Just changed the oil in my 2011 Lariat 4x4 SCREW. The truck has 1700 miles. Not too long ago I installed an Autospring 2.5" leveling kit on it in preparation for putting bigger wheels and tires on it.

While under the truck I noticed black grease coming out of the passenger side outer CV boot. I don't know if it just happened or how long it's been there, but grease was on the outer edge of the boot, and also had dripped down onto the lower control arm. Hard to tell if it's torn or if it's coming from the seam or what, but obviously it shouldn't be leaking grease at 1700 miles.

The leveling kit put the upper control arm and cv joints at a fairly good angle, and I'm wondering if that isn't the cause for the leaking boot. I've heard that it can cause issues, and I've heard that it won't.

Can I replace the boot individually, or will I need to replace the entire CV Axle? I haven't had any issues or noises from the axle or the joint yet. But I don't want to drive around with a torn boot. If I get a 4" lift, would the geometry be back to normal? I don't want to keep the level if it's going to jack my suspension up.

 

Have you been offroad any lately and/or put any extra stress on the suspension? For highway driving, a leveling kit really shouldn't hurt anything. The suspension is designed to travel that much to begin with, so a CV boot shouldn't tear unless you're really getting the suspension in a bind.

If you haven't been offroading much, and at only 1,700 miles, I would guess it's either an installation error of the CV boot, or the installer of the leveling kit tore it while they were working on the truck. I would replace it and see if it happens again before I remove the leveling kit.

A lot of people are putting a lot of miles on these trucks with leveling kits installed and no major issues.

 

X2

 

Ok...well that makes me feel a little better about the leveling kit. I have done no off roading at all, and the truck hasn't even been driven much. So maybe it isn't the leveling kit after all. I will remove the wheel and take a closer look to see what exactly the issue is and report back.

 

With only 1700 miles I highly doubt would do anything, probably damage from install or factory issue. I would take the leveling kit out and take it to the dealer and get it fixed under warranty then when you get it back re-install it so they can't blame the level for the damage.

 

Check to make sure the clamp didn't slip and let the boot pull away. This happened on my truck with same kit. I've also read that the AS 2.5" kit in actuality is a little higher than that.