I bought my 2005 tahoe used in 2008. I have since maintained it myself including oil changes. When I change the oil I like to take my grease gun and give a few pumps to all the zerk fittings on the front suspension. With past cars I have always noticed when I pump grease into the ball joints a little old grease would seep out from the ball joint boot. Well I guess these are some pretty good boots on my tahoe because no old grease ever came out. Upon doing front breaks the other day I noticed that the passenger side lower balljoit boot was ripped and there was grease all over the inside of the wheel. I looked at the other 3 boots and they were all balooned out ready to burst because of how much grease was trapped in them. I poked all 3 with a pin and let them slowly ooze excess grease out of them and return tio normal size. The pin hole seemed to close up once they were done squirting grease. I wiped them all down with a rag and they look fine now. As for the ripped ball joint boot what do I do, spend 3-4 hours replacing it? I placed a jack under the control arm and they seem tight for 103,000 miles... heres what I did.
I took a rag and cleaned the grease off the ripped boot. Then I took an old bicycle tire tube. I cut a piece of tube about 6" long by about 3/4" wide and wraped it around the balljoint boot. I was able to stretch it as I wraped it entirely around the boot making for a rather snug fit. I dabbed a little rubber cement on the piece of tube that I cut and laid it back over itself between the balljoint and the hub and stuck a rag in between the balljoint and the hub to keep pressure on the glue. I waited a few hours and removed the rag. The cement had dried itself. I drove it for a day and checked it again and it not only seemd to be holding up, but at first glance looks like the stock black boot. I poked a pin hole thru it and gave it a few pumps of grease.
Not the ideal fix but this will help keep water, salt and debris out of a ripped boot without splitting the knuckle and spending time and money.
I took a rag and cleaned the grease off the ripped boot. Then I took an old bicycle tire tube. I cut a piece of tube about 6" long by about 3/4" wide and wraped it around the balljoint boot. I was able to stretch it as I wraped it entirely around the boot making for a rather snug fit. I dabbed a little rubber cement on the piece of tube that I cut and laid it back over itself between the balljoint and the hub and stuck a rag in between the balljoint and the hub to keep pressure on the glue. I waited a few hours and removed the rag. The cement had dried itself. I drove it for a day and checked it again and it not only seemd to be holding up, but at first glance looks like the stock black boot. I poked a pin hole thru it and gave it a few pumps of grease.
Not the ideal fix but this will help keep water, salt and debris out of a ripped boot without splitting the knuckle and spending time and money.
