i just found out that my drivers side axle boot is cracked and grease is everywhere. how hard is it to replace and where can i find the boot? is this a weekend job that i can do or do i need to let a professional do this? please help.

thanks,

mitchel

I've done this job 3 times. Get a Haynes manual for a pretty good explanation. I'm not a pro like Charles, so it takes me about 3 hours. On the driver's side (North America) you have to pry the shaft out of the transaxel. Be careful not to damage the seal. I think there is a special tool for this, but I used on of those flat pry bars. On my car it was pretty tough to get it out. You can get a boot kit (both boots) from Volvo for about $65, but I bought the outer boot from an import parts place for about $10. Make sure you get the right boot - the turbo shafts are thicker.

Any auto store can sell you the boot, around here they are about 15 dollars. I can do both boots on the half shaft in about 2 hours including cleaning and re-packing the joint. You do have to remove the half shaft though.