Getting prepared for CV joint replacement

[zerowkul98]

Ive been hearing a "clinky" loose-metal sound when my driver's side front tire hits normal road bumps (manhole covers, small seams in the pavement) especially at slow speeds under 20mph. So after i washed it this afternoon, i went underneath and checked it out. I took the camera out with me and this is what i saw:

I grabbed a hold of the boot closest to the front diff. and shook it...sure enough, i heard clinks and a rattle. To be sure this wasnt the norm, i went and grabbed the other side's boot and it was solid.

I called the local dealership here in my new town and made an appt. Basically i told him what ive been hearing and the shaking i did, and the head tech said "thats usally the tell-tale sign its time to replace". I know he could be blowing smoke up my rear to get me in the door ($$$!) but i thought id run it by you all first.

Thoughts?

 

[Northeast_T4R]

Ive been hearing a "clinky" loose-metal sound when my driver's side front tire hits normal road bumps (manhole covers, small seams in the pavement) especially at slow speeds under 20mph. So after i washed it this afternoon, i went underneath and checked it out. I took the camera out with me and this is what i saw:

I grabbed a hold of the boot closest to the front diff. and shook it...sure enough, i heard clinks and a rattle. To be sure this wasnt the norm, i went and grabbed the other side's boot and it was solid.

I called the local dealership here in my new town and made an appt. Basically i told him what ive been hearing and the shaking i did, and the head tech said "thats usally the tell-tale sign its time to replace". I know he could be blowing smoke up my rear to get me in the door ($$$!) but i thought id run it by you all first.

Thoughts?

All I can say is do not bring it to the dealership... They'll charge you $400 for the new CV axle plus the labor to install it. I wheel with my truck and have an aftermarket CV axle from NAPA which cost about $80.00 nit including the core charge. It's not to difficult to change yourself or with someone who can wrench.

If you're not comfortable, bring to a local auto repair place before the dealership. If you want to spent the big bucks you're better off buying an RCV chromoly CV axles. They are supposedly un-breakable..

 

[Colemanfu]

Wish you were closer and I would give you my old one. Just tore the boot but replaced the entire deal - my sway bar broke loose and when it droped down it killed the drivers boot.

 

[zerowkul98]

Thats awful generous of you, and i also appreciate the info on stealerships, but im in a new location and i have yet to find a GOOD mechanic. So to keep my 4runner the way it needs to be, ill be shelling out 278.00 for the new CV installed. Right now im just hoping itll cure the clinkin noise i described.

 

[Afghi420]

CV Axle noise

Hey there, i am having the exact same problem as you are i think. I described it exactly the same way, when i go over certain bumps and sometimes just cracks in the road im getting a noise that sounds like my axcle is loose and rattling against another metal part.. Thing is today i had an axle installed for the second time and it is still there.. First time abou 2 weeks ago i had it replaced with an axle i got from Carquest.. After it was fixed it seemed like it was fixed for half the day or less, then came back.. I know it did seem tighter at first but seemed to loosen back up in a day or two to the point where it was just as bad as it was before i had it fixed. So today i went and bought another axle same as the last one, now it is feeling slightly tighter but that rattling noise is still there. Im thinking it might be worn a bit where the axle goes into the front end... Before i had it fixed the mechanic grabbed ahold of it and it had a lot of play and made a noise very similar to the oise i hear when i drive over bumps. He can't seem to make it do the noise by hand anymore, but that noise is still there. It is driving me nuts as my i really love my 4 runner and it is in perfect shape except for this one noise. The truck has no other issues besides this noise and now i don't know how im going to find out what it is. After i test drove the truck today after the fix and realized the noise was still there i had him put it on the hoist and they spent another 20 minutes or so poking around but can't find the noise. If it is worn on the end that goes into the front end what can i do to fix it? Do i have to replace the front end? The truck is a 2004 and has 100K miles on it. The truck has been dealer maintained all of it's life and has never been abused by me or the previous lady who owned it. I don't know what to do now, i can't really afford to just take it to the dealer and have them pokse around for hours.

 

[sonerick]

Hey there, i am having the exact same problem as you are i think. I described it exactly the same way, when i go over certain bumps and sometimes just cracks in the road im getting a noise that sounds like my axcle is loose and rattling against another metal part.. Thing is today i had an axle installed for the second time and it is still there.. First time abou 2 weeks ago i had it replaced with an axle i got from Carquest.. After it was fixed it seemed like it was fixed for half the day or less, then came back.. I know it did seem tighter at first but seemed to loosen back up in a day or two to the point where it was just as bad as it was before i had it fixed. So today i went and bought another axle same as the last one, now it is feeling slightly tighter but that rattling noise is still there. Im thinking it might be worn a bit where the axle goes into the front end... Before i had it fixed the mechanic grabbed ahold of it and it had a lot of play and made a noise very similar to the oise i hear when i drive over bumps. He can't seem to make it do the noise by hand anymore, but that noise is still there. It is driving me nuts as my i really love my 4 runner and it is in perfect shape except for this one noise. The truck has no other issues besides this noise and now i don't know how im going to find out what it is. After i test drove the truck today after the fix and realized the noise was still there i had him put it on the hoist and they spent another 20 minutes or so poking around but can't find the noise. If it is worn on the end that goes into the front end what can i do to fix it? Do i have to replace the front end? The truck is a 2004 and has 100K miles on it. The truck has been dealer maintained all of it's life and has never been abused by me or the previous lady who owned it. I don't know what to do now, i can't really afford to just take it to the dealer and have them pokse around for hours.

Does the noise happen if you hit bumps with the brake pedal pressed? Sometimes the m springs that keep the pads from rattling get worn and need replacing. Cheap easy fix.

 

[RunninUte]

Where's the boot clamp?

Looking at your pic, your clamp is gone and it looks like alot of old grease all over the other components. That being said your cv is probably shot from lack of lube.

 

[HokieRunner]

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