advise you to get the boot done as soon as you can, the joint isn't cheap, but the boot kit is. Let's hope the joint isn't too worn yet.
The cam seals should be accessable after removing the timing belt, so yes, I would wait and do all of it at once.

[zipster]

I looked up a complete axle at Germainauto parts and for the drivers side it was like $89 for a new factory or 59 for a rebuilt. It says it is the complete axle with the boots.

Now am I looking at the wrong parts or is it labor that is going to kill me. I looked at every part of the drive train and suspension and none seemed to pricey.

What is the pricey part and what am I missing?

sorry for the dumb question of the day,
zippy

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by zipster

I looked up a complete axle at Germainauto parts and for the drivers side it was like $89 for a new factory or 59 for a rebuilt. It says it is the complete axle with the boots.

Now am I looking at the wrong parts or is it labor that is going to kill me. I looked at every part of the drive train and suspension and none seemed to pricey.

What is the pricey part and what am I missing?

sorry for the dumb question of the day,
zippy

Yeah, it's the install that will cost you here I guess. If you went with a bona-fide VW part, it would have cost you three times that much I bet. I've had an axle done on a 1999 Jeep lately for under $225, part and install. Of course that's a whole other animal, but the labor times are close. If you were willing to DIY, it would cost you no more than $25 for a re-boot of the joint, including beverage of your choice.

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

A torn CV boot requires immediate attention if one hopes to avoid a more extensive expense (axle replacement), I would suggest having a VW dealer examine the condition of the axle to determine if any damage is apparent, if not, have them replace the boot/grease and move on, driving around with a torn CV boot will allow contaminants to contact the joint and grease to escape, both will cause premature joint failure.

If there are oil leaks from any part of the drivetrain, they should be remedied quickly, not only do these leaks pose potential damage due to lack of proper lubrication but any oil leaking on the engine mounts or suspension etc., will break down the related rubber bushings speeding up their failure.

Exposed to aggressive driving, I didn't experience an axle failure until my car was 7 years old, this speaks highly of the factory VW part, if an axle replacement does become necessary, I would stick with the OEM part unless you choose to go with an $2000.00 pair of unbreakable racing axles...

[Buggin]

Replaceing the axle is quite easy. Any import shop can do it in less than an hour. I've actually got this down to about 35 minutes...

On the other hand, replacing the boot will require the CV joint removed from the axle. I have found this takes longer and requires special tools.

As far as replacing the bolts... I have NEVER replaced them... I just used Loc-tite when putting them back in.

With all that said, you best bet is picking up a re-maufacutered axle from the local Autozone, O'Reilly's, MAPA, etc... for around $60 (with exhange). These will come with a lifetime replacement guarantee. Call around and find a shop that will let you bring in your own parts and have them swap it out.

[zipster]

Well it only took them about a hour to replace the driver axle and I am pleased with my bill! $214 parts and labor.

I used the Advance Auto axle for replacement ( yes I know it was a aftermarket) however, it actually appeared beefier and stronger than the one replaced. Maybe not as well built as only time will tell.
I do wish I had went with a raxle as it was only a $100 more but my down time would have been longer but I have heard good things about them.

NOW THE OIL LEAK. The biggest part of the leak was coming from a oil filter that was leaking. No more Jiffy Lube for me as I will do it mayself.
HOWEVER, the cam seals are leaking a little but they would not consider putting in new ones without taking out the camshafts even after I printed up all the info and the special tool for them to look at.

I have been using Mobil 0w- 40 oil so I moved up to a little heavier oil and it seems to have helped some.

I changed to full synthetic oil when I got the car and it had around 100,000 miles on it. I did not know what was used but suspect it was dino oil. I have heard that if you change to synthetic on higher milage engines sometimes you develop leaks that were not there before. I added a touch of Lucus oil additive that was recommended to me from a friend who has worked on imports for many years. He swears by the Lucus products.
Time will tell on that also I guess.

Anyway, old zippy is just as scrappy and fast as ever.
thanks to everyone for your kindness,

Zipster