Cracked 348 cv boot

It is an amazingly simple repair. You take the axle flange bolts out and pull the axle out then you will see the snap rings. and then the whole joint slides apart. It is a no brainer. Here are two pics:
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FBB is right. Its an easy job to do.

Also, you can find cheap CV boots somewhere, but I forget where. Someone will soon chime in and tell you though.

 

I'll bet you it is just fine. Her's a stat fro you. In 25+ years of fixing my own and my friend's ferraris I have nver replaced a worn CV joint. I have replaced CV joints blown up on the race track. For now it is way easier to just buy the boot and buy the special boot clip tightener tool will help you greatly. This is a job you will do fairly often in ferraris over you lifetime. Put the boot in and the axle back with grease of course and just drive it and listen for noise. I bet it will be just fine and you will have a nice smile on your face. There is no reason to make this job more complicated than it is. But for what is its worth I check them by feel and feel for play. It is an experience thing and the only way you are going to gain some is take the good axle off and feel it and you will now have 2 datapoints. Then you get like me and feel a zillion of them and then you know. There is a speck for the ball bearings and such but I do not know what it is. I probably have it around here somewhere but to tell you the truth I have never used them. I'm also a bad boy and never us a torque wrench except on critical fastners and then I prefer torque angle specs. So I know when I need to do things a certain way and also know when I don't. That's not a good answer but it's mine.

 

Yes it is unlikely that the CV is "worn out", CV's on front wheel drive cars have to deal with steering input as well as drive and suspension movement so do wear a lot more than Ferrari ones used for drive and suspension movement only.

The main problem you could see is a broken cage, (the ring bit that locates the balls in the joint between the inner and outer parts) just look for cracks going from above the balls.

Then give it a good clean a quick wobble to look for tight spots or clunks, re lube and back together.

I would not recommend dis-assembling the cv itself just do as FBB has shown and take the clip off, slide the cv and the old boot off and put it back together.

It is possible once it is apart to rotate the centre and take out the balls, cage and centre but "technically" you should re assemble it with all the balls, cage and housings in the same place they came from, a lot safer to just leave it together and clean in a parts washer.

The 348 CV'c and boots are a generic type, same a some Porsches, a lot of GM products etc, just go to a cv shop with the boot in your hand and should be able to match up for a few bucks. Genuine Ferrari bring your house deeds....

 

Hi Jeff - I had a hard time finding a clamp tool that I thought would work for the 348 stock boot clamps. So I ended up making one from a large hose clamp. I just cut a slot in it that fit over the clamp. Worked Great!! Hope this helps...

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=192646&page=4 (See post # 187)

 

One other thing I forgot, when you take the drive shaft out, I think it can go back in either way.... ie. same bolt pattern both ends.

It is good practice to always put it back in the same way it came out so the axel always twists the same way.