CV Joint & Axle/Shaft Replacement

No sharp creek.  This is a distinct click.  I have already ruled out the sway bar.  I had to replace one of the mounts earlier this year so that was one of the things I looked at when this started.  I have to hit a good bump for it to click.  Any bump won't cause it to happen.  When I turn the wheel sharply is when I hear it too.  Not just a gradual left or right turn.  That I can notice.  I was going about 20mph and was pulling the wheel left and right and it would click.  Mostly when turning it to the left.  I haven't been able to hear it while going straight, but it doesn't start humming and vibrating until I'm at about 30mph and then I can't really hear out of the window.  I also don't feel it in the steering wheel. I did not get a chance to check the lugs on the wheel yet.  I was running late this morning.  Bouncing the car doesn't cause it to make the noise.  The car needs to be moving.  This is something that just started in the last 2 or 3 weeks and has only been slowly getting worse.  I took the car out this last weekend and was a little rough on it and it only got a little worse than it was.  There was one thing I had forgotten about that happened about a month ago.  I saw what looked like oil all over the left front side of the bumper, headlight, corner light and front half of the fender.  I thought maybe the axle boot at that time, but if I remember correctly that looked clean.  I have since washed the car and underneith.  To me it looked like something just splashed up on the car from an outside source, but now it has me wondering.

Is it the repetitive 'click click click click' classic of a CV joint, or a single click relative to the movement? It's also possible you've got a bad upper strut mount/bearing.

Strut bearing makes sense if the noise occurs when turning wheel with car stopped. I think CV joint needs to be rotating in order to make noise.

From what I had described before the car has to be moving for any of this to happen. It is not making a constant clicking noise. Wish it was, it would make this alot easier to diagnose. Strut bearings are about 4 years and 30k old, but it does not do this when the car is stopped.

If it were the Strut Bearings, the noise would sound like it's coming from where the dash and the A-pillar meet....way up high. You'll know when a Strut Bearing goes bad.

Def not making noise there.  This noise is down low. I can kind of feel it in the floorboard at my feet.

Are you sure it's not a Ball Joint? They don't have to be loose to be bad. Sometimes it takes some force to see the movement in them (prybar). Just throwin it out there....

I don't think so. Once I start hearing the noise and vibration at 30mph it will change pitch as I go faster then slower, but anything below 30mph and I can't here it. I also have to be moving to hear the clicking too, but that I only hear if I'm hitting a good bump or turning the wheel back and forth say at about 20mph. It seems to be a rotating part of the car that's doing it. Also doesn't matter if I'm in neutral or drive as long as I'm moving and over 30mph. I'm thinking it has to be either the axle or hub.

Well, generally speaking, a hub will absolutely cause a humming noise when driving, and the pitch will change with speed. They can also click when turning or hitting bumps, especially if the bearings inside aren't round anymore.

Do you have a way to get the front tires off the ground? The reason I ask is because all you have to do is get the tires off the ground, turn TC OFF, and have somebody get the front tires turning until the noise is induced. A stethoscope placed on the Knuckle closest to the hub will tell you if the hub is bad. Your ABS light will come on, but it will go out as soon as you drive the car again.

Axles don't typically hum. They click, pop, and creak.

From what you just described it does sound like it may be the hub and not the axle.  I don't really have a good way to get the front of the car in the air other than using my jack stands and I'm a little too paranoid to use those for this kind of test.  Partly why I haven't attempted it yet. I probably should just do it so I can try to narrow it down more. I do have a stethoscope.

J. Chris Davis wrote:

I probably should just do it so I can try to narrow it down more.  I do have a stethoscope.

As long as you're on level ground, and you chock the rear tires, no worries. Whomever is in the driver seat just needs to be careful. It's SUPER easy to hit 80mph without the tires on the ground. 35mph is all you should need....

Agreed, lol. I may have to wait till this weekend to try it.

Another thing, the Axle WILL vibrate some with the tires off the ground because it's unloaded. That's typical for just about every FWD vehicle. Don't think that the Axle is shot because it's doing so. Rule out the Hub first....

Understood.

Went for a drive during my lunch and I was able to get it to make the clicking noise at very low speed by yanking the wheel to the left and right.  So untill I can get the car off the ground it is starting to look like it is the hub.  I don't hear any clicking while driving down the road until I hit medium size bumps or turn the wheel sharply. The humming of course is still there.

You need to do a standard front end check with that wheel off the ground.

Already done that if you are referring to checking for slop by pushing and pulling on the top and bottom of the wheel/tire.  Not much there.  Could be more now though since it is starting to get worse.

Hubs don't have to be "loose" to make noise. All it takes is a bad bearing seal, some water, and then some rust....

I gotcha. I'm used to dealing with rear wheel drive cars. So this is a little bit of learning experience with front C.V. axles and wheel hub/bearings. As to symptoms and which is the culprit.

Hubs are weird. We get some in here that are so loose the wheel should have fallen off, but they make ZERO noise. Others have no play in them whatsoever, but they sound like you're driving on the rumble strip on the side of the freeway.

Agreed. I've seen some strange symptoms with bad hubs on this car. Once I was so sure the CV was bad that I purchased a used axle, then swapped it on to find out the hub was bad. That hub was so tight, and rotated smoothly by hand, but add load and it creaked and clicked - no hum or growl that time.

Usually a front hub will wear out before the CV axles, assuming the CV boots are in good shape. 100k miles is good life for a front bearing. I've had them go 130k, usually not more. Rear hubs are a different story. I'm convinced they last forever.

I'm sure mine are still original to the car. The axles and the boots do look to be in great shape on my car. I guess that doesn't mean there still isn't a tear in the boot somewhere that I just can see on the car. It does sound more like a hub though from what you guys are saying over it being a CV axle.

Have you done a basic hub check by lifting and rocking the wheel 12/6 o'clock?

I did check that and I didn't see any excess play in the assembly. Just the normal movement you would get with the axle turning too till the trans would stop you since it was in park.

J. Chris Davis wrote:

I did check that and I didn't see any excess play in the assembly.  Just the normal movement you would get with the axle turning too till the trans would stop you since it was in park.

That's not what he means. Grab the tire at 6 and 12 O-clock, and rock the tire. Push and pull, not spin. Try to feel any play in the hub. It should be TIGHT. Not "knock knock knock".