**Need Advice/Suggestions Please** Grease is slinging out of my CV joint

While doing my brake job last weekend, I noticed green colored grease splattered inside the wheel at the outer edge. (see pic) After further investigation, the grease is coming from the edge of the CV joint boot near the clamp. This is the early onset obviously. There are no ruptures in the boot. Everything is dry except the edge as you can see. Would love to hear your advice and suggestions. Can anything be done aside from replacing the shaft or rebuilding the joint/boot? Thank you for your help!

Looks like the CV joint boot has deteriorated. Two options I can think of (1) have a local shop rebuild the axle CV joint with a new boot, (2) just buy a new axle with CV joint. Sorry, don't know of any in-situ repair solutions.

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Thank you Joe. While the CV boot looks deteriorated, it's actually in really good condition with no ruptures. Just dirty. The grease is squeezing out of the end of the boot. I guess the heat thins out the grease while the high rpms causes it to sling out under force. I'm going to clean it up and examine the boot closely. Maybe I can pull the clamp tighter? I see some people on YouTube try to use sealants on the boots to mitigate this problem, but that would seem like a fool's errand.

You could probably wipe off the excess and monitor the seepage. If it gets too bad it shouldn't be terrible to replace/rebuild by a reputable shop and or Porsche.

I believe those are Oetiker clamps. You might find a oetiker clamp tool and try to tighten the clamp. I saw one at Home Depot.

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That's what I would try first. If it doesn't work you can buy non-Oetiker clamps for the boots. When I did the boots on the M5, the kit came with some clamps that looked kind of hokey but they've been holding up fine for over ten years now. If I ever have to replace them, I'm going to try these...

A number of my boots had been "fixed" with just zip-ties at some point in prior ownership. Are yours actual metal clamps? I can't tell from the picture. Not surprisingly, mine were also leaking grease. I removed the zip-ties and used a grease gun with a needle attachment to inject grease back under the boot between the shaft and the boot, being careful not to damage the boot (from the small axle side). Just enough to try to replace what slung out. I then resealed them with proper Oetiker clamps. Bending the clamps open, around the shaft, and getting them reseated together, was a HUGE PIA. I guess something like the Norma's clamps above would be alot easier, but I wanted to use the original type.

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Yes, original factory metal clamps on both ends. Thank you for the advice man!

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I see that I can easily purchase the factory clamps from FCP Euro. I already have the special plier for these Oetiker type clamps. I've read many times, you want to avoid the screw type clamps for CV boots. Guess it doesn't hold as well? I'm going to take everyone's advice and clean the area. Then, tighten the clamp. I'll report back. Thank you all!

Yeah when my CV boots failed there was freakin' grease flung every where in the wheel well area. Clean it and monitor.

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Thanks Bill! Glad to know I'm not alone with this problem on my P car.

The boots and clamps are available cheap and separately, the labor to install them is a bit arduous, but not impossible for a handy DIY'er, just messy. The real risk is getting dirt into the CV, but with your small seep, and the boot being intact ,that is highly unlikely.. You can clean it up and install the Norma clamp, but be aware it might cause a small vibration. The "screw clamps" have the screw on one side only will upset the balance. In the old days we used these screw clamps to balance (standard) drive shafts when they were out of balance, Using a vibration detector, we would install 1-2-3 clamps in various orientation/locations to balance/smooth the driveshafts.

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Thank you Skip, always enjoy your lighten bolt of wisdom and experience. I that explains why it might not be the best idea to put the "norma" clamp on a Porsche's CV boots. Over the years I've used them with great success with other things like fuel hoses on an old GMC truck. The only time I used them on a Porsche was the washer fluid lines on my 996. Porsche used a plastic clamp to couple the lines and they were broken on my 996. Went to use the windshield washer and it spewed washer fluid all over the place. Installed small screw type clamps and it held tight like a Georgia Bulldog on an Auburn tiger! hahaha

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It was always my understanding that the Oetiker clamps were better because of their even clamping force vs the worm drive that caused wear right at the worm drive mechanism. The clamps that came with the M5 boot kit were neither Oeticker or worm drive ( i don't know what they're called). I didn't want to use them back in 2012 but I was under severe time constraints getting the car ready for Monterey Car Week. I assumed I would be changing them out but as I mentioned above, they've been holding out for ten years now. August of 2012 when first installed. And 30 minutes ago. Messy and the SMELL. Waaay worse than old gear oil.

I changed a CV axle boot once when I was young to save money. Messy job. I just replace the whole axle now if I have to do that job.

I'm in the camp of just replacing the clamp. Re-clamping might work for a short bit. The metal is old and may not hold the refreshed crimped position for long. Agreed that the chance of contamination is very low because nothing's really broken open. Also agreed that the cleaning/repacking rebooting job is smelly and messy. I did it once in the '90's and have bought complete shafts since then.

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I know why the Bulldawg/Tiger meme, you know I'm a WDE fan !!!!!

If you can remove the band clamp without destroying the boot, I would just do that - repack with grease, and re-clamp. You don't have a giant split that would let contaminants in, it seems like a leak that only occurs with positive pressure from the inside due to the slinging as it spins. EVEN if some contaminants had gotten in the worst case is that your CV joint will wear out sooner and you'll have to replace it. My front outer boots were both totally split open and slinging grease. I pulled both axles, disassembled the inner joints in order to get new boots on, cleaned everything up, repacked, and all was good. None of the CV joints showed sign of being worn out - everything felt tight with no slop. So, I suspect yours are in just as good if not better shape. IF you do decide to go the route of totally removing and disassembling, I did document the process to help others get the orientation of the parts right. You Tube

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Confession... we love to go downtown Auburn just to eat at Moe's BBQ and then ice cream at the Toomer's drugstore. It's become a tradition when heading to the Gulf. I just want to know why you guys in Alabama get to have TWO mascots? hahaha

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Thanks Charlie! Good to see you haven't been forced to sell the silver C4S. There is hope for your marriage.

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​​​​​​​ I believe I'm in your camp. I hate messing with grease. (I just had to put in new wheel bearings on my truck) Those shafts are more complicated and just don't want to fool with rebuilding the shaft. The new axles from Porsche are about $1000. Jake Raby has a man that he trusts to rebuild Porsche shafts. Jake told me that he feels the more recent shafts from the factory are not as durable as those in the past. Seems like thats the case more and more. Again, thank you all for chiming in on this situation. Here's my plan... First, I'm going to clean it all up. Tighten the clamp with my tool. Monitor it closely. If it continues to expel grease, I'm going to remove the clamp and install a new factory clamp. Then of course, monitor it closely. If it doesn't hold, then I'm more than likely going to replace the shaft with a rebuilt one or purchase a new shaft.

So much for the plan to tighten the clamp�. no ear on the big end clamp? The small end has one! Ugh Porsche! Well, I did succeed in cleaning up the messy grease. Guess monitor and replace the clamp before having to replace the shaft? Thoughts?

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I think someone else already replaced the clamp on your car with the aftermarket option. Auto Atlanta lists two types for that clamp (item 14) here: https://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-...section=501-05 One looks like yours, which is the aftermarket replacement listed. The Genuine Porsche part is an Oetiker with the tab. FCPEuro also lists the genuine tab'ed replacements. https://www.fcpeuro.com/Parts/?keywords=91133225700 Seems like maybe the aftermarket style isn't clamping tight enough.

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weird� both ends are the same� Thanks for the links. And yes the leaking big end moves by hand. Not the other shaft� no way I can move it by hand. guess a loose clamp with grease makes it easy for it rotate thus forcing out grease when spinning in operation? going for a ride� I�ll update as I monitor it.

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I just realized you were looking at the FRONT axle, they might be identical, but in any case: (item 12) https://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-...section=401-10 https://www.fcpeuro.com/Parts/?keywords=99634925700

Not knowing how old the boots are, why not just replace them? They�re not expensive, and you�ll be sure they�re done right, have fresh grease and should last the life of the car� The job is messy and fiddly but not difficult. I did both of my fronts in about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs from the time I jacked it up til I was driving again�

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​​​​​​​If the three items above do not correct the problem sell it as a roller...😜

Well, went for a short drive of about 30 min or so and came home to check the boot. No grease. But of course that doesn't mean it won't start again. It will probably do so in time. Obviously, since I can rotate the big end of the boot with my hands, it tells me the clamp has stretched over time thus causing it to sling out grease. Based on the low amount of grease on the wheel and surrounding areas, it didn't shed much, but it needs to be refilled and clamped IMHO. Therefore, I've decided to move forward with my plan and order a factory clamp and grease. I'll plan to remove the old clamp and pack grease in the boot and then install a new clamp. Hopefully I won't screw this up.

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Oh, but I did .. I just can't shake the Porsche bug so I still hit up the forums from time to time. I sold my C4S about 1.5 years ago and I do really miss the car. But, I don't regret selling it - it was the right choice for this time in my life. My current ride is soooooo much better for transporting a 2 year old (and we're adding another baby this July!). So, for the time being no 911 for me, but I'm really enjoying the current balance between 'practicality with kids' and performance (and if I'm being completely honest I haven't missed laying on my garage floor wrenching at all).

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I totally get it. When you have children, these cars are not the most practically especially if you're the one transporting them to school, events, sports, etc. Simple things like moving car seats in and out can be a major hassle. We're all tall in my family and my children weren't able to fit in the back seat comfortably without moving the front seats up really far, which in turn made the driving experience rather interesting. Felt like I was about to eat the steering wheel. Couldn't hardly maneuver my foot to engage the clutch pedal because I was so crunched forward. It was a rolling circus to say the least. haha. That being said, I'm glad I didn't get rid of my 4-door sedan. It was the daily driver and kid taxi for more than 10 years. Now my children are driving on their own. One chapter in my life has closed and another one has opened. But glad I can still walk out in my garage and see a Porsche. My wife even asked to go for a drive last night and she wanted to drive! Life is good!

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That's awesome, my girlfriend of almost 6yrs rolls her eyes whenever I ask we go anywhere in the Porsche.

SUCCESS!!!! Just what to thank all of you for your help and advice on this relatively simple project. THANK YOU! Here's what I did: First, I wanted to make absolutely sure the grease was coming from the edge of the boot and not anywhere else. From simple observation (location of grease leakage) and the fact that the boot could be rotated by hand, you could easily assume that the clamp has stretched thus allowing grease to work out around the edge of the boot from centrifugal forces. But I wanted to be absolutely sure the boot wasn't ruptured in another area. My redneck experiment: I cleaned the area, got some duct tape and wrapped a one inch strip around the circumference of the boot's edge. Drove the car for two months (sounds crazy doesn't it?) and observed weekly. Nothing. Completely clean. Last night after pulling the tape off, I noticed grease was working itself back out again. My theory is that it wouldn't have been long and the tape would have slung off from the lack of adhesion. But that's good new because it proved the boot wasn't leaking from other areas. Saved some money and effort too... I didn't want to have to replace the CV axle and definitely didn't have Charlie's nerve to rebuild the joint. Therefore, I purchased the simple CV boot repair kit from FCP Euro. (Thank you jdbornem ) The kit comes with a tube of OEM Porsche grease and yep... a Oetiker clamp. I had some standard clamp pliers I bought from Advanced Auto (red ones in the image), but they wouldn't work. (Kept slipping off the Oetiker clamp ear.) Went to Home Depot and a nice man showed me the Oetiker type pliers (yellow plier in image). Got back to the garage. Here's where the fun starts! haha Removed the original clamp. No problem. Slipped the boot back. No problem. Filled the boot with the nasty green OEM grease. No problem. Tried to slip the boot back on the CV joint... PROBLEM!!! I fought it for an hour... it was harder than trying to mount 15" Tire on a 16" rim! hahahaha I'm dying here... what the hell?!!!! I took a break. After staring at it for 30 minutes, I realized that I needed to jack the wheel assembly up so that the axel and joint where completely LEVEL. I was trying to slip it back on at an angle... Idiot mistake! After jacking up the axle and getting the CV joint level, the boot slipped on easily. Put the Oetiker clamp on and tightened it down. Shaaaaazaaam... it was tight! Not possible to rotate by hand. Now let's hope it holds. I have extra clamps if something is not right down the road. Again, THANK YOU for your help!

Celebrate with a nice meal at Waffle House!!

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Awesome video!

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Glad you got it sorted out, nice work - and great tip on jacking it up so get the boot to slip over. Thanks!

Nice work b3!

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Thanks guys! Took it for a drive and got it up to speed and perfect balance at high speed, but no worries guys, I did the responsible thing and backed it off at 150 mph. Georgia State Troopers frown on people going 15 miles over. Waffle House here I come!!!! It's been TOO long without my toothless wonder of waitresses. Gimme it over easy and smothered and covered ma'am!

Bobby, Driving your 996 150 on public highways, posting off topic pictures...sounds like you're giving my friend Luis a run for his money. If you post a picture of your pancakes, I'll know you're gunnin' for him.

^^^ All you gotta do is throw some photos of smoked brisket in there and we got us a contest! * I just want to add - While you clearly didn�t need them, putting new boots on isn�t a difficult job, just messy as hell. I did all four fronts on mine in about 3 hours�

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After two weeks of driving the CV joint/boot area are dry. So glad the boot wasn't destroyed. Well, Bruce. I'm pretty sure it's not wise to compete with Luis on the heavy meat eating and alcohol consumption. I'd lose for sure. And, admittedly not going 150 on public roads, but I'd be a liar if I said I don't open it up when no one is around for miles. hehehe 3 hours? How in the world did you get the boot on so quickly? Seems like removing the joint would be a nasty time consuming process especially if the shaft is attached. Did you remove the axles and complete the job on the bench?