What a nightmare! Axle problem...

[Cali]

God my car has been a nightmare this past month:
1) my car was overheating but luckily a good radiator flush fixed the problem.
2) a got HUGE screw in my tire 2 days ago.
3)i winded up replacing ALL my motor mounts because of a lot of vibratation and noise my motor was making.
4) after i picked up my car today i still have a vibratation so i jack up my car and look at my axles. i look at the passenger side one and i see this :
no problem here:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/paa24a907dc453aa1f7110e9852c832cb/fc0b7ebc.jpg

I then look at my driver side axle and this is what i see:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/pd23e9f275c2ed23709fc73edd7fda6a3/fc0b7ec1.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/pc82634bf167e3ff15684a5083535ad44/fc0b7ec2.jpg

now im PRETTY sure this damage happened when i hit that huge pothole that bent my rim about 2 months ago. since then my car has been in the shop TWICE and the mechanics never told me ANYTHING about it being damaged. well, to make it short, do i have to replace the entire axle or just the boot? im thinking the entire axle because when i move the tire it makes a loud clacking sound from where the axle connects to the tranny.
when i go WOT from a stop i get a loud clacking sound from right underneath my feet. (you can feel it). will replacing the axle solve my problems or am i doomed to tranny problems?

kinda hard to see but the arrow indicates where the sound comes from.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/p2112546606789d5fbe8ccd39a1ec231e/fc0b7ec5.jpg

[manybrews]

hitting a pothole wont cause that.
in fact, it looks fairly new, as the grease isnt discolored yet.
in the case where the boots already torn open, i recommend the entire axle be replaced.
any good auto parts store (napa, autozone, etc) will sell you a fairly reliable aftermarket rebuild for a LOT less than a 600 dollar factory one.
probably more along the lines of 125 bucks. at that price, it would be silly not to replace the whole thing.

[Cali]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(manybrews)</div><div class='quotemain'>hitting a pothole wont cause that.
in fact, it looks fairly new, as the grease isnt discolored yet.
in the case where the boots already torn open, i recommend the entire axle be replaced.
any good auto parts store (napa, autozone, etc) will sell you a fairly reliable aftermarket rebuild for a LOT less than a 600 dollar factory one.
probably more along the lines of 125 bucks. Â* at that price, it would be silly not to replace the whole thing.</div>

if the pothole didnt cause it, what do you think did? i called a mitsu dealer and i asked for the entire driver side axle and they said it was 316. am i getting everything i need for that price or is it only part of it? i checked online at parts.com as well and i assume this is what i need?

AXLE ASSY, Galant, 3.0L, w/ABS, Left $248.38
http://www.parts.com/schematics/images/mechanical/F707080.gif

i'll call autozone tomorrow and see what they tell me. thanks for the help i dont want to wind up buying the wrong part.

[manybrews]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cali)</div><div class='quotemain'>

if the pothole didnt cause it, what do you think did? i called a mitsu dealer and i asked for the entire driver side axle and they said it was 316. am i getting everything i need for that price or is it only part of it? i checked online at parts.com as well and i assume this is what i need?

AXLE ASSY, Galant, 3.0L, w/ABS, Left Â* Â* Â* Â* Â*$248.38
http://www.parts.com/schematics/images/mechanical/F707080.gif

i'll call autozone tomorrow and see what they tell me. thanks for the help i dont want to wind up buying the wrong part.</div>

it just happens.

could be any of a million things. Up where i live, the cold usually kills CV boots after about 8 years, plus or minus.
or any small piece of debris could easily rip it open.


also, 316 bucks isnt bad, but im sure you can do better (unless you dont want aftermarket rebuilds), and I WILL say that this is one case that i fully support the aftermarket. I generally despise 3rd parties for things like engines and trannies, but an axle is simple and easy for most places to rebuild correctly.

[Cali]

ok one last thing. my uncles keep saying that i just need to replace the boot but is that the reason i feel something "hitting" (loud clacking sound) and vibrating at WOT? cause like i said before it makes that sound when i rotate the tire right where it connects to the tranny.

i just called napa and autozone and they said they both dont have the part listed yet. do you know of any other place i can call or am i stuck with the dealer?

[Gilhuly]

Just for the record,

If the CV is not making a clicking sound you can simply repack the existing joint with a new boot kit (boot, grease, bands). If the joint is making noise, I would personally replace the axle with an OEM part as opposed to a remanufactured one. The bearings in a remanufactured axle do not have the hardened coating any more and don't last nearly as long. You'll just end up doing it again in 40-50k miles. Also with the boots, don't cut corners that part takes a lot of wear and tear and is what protects your axle.

That is one of the main reason I get my oil done at a place that lifts my car. I get under it evry 4k to look around.