front wheel clicking noise at extreme turns (sometimes)

[pyrodork]

on my 94, i've been having occasional issues when i turn the wheel all the way in one direction where i get this clicking sound from the front wheels. i was told it might be the front wheel bearings and it'd be a fairly simple $60-$70 fix.
i also know that my front rotors (and, in turn, brakes) are not in the best shape either... and that i need to replace those when i get the available funds. might this be causing the noise?

i also had an unfortunate incident where a moron in a minivan "slid" into my parked truck while trying to turn around by pulling into the left lane on a side street, and backing into the left lane on the main street... hitting "ice" (the cop found no ice), sliding, hitting the left rear corner of my truck, and pushing it forward about a foot. now i got a dent the size of a baseball right on the corner above the taillight... yes, on the corner itself. i'll post a pic sometime when i get it developed. *sigh*

anyway, it was happening before that. when it started getting cold.
oh! when it was really cold, sometimes i would start driving and i'd get this loud rubbing-type sound from one of the front wheels. if i made a few jerks of the steering wheel to the right, sometimes it would stop. sometimes i had to make a right turn for it to stop. it hasnt happened in a long time... but, really, only when it was real cold. this is the truck's first experience in a minnesota winter; as i bought it last summer in washington state. i dont know if that has anything to do with it...


thanks in advance! i appreciate any and all help!

 

[Gryphon]

Sounds like a front cv joint to me. Clicking is bad.

Take a looky underneath and see if one of the outboard cv boots is torn. If so, there you go. It seems to usually be the side that clicks when you turn that way. (right side for a right turn click).

 

[pyrodork]

i remember checking the boots and they looked ok. however, it was a little cold at the time and i probably could've checked them more thoroughly.

 

[Gryphon]

I have seen bad joints with intact boots too. My Jetta did that. The grease had all dried up inside and some water found it's way in. Bad stuff inside there.

 

[pyrodork]

so if that's the case, shoot some grease in there and make sure it's a tight seal?

i'm going to be checking it more thoroughly later today.

 

[Gryphon]

Yes, you can shoot some grease in and get a little more time, but not much if it is clicking.

There is a cage and bearing assembly in there that acts as the knuckle. The clicking is the balls binding in the cage houseing, or a broken cage. SOMETIMES you can disassemble it and clean it all out, but for the hassel versus the cost of a new axle, I would just swap that axle.

I am keeping my '90's left front going by shooting grease into it every couple weeks. Busted boot. Just saving for the axle, but have other priorities first....like a timing belt change!

 

[pyrodork]

i did an axle swap on my last car, 93 geo storm. not fun, but not very difficult, either.

i've been trying to pinpoint what it sounds like exactly. according to the sounds i was getting from my geo compared to the sounds i'm getting from my 4runner, they are quite different. it sounds more as if something is slipping at the end of the steering range and two pieces of metal hit; or sort of "clunk" together. i have noticed some spots where something might be hitting, but offhand, i dont know what that part is... whether it's the tie rod end or what. wish i could get a photo posted.

also checked out the boot on the drivers' side a bit more thoroughly. it appears to still be in good shape and still has quite a bit of flexibility in it yet. i know it's kind of dumb for me to have checked that side, when the passenger side is where the sound comes from most often.

more inspecting tomorrow.

 

[mikes4runner]

Does it make the clicjing noise when the wheel is turned to the point where your wheel will turn no more?.

 

[pyrodork]

update:
my cv boots are fine, sealed, delivered (is that how it goes?). i took of the front drivers' wheel today to check it out in more detail and to check brakes/rotors (as i know they're getting bad). good news is that the rotors look fine. i might need a resurface, though. brakes are about at the end of the line. everything looked in pretty good shape overall... until i looked around under the "engine mud flap" on the frontmost side (left side from viewing drivers' side). it appears that a rubber grommet is missing. looked in my haynes manual, found no pics of what it should be like. i'd take pics and post them, but i dont have the luxury of that right now. i did show a friend, though, and he said that it's part of the tie rod/steering system and that it's not what's causing the noise. in further discussion, i explained to him that i get this... more like a clunking sound... whenever i turn the wheel until it turns no more. he said that was it. i shouldnt be doing that. he explained it as that i'm turning it so far that i'm "cracking the knuckles" of the swivel/elbow thingys (my own lingo included ). he said it's normal... especially for 4x4s and that his trucks did that, too. i only really turn the wheel that far when doing u-turns and pulling in/out of parking spaces. so i guess that's ok, then?

what's bugging me now is that part that's apparently missing a rubber piece. i tried checking the passenger side, but the part is completely different there. the 7-8 inch brace doesnt even bend the same way.

on another note, is there a relatively easy way to check if i need to resurface the rotors?

 

[pyrodork]

ok, took a good look at the manual. i'm guessing it's the pitman arm. the rubber grommet(?) missing is from the left side, looking at drivers' front wheel.

is it possible to get another rubber piece, or do i have to get a whole new pitman arm assembly?