CV axle grinding is making me mad

[91'4bee]

Among many minor problems with my 1991 4runner this one is starting to become a big issue and its making me mad...

Back story:

So about 5 years ago my CV axle on the passenger side exploded. I noticed it when I parked funny so I don't know when it exactly happened or what I did. So because at that time I wasn't confident in my wrenching skills I took it to a shop and had a new Napa universal CV axle installed. Total= $360

2 years ago it started to make a metal on metal grinding noise in the steering knuckle area on the passenger side. I took it to a different shop and they told me that the CV axle was installed incorrectly and the grease inside had solidified and it was scoring the inside of the knuckle. They said one of the bushings had a gash allowing for air to get in. This happened right when it got cold too. I didn't have the cash for a new knuckle(they wanted $550 for the job) so they polished it up and packed it with grease. Grinding went away. Total= $180 (Needless to say I don't go back to the first shop which sucks cause the owner is a family friend)

Last winter it starts grinding again except more violently and shaking the steering wheel. But this time I knew what was going on. So I ordered a new steering knuckle and new bushings online (direct OEM replacements) for $289 shipped. I had the shop that polished and packed it before install the new parts. Grinding goes away. Total= $289 parts+$202.40 labor= $491.40 (Saved 50 bucks!!)

Today...grinding is back :mad2: (intermittently and not violent. and today was a really cold day in Idaho)...checked for boot rippage and grease drip, and its clean. Jacked it up and pulled on the wheel to check for bad wheel bearing and no movement. I called the shop and they said I have to wait until it is more consistent before they can diagnose for sure. In the past and in my experience it just gets worse and more expensive if you wait or hope it goes away :crybaby: I would attempt to fix it but I dont know now what to do and with time constraints and it being my only car I cant have it down for more than a day

I am pissed because IT KEEPS HAPPENING!!!!

Sorry its long but I just had to let it out

 

[9494runner]

Do you have a lift on your runner? If so, check the angle of your CV axles. If that is indeed where the grinding is coming from they may be binding because of the angle. I installed roughly a 2 inch lift and my cvs would grind on every rotation of the tire due to binding. installed 4crawler diff drop (seriously one of the easiest mods) and that binding disappeared. just food for thought

 

[Hyde802]

If you jack up the truck and spin the wheel by hand, can you re create the vibration/grinding?

What "washers" did you order before? These guys? Brass bushing that the cv rides on? If not, I bet thats it.

 

[91'4bee]

Do you have a lift on your runner? If so, check the angle of your CV axles. If that is indeed where the grinding is coming from they may be binding because of the angle. I installed roughly a 2 inch lift and my cvs would grind on every rotation of the tire due to binding. installed 4crawler diff drop (seriously one of the easiest mods) and that binding disappeared. just food for thought

Wish it was lifted...its stock height. You could be on to something that maybe the CV joints are bad but I think it would be more of a "clacking" noise that it would make. Thanks though for the insight

If you jack up the truck and spin the wheel by hand, can you re create the vibration/grinding?

What "washers" did you order before? These guys? Brass bushing that the cv rides on? If not, I bet thats it.

Yes those are similar to the ones I bought and they were brass(My bad they are bushings...changing that in my other post). If they were wrong the shop (run by former Toyota dealer mechanics) I hope would have said something.

I did spin the wheel when it was jacked up and it didnt re-create the noise. However when it was grinding really bad last year it made the noise when I turned it by hand.

 

[9494runner]

My next guess would have been the brass bushings, had to replace those when i redid my wheel bearings. My CV wore those out and was slapping around, created brass washers from the face of the bushings....

Some more food for the think tank: :beer:

Try checking out your U joints. is the sound only made when you drive? Mine makes a slight clank when I let off of the accelerator.

How long has it been since you've hit your fittings with a grease gun? drive shaft.

Do your ball joints look good? I had very loud creaking/grinding feeling in my floor boards was caused by my upper ball joint going metal on metal(torn boot, dry grease, play in it like a broken N64 Controller).

If the creaking or grinding is happening when you, say go over a bump or there is a lot of suspension travel, check the top studs on your shocks for wear. Shock bushing going out will leave the top stud going metal on metal with the bracket

 

[DeclansDaddy]

I assume you are still running ADD drive plates? If so I'd invest in a set of hubs. Preferably Aisin but warns and mile markers work too. This will save your CV's and when I did the swap on my 95 I actually picked up .5 +\- mpg. I know that don't seem like much but every penny helps. And if your in a situation where you want to shift on the go like with the ADD hubs you just simply lock the hubs before you leave.

 

[91'4bee]

I assume you are still running ADD drive plates? If so I'd invest in a set of hubs. Preferably Aisin but warns and mile markers work too. This will save your CV's and when I did the swap on my 95 I actually picked up .5 +\- mpg. I know that don't seem like much but every penny helps. And if your in a situation where you want to shift on the go like with the ADD hubs you just simply lock the hubs before you leave.

Thats a good idea (and will probably do this for a future mod :biggrin1 but the grinding happens whether it is in 4 wheel or 2 wheel drive so my thought is it has to be inside the steering knuckle or CV joint.

My next guess would have been the brass bushings, had to replace those when i redid my wheel bearings. My CV wore those out and was slapping around, created brass washers from the face of the bushings....

Some more food for the think tank: :beer:

Try checking out your U joints. is the sound only made when you drive? Mine makes a slight clank when I let off of the accelerator.

How long has it been since you've hit your fittings with a grease gun? drive shaft.

Do your ball joints look good? I had very loud creaking/grinding feeling in my floor boards was caused by my upper ball joint going metal on metal(torn boot, dry grease, play in it like a broken N64 Controller).

If the creaking or grinding is happening when you, say go over a bump or there is a lot of suspension travel, check the top studs on your shocks for wear. Shock bushing going out will leave the top stud going metal on metal with the bracket

Broken N64 controller...almost died with that one

I checked them. There is almost no play in any of my drive shaft U-joints. I know they have been greased maybe a year and a half ago. In the rear drive shaft there was maybe 1cm of play (if that) but the grinding is coming from up front like before. Ball joints look the same as always and the shock studs are worn but not falling apart or anything. The grinding gets faster with speed after 30ish mph so it almost sounds like a bad wheel bearing but if I hit a manhole or other bump in the road it will stop for a time and then intermittently start back up again. It only does it when its cold outside too like in winter. In summer it doesn't grind.

 

[91'4bee]

Thought I would give an update on this junk.

Last night was 0 degrees where I live and coming home from the bar it was grinding the whole way until maybe the last mile. Since there is ice on the roads and stuff it was pretty bumpy. I have a feeling the temp has something to do with this. After driving I think the friction in knuckle heats up some grease and the grinding goes away.

I think it defiantly has something to do with the grease inside the knuckle region though...again...so because I replaced the CV axle 5 years ago and the steering knuckle last year with new bushings is it possible that it was installed wrong...again?

Thanks for taking time and any suggestions help me as this portion of wrenching on cars I don't have much experience in.

 

[KidVermicious]

I'm not clear how it was installed wrong the first time?

 

[91'4bee]

I'm not clear how it was installed wrong the first time?

Your right, I am about as clear as mud describing the progression of my issue.

I was told that the first shop that installed my CV axle didnt disassemble the knuckle (I am assuming the knuckle...) all the way and scratched one of the bushings allowing air to get in and solidify the grease inside over time thus scoring the inside of the steering knuckle destroying it. I was told this by the second shop (the master mechanic and owner is a toyota dealership certified mechanic) I took it to an trust with my runner when I cant do the work myself.

I want to stress thats what I was told so I have no physical proof (Now when a shop replaces something I always ask for the old parts back) but it is doing it again so my thoughts are one of two things...1. it was installed incorrectly again somehow 2. I am dancing around another issue that I have yet to uncover. Which would suck because I blew $1k on this already over the years :boom:

I really am at wits end because I love my runner and will never get rid of it but this is ridiculous.

 

[KidVermicious]

I was told that the first shop that installed my CV axle didnt disassemble the knuckle (I am assuming the knuckle...) all the way and scratched one of the bushings allowing air to get in and solidify the grease inside over time thus scoring the inside of the steering knuckle destroying it. I was told this by the second shop (the master mechanic and owner is a toyota dealership certified mechanic) I took it to an trust with my runner when I cant do the work myself.

That sounds hinky. I'd raise an eyebrow at any mechanic that told me that, and if a mechanic told me that and supposedly fixed the problem and then didn't want to look at it when the problem came back, I'd stop going to that mechanic. Or go back and raise an unholy stink in front of the rest of his customers, but probably not, because why would you trust him to work on your truck at this point?

Been a while since I've been in an IFS front end, but if I was hearing intermittent grinding my first suspicion would be a piece of gravel or a bent brake dust shield contacting the rotor. Next I'd suspect wheel bearings. I'd be wondering about the hubs next, but I assume you have ADD hubs? I don't think there's any moving parts there. "Solidified" grease inside the steering knuckle sounds like hogwash.

You're going to have to tear it down and get some eyeballs on the whole thing. If you haven't done it before, it's likely to take you more than a day to take it apart, check everything, and put it back together. Maybe wait for a weekend?

 

[91'4bee]

That sounds hinky. You're going to have to tear it down and get some eyeballs on the whole thing. If you haven't done it before, it's likely to take you more than a day to take it apart, check everything, and put it back together. Maybe wait for a weekend?

Thanks KidV. I think your right. I kinda had a feeling I was gonna have to diagnose and repair it myself. Cant trust anybody these days. I will take a look at the brake rotor and shield for bent-ness and rocks. Hopefully its that simple. I wish I had the weekend to do stuff but after getting a second job that has me work weekends...not a lot of time I am sure you can relate.

Heck maybe I will get a second car and build the runner :blah:

I will post up if/when I can tear into it. If whatever is grinding doesn't explode by then...