Ok...might be a dumb question...haven't been in in a couple months, jst bought a house and have been concentrating on that with not enough hours in the day...and now I am mind farting on all things automotive.

When I make a sharp turn to the right in my front end somewhere there is an odd clicking/clunking...any ideas? Please don't say a CV joint...sigh...can't afford that right now.

Jason

 

Axle...Check to see if u torn a boot.

 

Ok I won't, but I think you already know what is wrong.

 

CV Joint... I had it happen to me in my 87 Corolla last year...I was driving one day to work and I went to go turn and all I heard was clunk clunk CLUNK and I couldn't go anywhere. Replace it before this happens to you. Roughly about 150 for one that is if it hasn't messed your tranny up ..... GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!

 

um.. i think your thinking of something else. I don't see in any way how a broken cv joint could mess up your tranny, although I could be wrong. You just now started hearing your cv's clicking, you got a little while till they break. They don't always break right away, (although that does happen sometimes) they'll usually last for quite some time without a boot. All four of my cv's (inner and outer) are missing the boots and have been clicking for a little more than 2 years. But then theres dealing with the annoying and embarrassing noise.

 

Groan...

Just freakin' great...sigh...it doesn't do it "ALL" the time...never when in reverse...only when turning...and it depends on turning radius and speed.

Is this a "self" fix...or a mechanic fix?

Jason

 

If it does it when your turning, its your outer cv joints. If it does it when your going straight, then its your inner cv joints. It is possible to fix it yourself, although I have never tried, so I can't give you any advice on this one. Places like Pep boys or autozone have a self repair kit you can buy. But its model specific, so you might have to special order it. Its supposedly an easy kit to use.

 

The easiest way is just to replace the whole axle. It's not that hard to do. Both of my outers were clicking and my clutch was about shot when I got my car so I just replaced both axles when I took the tranny out to do the clutch job. The axles cost me $50 each.

 

So if I understand this correctly...the cvjoints' are "part" of the axle assembly? So would I actually be better off replacing the whole axle? Easier in the long run?

Jason

 

Yup, the axle has CV joints at both ends. You could take your old one out, replace just the one CV joint that is bad, and reinstall it, but then you have to do all this extra work disassembling the axle, replacing the CV joint, packing it with grease, and reassembling everything. After all that, you still have one old CV joint that will prolly go soon anyway, causing you to have to do the job over again. If you buy a rebuilt axle assembly, you just rip the old axle out, slam the new one in, and toss your old axle in the box, return it, and get your core charge back. It is a lot less of a hassle and you have the benefit of knowing that everything is new. This is what most mechanics do. It is easier for them and better for the customer.