My experience is that axle costs about $40-60 USD. A boot kit costs about $25+ and then you need to get all greasy and buy the right clamp tool for the boot clamps.

My left one just tore a boot. New axle is sitting here waiting to be changed.

Personally the time, effort and grease is simply more of a hassle than the extra $10 or $20 for a new or rebuilt axle.

How hard is it to replace a halfshaft?? I'm actually very good with cars but I've never had this stuff happen before so I didn't know what it was. I did look it up on autozone and it'* only like 65 bucks. But on the other hand it did just happen cause that grease was very fresh. My cousin owns his own mechanic shop and I could get a boot and just have him throw it on for me real quick?? What should I do. The boot is 25 and the halfshaft is 65, that'* 40 bucks more. If it would be ok to just change the boot I will do that. But what do you guys think? All of our cars are going down lately. This happening to mine and my wifes coil spring on her grand am broke last week so fixed that yesterday also. the troubled times begin!!!

By looking at the amount of grease that has been slung out and is black, it has been leaking at least for a while. It will continue to throw out new grease as long as there is some left. If it were me, I'd either replace the half shaft (my preference), or have the inner CV boot, and joint, replaced. Here'* the procedure on removing the shaft.

Wheel Drive Shaft Replacement

no the grease isn't black it'* green. That'* why I said it looked like it just happened because it'* really fresh green grease. I'll probably get some help doing this job. I've never done this before so I don't want to do it alone. thanks guys

Mine went all of a sudden and released at least that much Green grease.

When the GM Tech took it apart and we inspected the bearings, he remarked how good it looked, and I had driven it like that thru WCBF05 and all the way home afterwards.
He also remarked that this half shaft is very HD compared to most.

You guys can obtain your parts for a heck of lot less money than I can.

I prefer to keep as much original without replacing a good part that I have coddled thru its life compared to someone elses worn out rebuilt part.

The grease that got slung around that is all over the boot for the rack, and other suspension parts is black, indicating that it has been doing this for a while. Yes, the fresh stuff still coming out is green. The black in this picture for one spot.

I love how easy the directions make it sound:

Yeah, that'* a good amount of time right there. On my LeSabre, we did this by heating the knuckle up, while prying down on the A arm with a big mother of a pipe (solid) that my neighbor let us borrow. If you've got two people and heat, it'* not too bad...

translation: have a friend hold the loose end of the shaft up, and don't let it fall and separate. Of course, if you're replacing the entire thing (recommended for the small additional cost), you can let it hang free as much as you want...

translation: Take a screwdriver, find a good place, and pry that sucker until it pops out.

Made extra fun on a '96 LeSabre by the fact that in '96, the trans pan was stamped, not cast - and wasn't anywhere near a 'pry-able' surface.

I'm sure what they meant to say was - with the utmost care, gently remove the halfshaft from the transmission, being sure not to scratch the surface of the tranny or output shaft seal along the way, as it'll really bugger things up in the future.

I'm not sure on the 2000+, but on H bodies, with some finangling of the front suspension components (you'll deff. want a helper around to do this), you can pull the whole shebang out without having to remove anything other than the sway bar endlinks. Which, BTW, is a good time to replace them with a set of poly bushings, that you can pick up at AutoZone for 19.99 - and make it handle that much better.

Good luck Nate - let us know what happens...

I talked to a friend who'* a mechanic about my car. He told me that it doesn't sound like the cv and the boot does not looked ripped up close. He told me just sounds like a wheel bearing. I told him at normal highway speeds when I turn a slight left curve it gets louder and a slight right it goes away all together. He saids it'* definitely a wheel bearing. What do you guys think about this? I don't think it could be a bearing because of where the grease is and where it'* being slung.

None of my wheel bearings slopped grease any where and I changed 3.That has got to be cv boot , you could have a tear but look like it is sealed.You should remove wheel and push on boot see if tear appears.Possible noise could be coming from your CV joint being shot?

the wheel hub will NOT excrete grease EVER. its your CV boot.

however, it is also likely that you have a bad wheel hub as well as the CV boot leaking. thw two things are separate issues