355 CV Axle and Boot Replacement questions...

In the last 43 years of working on Ferrari I have replaced exactly 4 CV joints. That was on a Dino where the dealer did a beautiful job of servicing both half shafts, replaced all the boots, cleaned everything. Very professional looking job.

They forgot to put grease the CV joints. They were bone dry.

The CV joints are large, durable well made parts and very few Ferraris ever get enough miles to wear them out. I have seen the splines on the axles of Daytonas worn out and the CV joints were still just fine.

 

There is nothing special about the CV joints on a 355. Any number of online videos and technical resources will show you what to look for and how to do things.

The only 355-specific thing I would suggest is fabbing heat shields for the inner boots. The factory shields are comically useless and you will be replacing boots regularly if you don't shield them.

 

You'll want to clean and lubricate with fresh grease. Be sure to use the sealant between the boot and joint, and joint and axle flange. This prevents water intrusion. No don't replace the half shafts.

I'd just use the Ferrari part and not use a Porsche part. I just like using factory parts for the most part. Ferrari may even make a kit. Furthermore note the year of production/chassis number. There are two different boots. The early F355 ones don't work on the later and vice versa.

 

For the record, I burned up 7 boots over 3 years of HPDE in my F355 and 40 HPDEs.

In race track use something gets hot enough to balloon up the boots and add stress to the flexure points. A thin straw through the seals allows escape of those gasses.

My mechanic always used Porsche parts.

 

Doesn't Ferrari make challenge boots that hug closer to the joint and axle shaft and therefore are further away from the heat?

 

https://www.ricambiamerica.com/gs355cv-f355-cv-boot-shield-set.html

 

Somebody should make these again, I used to burn through boots like crazy with wrapped Fabspeed’s until these shields went in. Have Tubi now but definitely keeping the Goth shields.

 

I had one boot bad during my major, I used the ricambi kit, it was fairly quick and easy and includes the correct amount of the correct grease (which I didn't realize and wasted an hour or two trying to locate the correct grease locally). I found something close - a valvoline synthetic grease that had very similar composition, but the ricambi kit was quick and easy. I dropped the cv joint in my parts washer in the evening and then pulled it out the next morning, cleaned it up really well, and then repacked it and put the boot on. Be careful what you clean it with - don't use brake cleaner on it.

 

I actually used a set of generic CV boots for my 348, they actually fit really well and I have done 14,000kms on them so far with no problems.
they are just CV joints, as others have said, most Ferrari's would never do enough miles to wear them out...
Proper servicing will ensure they'll last for an extremely long time.

 

I gave up on Porsche CV boots for Ferrari. For the last several years, when I need CV boots, I buy the kits from one of two places, both sell correct boots for Ferraris. Ricambi or GT car parts. Kits come with EVERYTHING you need, down to the circlip.

 

That caused me a bit of headache as when I was all done I had the old circlip sitting on my bench and thought maybe I hadn't put it back on for a second...but then remembered it came with a new one.

 

The correct Porsche boots work fine. I know KennyD said he had to trim them because of the way the lip was but you don;t have to do that. The lip is thinner on the Porsche boot and fits into the notch on the mounting place and when the clamp is tightened it squeezes down into the notch. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/cv-boot-cross-reference-for-355.598569/

 

Why? What do you recommend?

 

Because the brake cleaner could sit in there and eat the grease over time.

My Ferrari boots came in a kit with grease.

 

Is MEK a good cleaner?

 

Our kits all ship with GKN Loebro 9004311 grease

 

What Paul K said, any residue of it will ruin the new grease. IIrc I took them apart, wiped as much grease off as I could with shop rags, then cleaned with oil eater and rinsed thoroughly. Then I dried completely and added the supplied grease. I was expecting a much more difficult time of it but it was pretty easy tbh, the rags took almost all of the old stuff off. If you can't get the factory recommended supplied grease, there is a Valvoline that is almost exactly the same in composition that's available at part stores - one of my local parts stores had it. I bought that then when I opened the cv boot package realized it came with grease. If you don't have the correct, let me know and I'll go out in the garage and let you know the type of Valvoline grease I got.