Solved CV Axles

[Fordtruckfan89]

That are good news, hoping the best for the new boot design.
Had two sets of the Tracmotives and was not lucky with the boots,
Rockauto discription
"Premium Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) boots are stronger and more resistant to off-road damage" (HaHaHa)

So i gave GSP a chance,
Rockauto discription
"GSP axles use only premium grade neoprene boots that ensure robust abrasion and extreme temperature resistance, preserving boot integrity in even the most extreme conditions"

More Information for GSP NCV11110XDP

It is not really rubber, it feels like soft plastic, the material feels very thin too.
Became wrinkles after installing, no chance to avoid this (both sides).
First fails at the outer side, half year later the diff side fails.
View attachment 464836

Another issue are the dust seals on the wheel side, they crack too (Trakmotive and GSP use the same).
I use SKF 25013 , it is a two piece design, they never fail until now.
View attachment 464838
View attachment 464837

I can't say on other years, but my 03 Trac didn't have the wheel seals originally. It should be easy to tell a rubber boot from the plastic ones the early trakmotive extended axles used, the stuff was thin plastic, didn't feel like silicone or nitrile rubber. I ended up swapping to manual hubs after several sets of the extended ones failed, and my driveshaft boot split. They don't make them for the pvh style hubs, so I haven't looked into them anymore.

 

[CDW6212R]

FYI , those seals that come on most of the CV axles, those are just dust seals, to help protect the hub bearings from debris. The spindles came with a metal insert on the inner surface where those dust seals would be close to. Now all spindles have had the metal insert, which is just a simple sheetmetal part which provides a smooth surface for the dust seals.

Don't have the dust seals moved too far outboard on the CV axle, so it rides hard against the back of the spindle. That will wear down the rubber seal, melt it away even, worse if the spindle surface is just the raw cast iron type. The seals should be very close to the spindle backside, but not touching it really. The dust shields can be moved in or out with some minor effort.