Bad news (for me, not you ) , is that main driver Volvo 850 failed MOT and 1 item is N/S CV gaiter split.

I've ordered both inner and outer (didn't realise there was two) so I should have the parts.

This is my first time to have to replace one of these so how big a job is it? I.e. how much stuff needs to be undone; also I've seen these gaiter stretcher type things that presumably slip the gaiter of over some gubbins to avoid taking it apart - is it worth getting one of those?

Any advice, tips etc. appreciated.


(and I need 2 new tyres on the front AGAIN!!!!


^^^^^ just checked on ebay where I got my pair of yoko from and it was Mar 2010 ..... so got 7 k miles out of the tyres!!!! Now I am quite very pissed off. <- x infinity!!

(tyres worn on inside so tracking needs looking at)


(FREE - anyone want pair of 205/50R16 W tyres, loadsa tread but not quite enough on inside - be fine for hooning around on track or donuts.)

[Edited on 4/5/11 by 02GF74]

youll be wanting one of these, much easier than the slip over type, if done properly just as good, fitted one to my merc and it outlasted the vehicle, over 3 years.

Split universal cv gaiter

[Edited on 4/5/11 by snakebelly]

You can buy little cones that are much cheaper than the CV boot expanders. These fit over the joint after youve greased it up, and the boot slides over it and stretches the further you go.

Most likely to be the outer CV, the inners have a much easier life.

Generic instructions:
Undo the big hub nut (will require LARGE breaker bar and someone to stand on brake pedal, or a decent air impact gun). Disconnect bottom ball joint from the upright. You may need to disconnect anti-roll bar to allow wishbone to drop far enough. You might be lucky and have enough room to pull the strut out far enough to withdraw the CV from the hub, or you may need to disconnect the track rod end and/or brake caliper.

If you have bought "stretchy" gaiters then they will come with a plastic cone. In this case simply remove the old gaiter and fit the new one, though it is hard work using the basic plastic cones. The air tools that expand the gaiter are much easier, but very expensive for a one off.

If you don't have stretchy gaiters, then you will need to remove the CV joint from the driveshaft - a messy and awkward operation. There will probably be a circlip buried in the grease that retains the driveshaft in the CV joint. This will need to be released, and the CV joint driven off the end of the shaft (copper mallet is useful for this).

The CV kit will come with a sachet of black grease, squirt this inside the CV, then fit the metal retaining clips that should have come with the new CV, and re-assemble. Torque big hub nut up to recommended value - this is important. Usualy there is some kind of anti-rotation device on the nut (split pin, peined edge etc) - be sure to refit/reset this.

Note that the molybdenum grease is a bugger to get out of clothes; overalls or very old clothes are needed!

I absolutely can not recommend the split gaiters, seen far too many of these fail very shortly after fitting.

[Edited on 4/5/11 by MikeRJ]

secret of the split gaiters is cleanliness, as long as you are fastidious about cleanliness thye are fine

Cobblers [IMHO]. I fitted a split gaiter (Sticky boot original no less) to my tintop. I was super careful to keep everything clean, changed my gloves before handling the split boot etc and yet a month later it had still split open, crapped it's moly grease everywhere and knackered the CVJ.

they're the work of the devil. they tempt you with their lazy ways then repay you with disloyalty

I believe the stretchy ones are quite good though sometimes it's difficult to stretch the boot over the cone.

The biggest PITA aspect of changing the boot when I finally did it properly (ie take off the CVJ etc etc) was trying to get the nut off the TRE balljoint as it was rusted up and seized to buggery and back.

Split gaitor = trouble


You should have got a stretch boot and fitting cone, dawdle to fit once you get the knack.

In the longer term you may well eventually end up fitting a new CV anyway, CV joints don't tolerate any dirt or moisture ingress or loss of lubricant.

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Originally posted by britishtrident
Split gaitor = trouble


You should have got a stretch boot and fitting cone, dawdle to fit once you get the knack.

In the longer term you may well eventually end up fitting a new CV anyway, CV joints don't tolerate any dirt or moisture ingress or loss of lubricant.

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Never had a split boot that works, despite cleaning and degreasing the joints afterwards with alcohols etc. Stretchy boots are £7 a pop and can be put on with a bit of spare plastic sheet cut into a cone to stretch the boot over.

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If you have bought "stretchy" gaiters then they will come with a plastic cone.

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My cone cost a whole 3 quid ---- love to have one of the pneumatic boot stretchers but .........................

know the feeling about tyres

a month back wife took the car to have 2 new 18" tyres fitted to fron of the daily drive

I told her to get tracking done, but she forgot and only asked afterwards, too late then as they needed the car to be driven and the suspension settled

this was only discussed this weekend when I noticed as she parked that the insides of both front tyres are through to the inner bits

850 miles from a pair of front tyres, really not good

Gunson Trakrite best thing since sonic screwdrivers.

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Originally posted by britishtrident
My cone cost a whole 3 quid ---- love to have one of the pneumatic boot stretchers but .........................

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Anyone who has had a Passat will know about these CV boots - they don't last long at all. I think I had to replace at least one at every MOT (I had one for 4 years and the other Passat for 2 years). Consequently, I have replaced about 8 of these bleeding things and one on a Primera - I once tried the split / tongue + groove superglue type - as quite a few on here have already said - they are crap. Avoid!

It is a bit of a pig of a job, but quite do-able for a diy man. Apart from the split type, I have always taken the CV apart to do it - mine had a circlip in the end of the shaft which can be difficult to compress as you re-assemble the CV - don't know if Vollly vos are the same.

I would be surprised if you needed to replace the inner ones.

Good luck! (by the way - the Passat hub was held on with a huge allen-key bolt - check if your VV has a similar special tool reqd before you start.

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Originally posted by stevegough
Anyone who has had a Passat will know about these CV boots - they don't last long at all. I think I had to replace at least one at every MOT (I had one for 4 years and the other Passat for 2 years). Consequently, I have replaced about 8 of these bleeding things and one on a Primera - I once tried the split / tongue + groove superglue type - as quite a few on here have already said - they are crap. Avoid!

It is a bit of a pig of a job, but quite do-able for a diy man. Apart from the split type, I have always taken the CV apart to do it - mine had a circlip in the end of the shaft which can be difficult to compress as you re-assemble the CV - don't know if Vollly vos are the same.

I would be surprised if you needed to replace the inner ones.

Good luck! (by the way - the Passat hub was held on with a huge allen-key bolt - check if your VV has a similar special tool reqd before you start.

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Originally posted by pgtips

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Originally posted by stevegough
Anyone who has had a Passat will know about these CV boots - they don't last long at all. I think I had to replace at least one at every MOT (I had one for 4 years and the other Passat for 2 years). Consequently, I have replaced about 8 of these bleeding things and one on a Primera - I once tried the split / tongue + groove superglue type - as quite a few on here have already said - they are crap. Avoid!

It is a bit of a pig of a job, but quite do-able for a diy man. Apart from the split type, I have always taken the CV apart to do it - mine had a circlip in the end of the shaft which can be difficult to compress as you re-assemble the CV - don't know if Vollly vos are the same.

I would be surprised if you needed to replace the inner ones.

Good luck! (by the way - the Passat hub was held on with a huge allen-key bolt - check if your VV has a similar special tool reqd before you start.

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DO NOT use the stretch cv boots on the Passat. Get the proper ones from VW. They come with the proper hard plastic ones in a box with the new circlip and the allen bolt. Yep the cv joint has to be seperated, but thats the nly way to fit the hard plastic cv boots.
How do I know? I work in a garage, and we replace loads of them, but we only use the VW ones.

[Edited on 4-5-11 by pgtips]

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Originally posted by stevegough
And whoever heard of a mechanic called PGtips, anyway?

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Originally posted by adithorp

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Originally posted by britishtrident
My cone cost a whole 3 quid ---- love to have one of the pneumatic boot stretchers but .........................

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Pnumatic boot stretcher is great fun and well worth the money. I got mine very cheap though in a deal for 20 boots and the tool. The sale of boots more than paid for it and it saves somuch time over even a stretch boot and cone. You could do someone serious harm with one of them though.

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Regarding the tracking - you dont seem to be too far away from Wheels in Motion near Watford. Awesomest place in the world for alignment. According to the gospel of the Omega Owners Forum, they're pretty much the only place in the country that does a proper job, so we all take our meegas there. I dare say they can work their wonders on your Volvo, or any other car too - was a bunch of exotica last time I was their including an F40 - mmmmmmmm. They are such a level of guru-ness they have even developed revised settings (compared to the manufacturers standard settings) for cars based on experience and taking into account the fact that on older cars things have settled a bit since the factory. The guy even could be arsed to move my front subframe slightly as it wasn't quite put on straight.

Totally cured the catastrophic inner-edge tyre wear problem my meggy had. All that for only 70-something squid. A total world apart from the local alignment place I initially tried who had the same super duper laser 4-wheel alignment kit, but just got a monkey to undo the camber adjusters and hit the wheel with a hammer so that the camber value went from borderline one side of the very wide vauxhall allowance right over to borderline the other side of the very wide vauxhall allowance! Doh! And charged my £80 quid for the privilege. Didn't do a damn thing for the wear problem.

Hmm went on a bit there! Dont normally rave on about this sort of thing. Unless they're awesome.

Oh you lot.........I know you like bit of monkey spanering......do you?

Quality of gaiters varies enormously ----- the plastic looking ones that come in green boxes are not good in my experience, Now I only buy genuine QH.

cheers for replies - depending on what literature I read, there is lots of little crappy stuff to unolt/remove .... main biggy will be the hug nut I reckon plus other stuff that has rusted and sezied after 17 years.

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Originally posted by coyoteboy

None of mine have come with one, I had to make the cone.

[Edited on 4/5/11 by coyoteboy]

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