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What the Heck is a CV Axle and What Causes Them to Break

September 1, 2017 13483 Views No comments

The CV boots attach to the CV joint and the CV joint attaches to the CV axle, meaning the boots generally are the first parts to wear down. When they crack or tear they need replacing to protect the joint and axle. If you see that the boots are cracked or torn, grease from the inside will leak outside and the dirt outside will seep inside. Dirt then grinds everything down, making you replace the more expensive joint and axle a lot earlier. These boots break down with age and exposure unfortunately, and will need to be looked at often to make sure they’re still intact.

Say the dirt does get in and starts wreaking havoc on your joint and axle. You'll begin to hear clicking, popping or ticking noises that tend to get louder when accelerating during turns as the grease inside the boots empty. And if you ignore these signs, and keep pushing forward down the track, the axle will eventually snap and the wheel will stop moving, leaving you in that awkward position of figuring out how to get your vehicle back to the truck or trailer without damaging it even more.

Another way drivers can put their CV parts at greater risk is by adding lift kits to their vehicle. When you add a lift, you increase the distance between the differential and the wheel hub which puts additional pressure on the CV axle, joint and boots. This also increases the vehicle’s operating angle making the problem even worse. Bigger tires can be a problem too and work against your joint and axle because of the increased angle. Just think about replacing the CV axles with stronger aftermarket parts if you’re thinking about adding a lift to make sure they don't buckle under all that added pressure. Gravity + Pressure = Break.

Driving and jumping around, that's what all-terrain is about so make sure to check your CV boots, joints and axles often or it'll be stuck up on a lift getting fixed when you could be driving.

Have any more tips about CV Axles, joints or boots and keeping them protected? Let us know in the comments.


  1. ATV Axle Replacement Guide: http://www.sixity.com/atv-axle-replacement-guide
  2. CV Joint: http://www.samarins.com/glossary/cv_joint.html