Hi, I have 2 mbs and both are in need of replacing the cv boots. I was thinking of buying the astoria flexx boot tool to replace my boots (8 in all). reman axles will run me about $900 with shipping. I figure I could do it for less than $500 if I bought the tool and boots. Here is something I had been kicking around, If somebody shipped me their axles ,I can replace the boots for about75$ per axle plus shipping Example ,I live in 14127 zip code (south of buffalo NY) shipping from here to say ,tampa fl would be about $35 for the 2 axles ( so you would have $70 shipping round trip +$75/ axle =$220 total ) example shipping to San Francisco Ca would be about $100 round trip +$75 /axle = $250 total. I'm not looking to make a killing on this, just trying to cover my costs and time. I thought about the tool rental forum ,but every time I lend out a tool it comes back in bad shape and it takes forever to get the tool back. Respond if any one is interested , I can guarantee a 2 day turn around time or less . I will probably buy the tool towards the end of march. thanks mark:)

I've been thinking about purchasing it also... if you go for that, it may sway me more for picking up that MB ball joint press. I'm doing the spring compressor for sure.

I purchase a Flexx gun that is similar to the Astoria gun (it looks exactly like it) from eBay. The only problem is that it would not open wide enough to slip the boot over the metal covering of the W123 axles ends.. precisely at that "lip" on the covering. If the diameter of the ends are larger then 4 1/16 inches it won't go over. (I was bummed!) I am not sure this is correct because I wasn't using "Astoria Boots", but I use instead $13.00 Dorman UniFit universal boots from AutoZone. Without any boots placed on the tool, it will go over the end. But if you have a smaller end it will work with those boots. If you have a use for it, I am willing to rent it out for $15.00 plus shipping and deposit of $150.00. Send me a PM for more details.

thanks but if yours doesn't fit the mbs, then I will probably go with the astoria and their boots. I'd hate like hell to rent it from you and something happens to it. Like I said , when I lend out my tools they come back in less than satisfactory condition. Thats why I would rather install the boots for somebody ,but the shipping is a killer.Its snowing like crazy here so nothing is going to happen until at least may. I have a 3 week vacation to tampa ,fl. coming up in march and I'm hoping to drive home another 123 mbz. :D :beerchug: later mark:D

No problem. I don't mind if it gets a little "used". If it gets broken, then that where the deposit kicks in. :) But anybody is welcomed to rent it, and it may fit the MB axles provided you have the proper boots. I just haven't tested it fully.

I would be happy to ship you a couple of axles for a re do, BioBenz. I don't have them pulled out yet, and won't until it warms up, but let me know when you are ready.

I would be happy to ship you a couple of axles for a re do, BioBenz. I don't have them pulled out yet, and won't until it warms up, but let me know when you are ready.

maybe we can deal.PM a price. I'm in no hurry, just had knee surgery and 2 ft of snow on the ground. :(

Been there, done that. My experence is that you need more grease than the Astoria boot kit supplies because of the large can on the MB cv axels. Just my 2 cents.

Any idea where to get the additional grease (what type, etc.)?

I just replaced my passenger side half-shaft with a boneyard shaft that had cracked but intact boots when I pulled it. I re-booted the replacement shaft with the Astoria Flexx gun and boots. The tool is very easy to use. The time-consuming part is pulling the old shaft and replacing with the new. I can see the reluctance to rent out the Flexx gun. It runs on compressed air and could be damaged by over-pressure or lack of a clean, lubricated air source.

you need more grease than the Astoria boot kit supplies because of the large can...


Burford, What about using the FB3001 boot that's designed for trucks instead of the FB3000 designed for cars?

I couldn't find the dimensions, but it only stands to reason that the FB3001 is larger than the FB3000 and most of the ads I've seen say that they'll both fit cars.

Ok, I'm ordering the Astoria Flexx tool tonight. I'll let you all know how it goes in the next two weeks.

I am following this with interest. I currently have 3 axels on the cars, and two spares which look like candidates due to cracking.

The Diesel Giant writeup is pretty good, but leaves a few loose ends.

It shows using the FB 3001 boot, but not clear if the same boot is used for inner and outer.

As someone else asked, what type of lubricant is used??

Installing the clamps is not shown. Is a special tool needed for clamping??

How long do the boots last?? Any long term success stories??

I got the tool on Friday, but I've got family visiting from out of town. (My eldest daughter graduated high school last night.)

Palangi, I ordered the 3001's for both inner and outer. (I hope they fit. I'll know in a few days.)

They each do come with "genuine constant velocity grease", but I don't think it's going to be enough. Since MB used some sort of oil, I'm seriously considering putting the grease in first and then filling the boot the rest of the way up with 90w gear oil. (Do the veterans have any warnings about the two not playing nice?)

The clamps that are supplied do look like they require a special tool. I happen to have a clamp crimper for SS PEX clamps. I put one of these clamps in it and it seems like it's going to work fine. You might be able to use a dull fence cutter or possibly even channel locks. I don't know and I'm not going to try since I have the PEX tool. I think I remember seeing somewhere that Astoria makes a clamp tool and as I recall it was under $10. (Not like the $130 I paid for the PEX crimper.)

As for longevity, these boots have not been around long, so we can only go by Astoria's claims until they have 5, 10, 15 years on them. (With the advances in rubber chemistry, hopefully we'll get another 20 or 25 years.) However, I did notice yesterday that the new rubber gasket around my fuel tank filler neck has cracks in it already where it touches the neck; and it's less than 10 months old!
:mad:

Thanks Brian. Let us know how this job goes.

I thought about gear oil. I wonder what the high sulphur content would do to the rubber. Maybe synthetic gear oil would be better in that regard.

Mixing grease with oil should only dilute the grease and make it much runnier. That's probably not an issue, since the boot contains the oil or grease. I don't think I'd do it, however, but I can't give you a specific reason why it would be bad.

Whatever you do, do NOT add grease to the grease unless you know for sure that the bases are compatible. Buy extra grease from the same company, or buy enough grease from someone else to do the whole job.

If I understand correctly, what comes in the MB boots is an oil of some type and is pretty runny. From the description, it sounds like what comes with the Astoria boots is some type of grease. Some have said that the quantity looks a bit small. I don't know what the proper amount is. I don't think too much would be a good thing. I can feature the boots "jumproping" if they contained an excessive amount.

Palangi,
That's a good point. I hadn't thought of.

By the way, as I posted on someone else's thread last night. I was able to replace both boots on one axle by only removing the outer joint. I'll start a new thread (with pics) in case anyone is interested.

I also just bought the Flexx gun with 4 FB3001 boots after comparing diameter options. Seems like they will fit perfectly looking at them next to the halfshafts on the bench:)

My problem is also the grease issue. Only 90 grams of grease was supplied per boot where the shop manual calls for 230 grams of "spider oil" per joint. I don't think I have a large enough basement to come up with that much!:o

The oil that came out of the first joint looked like gear oil, but couldnt be sure because everything smelled like gear oil after replacing the diff output seals. It seemed like it had a lower viscosity though based on how easy it was to pour out. The complete kits sold by fastlane come with a 250g tube of grease based on the photo, so I might try more CV grease if I can't find spider/CV oil.

Uh ohhh!!! I went ahead and closed up (clamped) my boots last night.

I agree with you that the oil smelled like gear oil, but was a lower viscosity: somewhere in the 30-50w range.

However, not much came out. In fact, I'd say that I put in more than came out. (Wish I would've measured it though.) If the grease packets are 90g, I'd say that the total of what came out of all four boots was only about 300g. Is it possible that the spec of 230g is for all four combined? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask. Maybe it's 230g for one axle? (with crossed fingers)

I guess I'll write to Astoria and ask them "What the heck's going on?" I have a complaint about the tool anyway. You have to set it nearly on its highest setting to get the fingers over the can and then the plunger won't retract on its own. You have to put a block of soft wood (pine/spruce) against the forward edge and give it a couple of taps with a 16oz hammer to get it to go in. And that d@m# plastic cone that's supposed to protect the splines... as soon as the axle touches it, it falls out and then blocks your view. They should have at least glued it in - snapped in would be better in case somebody needed to remove it. I think it'd be better if you just used about 12" of 1-1/4" ID rubber hose. (I didn't have any to try.)

I called Astoria and talked to an engineer. He's had the FB3000's (I used FB3001's but he said that's no problem) on his MB for 6 years with 70g (not 90g btw) of their "special" grease and hasn't lost a cv yet.

I also discussed the fact that the tool won't retract on it's own at the widest setting and he said it's just because of the break in period. He said it's common for a new tool to do that, but after 10 or 12 boots it should begin retracting on its own. I didn't tell him, but I don't plan to own it that long. ;)

Brian, that's good news for both of us. I bought more MoS2 grease for this task today but the joints were quite full with just the 90g from the kits. I packed in about 20-30g extra, but it was filling up so I stopped. Strange that the "real" kits come with 250g a piece unless I should have packed the boot too...and yeah the manual does say "per joint". I'll hope for the best.

As for the product, it works well except just as you said it sticks open. The boots are about 1/2 the thickness of the original MB part. After autopsy, my boots probably had more than 50k left on them even after 271k original miles (they were stamped with "83" under the boot clamps), but they were cracked about halfway through at the folds. Ya gotta love these cars!

What did you do with the steel ring under the original boot? I thought it might be good to keep, so I wedged them into the 2nd fold on each boot to keep them from collapsing.

What did you do with the steel ring under the original boot? I thought it might be good to keep, so I wedged them into the 2nd fold on each boot to keep them from collapsing.


Those are called "balancers", but I didn't think about reusing them, I just cut them off. :freak:
Maybe they are what keeps the boot from "jumproping" like someone else said.