Basically Iv begun to notice it since iv had to drive up into the mountains a few times recently in north wales. Basically every now and again i can hear a knocking noise which sounds kind of like someone clicking there tongue on the roof of there mouth. Although its not consistant taking my foot off the throttle seems to stop it. I believe it only happens after beingon a climb for a while but that might be complete rubbish as i havent driven many other places since it started hapening.
Any ideas atall? Im not sure where to start but you guys have got me through everything before so im in your hands
Do the important check - that CV joints are done up tight (particularly outers). Lots of things it could be (including a worn joint) but definately start there pronto. If left, its costly.
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Yep, the knocking/tapping is about the only real warning you get before you completely lose all drive and it ALWAYS happens at T-junctions or when pulling away from the lights when you REALLY need to get somewhere. You may need to replace bolts that are mullered and you can no longer tighten properly. Lots in the WIKI. They need to be damned tight - lot of torque there.
If it IS that, this may well be the first time anyone has dealt with them before they actually give out. Feel proud - even if its a grubby little job. Latex gloves recommended. You'll need to feel inside the trailing arms, giving the driveshafts a right tugging and checking with a torch to make sure no bolts are hanging out or loose. Best inspected with front wheels chocked, handbrake off and rear wheel jacked so tyre clears the ground. Usually one, then two work loose, then three, and so on until the whole thing breaks away as the last two bolts shear. Check inners (gearbox end) for good measure but its usually outside ones that work loose as people don't tighten them properly due to limited room in there.
A worn joint can tap/knock/clunk but thats another story.
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Thankyou!
So i have jacked up both sides in turn and tried to tighten up any bolts but they were all rock solid. Sods law i couldnt find a torch this morning so there is a chance i missed one or two but there were no signs of them being sheared and or loose.
So does this mean that the cv joint has almost definitly "died"? I plan on taking them apart next week and giving them a good inspection (the boots incidentally seem to be fine, inner and outer).
What would you guys do? I was thinking ill take them apart give them a proper clean and repack with grease.
Just another point i noticed ... with the wheels jacked up when i rotated them (i noticed this more on the nearside) there was a grinding noise ... is that "normal"?
Grinding noise definitely not normal. You need to establish if it's the wheel bearing or the CV joints, Oh, hang on though, you don't mean a very light scraping sound do you ? If "yes" then that could easily be the brake shoes lightly rubbing on the drums, but that sound is different to mullered wheel bearings or CV joints, but only experience can help you differentiate (unless CovKid has a "trick" for this ?)
When you say you jacked it up and tried to tighten "any bolts", are you confident you found the CV / shaft flange bolts at each end (how many is there, can't remember, is it 8 at each end of the shafts ?). They are usually either Allen heads, or Torques heads, not normal hexagonal bolt heads (iirc).
Six and you have to rotate wheel to check them all. A loose one can cause clicking or tapping but then so can so many other things. Unfortunately when the cause of a fault is not forthcoming, you sometimes have to wait for it to get worse.
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Didn't notice anything on the way to and from work. So that could mean it only becomes aparrent when pulling hard. I will keep my ears open for it ... Thanks for your help
Hmm, could be dry CV joints I suppose but they tend to make more noise on corners and varying degrees of load. Only you know how much attention they've had. The only real way to know their condition is remove the shafts, strip them down and assess. I repacked mine one year, replaced them all the next. Lottery really. ECP cheapest for good quality GKN/Lobro joints at the mo. Ideally a summer job though. You need someone inside to help you pinpoint the location of the noise really.
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Taking the whole unit out isn't too difficult by the looks of it so perhaps when I have some time I'll take them out and have a look it wouldnt hurt after all. Went out for another short drive and have found that the noise didn't present its self again until I drove hard around a right hand bend. After that it was relatively consistent for the rest of the drive home unless I was slowing down. Another thing that iv just noticed is there is a definite grinding noise coming from the rear nearside when braking. Could be linked or separate problem? Thanks again for you help!
BertieWells wrote:
I've begun to notice it since I had to drive up into the mountains a few times recently in north Wales. Basically every now and again I can hear a knocking noise which sounds kind of like someone clicking their tongue on the roof of their mouth.... taking my foot off the throttle seems to stop it.
Just a thought, have you checked your wheel nuts Rob?
