Aquadrive CV Joint Spraying Grease

I have an older discontinued AquaDrive (CV05 I think) on my boat and I just noticed that grease is oozing out of the CV joint where the boot is clamped on and is spraying into the engine compartment. This started after a long (8hr) day of motoring ar higher than normal RPM (2000), yes, that was a bad idea. It seems to have continued even when I run at my regular RPM of 1600. The boot looks fine to me. The temp of the boot when running is about 115F (46C). I don’t know what the temp was before the issue started and I don’t know how hot is too hot.

Any thoughts on what may be happening or how serious it may be? We are planning a long trip to Desolation Sound next month and I fear a failure when we are in the middle of nowhere.

 

I think the boot has slipped from its normal position. If my memory serves me right (...yes, big IF..), the boot should be seated with its edge slightly to the left of the semicircular groove in the hub, as seen in your image. The rubber part normally has an inner lip that should fit into the groove.

Reason for slipping is a slack in the old clamp; cut it off, reposition the boot and fit a new clamp. A good quality, smooth, SS hose clamp will do. Just take care that there is nothing interfering with the tightening mechanism! Unless there has been a total loss of lubricant, there is no urgent need for additional grease; it is easy to overfill, leading to overtemperatures. Good luck!

 

I think baeckmo is right, that is an Oetiker clamp, slim and light for good clamping evenly in tight spots, and not affecting shaft balance much. The concertina rubber boot is compressed to the right of picture. The rubber may be softened by the heat, not gripping the shaft so well now with the lip not in the groove, and sliding along. Looks like you will need another Oetika clamp due to the socket head cap screws in close proximity. A worm drive clamp may foul the bolt heads. A jet ski repairer may have one of the right size, or buy a packet fairly cheaply from an auto supplies outlet. Be gentle with the rubber boot, maybe pour hot water over it to soften it before pulling it back in place.

 

Thanks so much.

 

Old school aquadrive was essentially Spicer driveline parts with end interface to standard output flanges. Those boots took very little surface corrosion to leak. Had one like that in a skiff for years, seems like we bought replacement boots from some race car driveline shop. Would use some Emory cloth to clean up the flange and then plop on a new boot.

It eventually got replaced by a newer aquadrive around 10 years ago that we bought from driveline nw that should be relatively local to you. Aquadrive has been bought out by the massive monolith that is mack boring, not exactly the standard bearers for prompt customer service. Back in the day driveline nw had a solid marine division and might be worth a call for service parts.

 

I’ll be checking with DRIVELINES NORTHWEST in Seattle today to see if I can get the right size clamp from them. Then I need to figure out how to remove the old and install the new. I have no doubt that this will entail buying expensive tools

 

Autozone used to have one that you could rent or 50 to 60 bucks from Amazon. Still beats the 5-700 for a new driveline.

 

https://marineworks.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prodman.pdf

Page 10 shows the CV05 location of the bellows

A couple of other sources for the pieces can be found with a google search. Mack Boring being one,

 

Removing the clamp is easy: with a screwdriver bend - lift up the outside end with the holes in it, enough to get pliers, side cutters, pincers onto it, and pull it up, bending the little tabs gripping in the holes. It should then come away easily intact. Then you can take it to use as a sample for the new one.
Installation: after cleanup and prep of the sealing surface, then re-positioning the boot, unhook the gripping tabs on the new clamp and wrap the clamp around the boot as tightly as possible in the groove, before snapping the grip tabs into the tightest holes you can manage. Then if no 'proper' tool, carefully with blunt pincers, or blunt angled side cutters if room allows, pushed hard into the base both sides of the raised section, pinch it together, which tightens the clamp. Don't use pliers as they won't pull it together at the base. If you get enthusiastic with sharp tools you may cut through the loop and need a new clamp. If your tightest position isn't quite tight enough but you can't catch the next set of holes with the gripper tabs, first wrap a couple or more rounds of wide insulation tape around the boot to increase the clamping diameter, before sliding it on into the clamp groove, and pinching up the loop. The good tools pinch together at the base with rounded pincers, and also flatten the top of the loop a bit. It looks like the one in the picture was done with pincers, as there's no flat or dent in the top of the loop.

 

The tool.to crimp an oetiker clamp isn't expensive. I got one for $60. But before I bought it, I just used a set of dull nippers.