Busted CV Boots

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:38 pm

I'll try and make this a short story. I have a brumby with a 3inch lift kit, EA82turbo and L series lower control arm conversion. I am continually getting busted inner CV boots on the drivers side. I am making heat shields up for it but now it appears that the CV boots are actually rubbing on the steering column linkage because the L series control arm brings the axle and wheel forward.

Anyone got ideas about where to go with this now???? I'd like to actually drive this car someday.

steve_rising_sun · Post by **steve_rising_sun** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:13 pm

If you make up adjustable caster rods then you can pull the wheels back away from your steering, but you will still bust boots. My Brumby does! A good tip for cars with way too much CV angle is to constantly spray silicon spray on them. The poor things get too hot and because they are stretched out the grease ends up forming in a ball pushing outwards and.....pop. The silicon will limit rubbing and heat build up.

brumbee · Post by **brumbee** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:23 pm

could try extending or shortening part of your steering components to go around it.

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:47 pm

Steve at rising sun, I do have the adjustable radius rods from a falcon and I can pull the wheels back a bit, but won't that put strain on the rubbers where the lower control arm mounts to the sub frame. I see also that both left and right axles have been touching the edge of the subframe so they are definitely too far forward.

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 11:30 pm

Every turbo Brumby owner I've spoken to has the problem of short boot life from the DOJ under the turbo. We just accept it but if something is rubbing you've got an additional problem.
Why are you using L series lower arms? Chasing a heap of negaive caster and camber?

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:01 am

brumbyrunner wrote:Every turbo Brumby owner I've spoken to has the problem of short boot life from the DOJ under the turbo. We just accept it but if something is rubbing you've got an additional problem.
Why are you using L series lower arms? Chasing a heap of negaive caster and camber?

Positive Caster and Negative Caber you mean.

does wonders for the handling from my experiences

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:04 pm

It had far too much positive? camber /\ and looked like a veedub with no engine. I don't know what was causing it but it doesn't have the original struts. As it accelerated, it climbed up on the castor even further and looked ridiculous. I searched these forums and came up with the best option which was the l series control arm conversion. It has power steering too and the extension for the control column seems to be interfering with the cv boot which has now moved forward.. It had a very rough as guts piece of tin sheeting screwed in as a heat shield. I'll be making another insulated arrangement. As Matatak says, it handles really well on the road and now has slightly negative camber. It sits on the road beautifully. I'm not beaten yet, I'm gonna work this out. (Old subaru saying)

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:55 pm

Matatak wrote:Positive Caster and Negative Caber you mean.

That's more like it. Negative caber?

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:54 pm

Matatak wrote:Positive Caster and Negative Caber you mean.

brumbyrunner wrote:Negative caber?

Fair go though, Matatak has cleaned up his posts heaps compared to his early ones

Cheers

Bennie

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:06 pm

ill take my Negative Ca(m)ber over your Negative Caster though

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:47 am

Are you using the std cat/down pipe or did you make something up ?

Cheers A .

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:28 pm

The setup was in the car when I bought it. It has no heat shield on the up pipe to the turbo, or under the turbo but has some muffler cloth wrapping on the large exhaust coming down from the turbo. The main problem at the moment seems to be the inside drivers side boot is rubbing on the steering linkage coming down to the rack. It has the power steering rack, so don't know if that has made a difference. I have fitted the L series lower control arms to give good negative camber but these control arms also bring the wheel a considerable way forward which is causing this boot to rub on the steering link and the axle shaft has been touching also on the sub frame (Crossmember)
(Have heard an intermittent clunking noise for some time).

I am going to fix this area once and for all!!!! My youngest son is a sheet metal worker and we are going to make some heat shields up for this area. I have made one for my standard brumby and we make them out of muffler wrap sandwiched between to plates of galvanised sheet held together with rivets. Seems to work ok.

With respect to the control arms, I've got this worked out but won't say too much yet.
I'll wait till its finished and take some pickys. I'll get some pictures so far if you like to show what I mean. I was also going to reboot this shaft with heat resistant boots from
http://www.cvboots.com.au/ and see how that goes. Can't be any worse than it has been.

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 6:38 pm

Ok, here is the story

Subaru Workshop
[ATTACH]1413[/ATTACH]
Busted CV boot...only new!!!
[ATTACH]1414[/ATTACH]
And muffler wrap and steering linkage
[ATTACH]1415[/ATTACH]
Tight fit, Note closeness of crossmember
[ATTACH]1416[/ATTACH]

Control arms are away on holiday, more about that later????

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:34 pm

I'm interested to know what you're using in the way of driveshafts considering that The L control arms are said to be longer than MY .

The problem could be that the longer control arms have extended the cage/balls of the DOJ beyond what the boot wants to cope with though it's interesting that only the offside one gives trouble .

It may pay you to look into L RX Turbo heat shields because there are from memory two underneath the turbocharger .

One option is to look into those turbine housing insulating bags or beanies as some call them .

I've always thought and the performance fraternity usually agree that OEM CV and DOJ boots are the best and usually last the longest .

That wrap on the downpipe looks like "thermoteck" insulating wrap and works very well .

Cheers A .

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:32 am

Thanks for that. Axles are from the L series donor for extended length. Front hubs and disc setup is all L series. Wrap on the exhaust pipe needs re securing probably with stainless steel pipe clamps, was wire wrapped. Left side axle gives no problems. The boot doesn't appear to be over stretched. Went to subaru re heat shields. No heat shields for this available any more and were very hexy when they were. I believe they were also prone to wear out and rattle. So will make my own and fit to bolt holes where originals sat. Control arms are being re-engineered to come back a couple of degrees. This will also alleviate any over stretching that may be existant. It will also maintain castor, negative camber and bring the wheel back in to the centre of the wheel arch. This will also bring the boot away from the steering column and cross member. Will put progressive photos up if you like. The guy looking at my control arms is one of Toowoombas best and makes rollcages for drag cars etc etc.. . They will be better than before and stronger.

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:39 pm

Yes very handy have a "competitions dept" to look after the fabrication work .

Those L Series front control arms don't look it but from the diagram on P32 of the suspension chapter in the factory 87 WSM the inner end bush tubes are at 90 degrees to the center line of the arm ie a line bisecting the ball joint hole and the centre of the bush tube at the inner end .
The delux solution would be a spherical joint screwed into a female thread at the inner end of the arms to make them length (camber) adjustable . Trouble is that these joints wear quickly in dirty dusty environments so are a high maint component in a road car .

Hate to say it but the best way to alter camber/caster it by moving the tops of the struts in and rearwards meaning adjustable strut tops .

The rally people I know that ran an RX-T made a jig up to bore the knuckle housings strut holes at a different angle and sleeved them back to the std bore size . This corrects the chronic positive caster Ls have and you'd never know how without looking VERY closely at them .
If I wasn't going to Impreza struts/knuckles/hubs its what I'd do too .
If people here are seriously interested I can ask them if they still have the jigs and what the charge would be to modify pairs of knuckles .

Cheers A .

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:35 pm

Ok, Bits are arriving,

New boot from Mecatech
[ATTACH]1426[/ATTACH]
Needs to be trimmed off, one size fits all
[ATTACH]1428[/ATTACH]
Trimmed up
[ATTACH]1430[/ATTACH]
Control arms are back, new angle bringing wheel back into arch centre
[ATTACH]1429[/ATTACH]
Getting there
[ATTACH]1427[/ATTACH]