Labor Day carnage

[ArtHummer]

I was driving to RC last weekend and did not made it. I was on the highway when CV axles gave up on me. Had to drive home and replace both.
Right axle got so hot that it melted the rubber boot and all of the grease came out. Left boot got torn as well.


After right axle cooled down and it got absolutely seized. It was impossible to move it by hand. The metal got so hot that it looked like rainbow in few places and cv boot melted of the yoke.


Got it all replaced the same day. Found axles in NAPA for $75. Also replaced the tc seals, got it from GM for $12

After taking everything apart I noticed that right side lower and upper bolt joints started to give up. So the next thing on the repair is all of the ball joints. I see that lower control arm ball joint is replaceable but the upper one looks like will have to be replaced with a-arm.

Is there anything on the marked with better then OEM quality? Is anyone doing a heavy duty upper control arms for H3, preferably with replaceable ball joints and bushings? I did some search and can't find anything.

 

[rsc]

Who was it that installed NAPA shafts (same one twice) and they only lasted about 10-12K miles each? They later confirmed with the store that they were not OE like they thought they had bought. I would personally only get OE axle shafts.

 

[cdarveaux]

I replaced a CV with O'Reilly's (technically NAPA) and I wheeled with it and it didn't have a problem at all

 

[alrock]

There isn't a replacement upper control arm on the market yet for the H3. Just gotta go OEM and slap them in there. I put an AC Delco ball joint in the lower. Got it from Amazon and it is greaseable. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007QBVKXW/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For the bad luck with Napa CV axles, that was SickStringC. I've got a couple Cardone ones in now - they haven't been fully tested so I can't speak to their durability.

 

[alrock]

Chicken and egg question: did the boots tear first, allowing water, dirt, etc. to enter and grease to fling out (which could cause the seizing), or did the axles seize, causing the tearing of the boots?

 

[06 H3]

keep me posted on the cardones Alex!

 

[ArtHummer]

Chicken and egg question: did the boots tear first, allowing water, dirt, etc. to enter and grease to fling out (which could cause the seizing), or did the axles seize, causing the tearing of the boots?

Well, this is kind of a strange thing. I inspected the truck few days prior. The left side boot had a little crack. Not to much, just started to show the signs. I was getting my paycheck in few weeks and was planing on replacing it... The right one do, had no signs of a tear or a crack. And when I took it of and looked at the boot there were no cracks in it. it's just melted right of the sitting place on the joint. The clamp was hanging loos and there was melted rubber on the joint itself.

 

[ArtHummer]

Who was it that installed NAPA shafts (same one twice) and they only lasted about 10-12K miles each? They later confirmed with the store that they were not OE like they thought they had bought. I would personally only get OE axle shafts.

I did not had a choice. I needed the truck the same day and NAPA was the only place that had it in stock. Actually it was the last 2 that they had as well.
I will drive on this and see how it goes. If it brakes, then next thing will be to get RCV axles. I just hope that they will make an inner joint as well.