What Brand of CV Axle Half-Shafts?

[coolnesss]

I have bad half shafts on my 2002 ETC - the boots are leaking and the axles are making noise.

I can get:

Fencos for $90 apiece, new,

EMPI new for $57 apiece

Master Pro for $70 apiece, new

Cardone Select New $45 apiece, new (RockAuto)

AUP - Automotive Undercar Products, new for $59 apiece. (RockAuto)

It looks like the GM Part is in the three hundred buck range from GMDirect and them - and it looks like those are only the CV joints, not including the half-shaft.

Any advice on which of these make the most sense?

THANKS

[Logan]

GM has severel versions available. Alot of the shafts are the same for different cars. Think Delta 88 or Bonneville.

There are a couple of different CV joint designs used. Some CV joints are 10 lbs different in weight and twice the size. At one time, I had some pictures of the 'light' CV and the 'heavy' CV version. This is something you will feel while driving the car.

That said, most of the reman shafts I have seen have the heavy version CV with very weak rubbery reman CV boots....wont last long. The OEM GM units use a almost plastic like CV boot.

IMO...your best bet is most likely finding a good used shaft. My 2001 has a used, OEM, light weight CV version shaft. About 80K now on the used shaft with no problems.

[coolnesss]

The Cardone shaft has a neoprene boot - does that make a difference? And it has a "limited" lifetime warranty. I read the warranty - it's sufficient unless you try and break it, or run it a long time while its leaking grease.

The AUP shaft has a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty.

EMPI has 12 month/12,000 mile warranty.

I found another brand - Raxles - at raxles.com with a lifetime warranty - and again the limitations on the warranty are reasonable.

My car has only 40k miles - and both of the boots gave out - so I'm not real hot on the idea of using OEM - and finding OEM's with low mileage in a junk yard would be difficult on a car that old - so I'm planning on getting new ones, not remanufactured. The freight on the return of the cores is enough to make up the difference in price.

Hmmmm - so many choices!

[Logan]

Im kind of surprised that both boots have failed at 40k miles. Unless we are not getting the full story...

Some of us have 200k miles with original shafts and boots. In my case, 193k with one original shaft, one used OEM shaft.

The OEM boots are vastly superior to the reman aftermarket rubbery neoprene ones.

[Logan]

Wow...found the picture on the first CD I checked.

Picture shows Cardone reman CV on left, my OEM CV on right. Both CV's dismantled at this point. My OEM shaft had galling on the bearing surface. My car also required a new (used) diff and trans case cover. Took hours to pound the oem shaft out of my trans...notice the hammer marks and damaged bearing surface.

The two CV's are different due to the internal CV design used.

If I remember correctly, the reman shaft was 11 pounds heavier then the 'light' OEM one. You will feel the weight while driving. So...mine car ended up with a used OEM 'light' shaft.

[stsbank]

Wow...found the picture on the first CD I checked.

Picture shows Cardone reman CV on left, my OEM CV on right. Both CV's dismantled at this point. My OEM shaft had galling on the bearing surface. My car also required a new (used) diff and trans case cover. Took hours to pound the oem shaft out of my trans...notice the hammer marks and damaged bearing surface.

The two CV's are different due to the internal CV design used.

If I remember correctly, the reman shaft was 11 pounds heavier then the 'light' OEM one. You will feel the weight while driving. So...mine car ended up with a used OEM 'light' shaft.

Which one would produce the best results? The heavier version or the lighter one? and what material for the boot?

[Logan]

You could feel the extra weight of the reman Cardone shaft while driving. Plus it had cruddy reman rubber boots.

The solution for my car was a used OEM shaft. Much lighter weight a much better plastic like CV boot.

[bobbnsueb@sbcglobal.net]

You could feel the extra weight of the reman Cardone shaft while driving. Plus it had cruddy reman rubber boots.

The solution for my car was a used OEM shaft. Much lighter weight a much better plastic like CV boot.

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Hi,

What do you mean by you will feel the weight when driving?

Thanks,

Bob B