APC9199 wrote:
I have a strange noise that occurs only when making a hard left turn at low to medium speeds. It is a consistent womp womp womp noise, but you can distinctly hear what sounds like roller bearings or interfering gears. I have replaced all four wheel bearings front and rear and the vehicle in general is quieter but this noise is still there and seems to be slowly getting worse. I am 75% sure the noise is coming from the front driver side. I have read a lot about the CV's and intermediate shafts going bad, so I tore the driver side apart today. Everything came apart like a dream, nothing seized, nothing jammed. I was able to pull the entire CV out by hand with a firm but gentle "pop" motion. Both ends move very freely and the boots are in great condition, no leaks, tears or wear. Is it possible that the splines are making that much noise with everything in such good condition?
I still have to take the passenger side apart to confirm that it is ok, but the boots look identical to the driver side so I am not confident that I'm going to find anything wrong.
Also, I get an occasional pop or clunk when turning hard at low speeds, which also seems to point to bad CV's...but I have no proof that either of them are bad at this point. What should I look at next (after the passenger side CV)? I really hate taking this thing to a shop and paying thousands for repairs that don't need to be done because he mechanic "thought" they knew what the problem was.
The only true way to fully inspect a CV joint is to take it apart and inspect all components; grease fluidity, balls, cage, inner and outer races. Based on your description, it certainly sounds like you have at least one bad or problematic CV joint making the noise... I have seen in the past the grease dry out on joints from age and then the balls wear grooves into the inner and outer races from lack of proper lubrication, the balls can also turn a darker color, and sometimes the ball cage can actually crack or break.
If grooves get worn into the races, the balls can make a popping noise when the joint is turned to a different angle than normal under load as the balls are forced to pass back and forth across the groves in the races.
This may be more information than you desire, but without teardown and inspection, I would suspect the outer CV joint on the drivers side in your case!
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