front wheel bearings or cv joint

[steelman86]

how do i tell which is bad when i drive betwene 15 - 25 mph theres this clicking coming from the front drivers side thanks for any help

also how hard are these to change

















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[quaddriver]

well cv joints tend to make noise in turns and bearings make noise 24x7.

changing them is a snap - no special tools required other than the 36mm hubnut.

quick and dirty proc:

remove hub cover (not the wheel) and remove the cotter pin and break torque on the hubnut, but DO NOT LOOSEN it.

jack up, remove wheel

remove brake caliper and hang with wire or bungy

use tie rod puller and pop off the tie.

unbolt the 6 flange bolts on the transaxle

turn the wheel hard to the side you are working on. you should be able to get the axle w/ cvs out. if not, support lower control arm with jack, remove nut on upper balljoint, pickle fork it and lower jack slowly. you will need to replace grease cup (motormite or HELP! part - usually in stock)

if you need to remove the hub, unbolt the 3 bolts holding it into the knuckle, beat it with a large punch from behind.

installation is reverse, tighten hub nut in the air as much as you can, add wheel, drop off jack and tighten to 175ft lbs

[steelman86]

thanks but i'm confused are these directions for changing the hub , cv joint ,or both and it is a 24'7 thing

[quaddriver]

both, just follow the instructions up to the point where the offending part is lying on the floor then reverse the process

[steelman86]

thank you very much will i be able to tell if its the bearings in the hub that are bad ??? i know i have to buy hub and all which cost more than the cv joint

[rharmon]

I think I have this same problem. The last 2 months I have clicking sound coming from my driver's side front wheel when I drive. This is the bearings?

[quaddriver]

Originally Posted by rharmon

I think I have this same problem. The last 2 months I have clicking sound coming from my driver's side front wheel when I drive. This is the bearings?

well assuming its not a warped rotor smacking the brake pads or crap caught in the ABS wheel sensor - clicking that is CV related gets worse with turns and under load. wheel bearings tend to 'growl' more than click, but either case may exist

[rharmon]

I thought that I had a gravel rock in my treads or something. That's kind of what it sounds like. It's kind of like a random ticking. It does get more common when I accelerate but road noice will drown it out. I checked both of my tires on that side because I thought I was going crazy. Oh well maybe it is just rock stuck somewhere.

[steelman86]

my clicking stops when i get above 30mph or below 15 mph it don't click when i'm turning or pulling a load can anyone tell me how to check what this is other than taking it in to a shop

[westsider]

My blazer had this same exact problem. The front left wheel would make a clicking noise when I drove but it would go away when I braked. Does your noise go away when you apply the brakes? I also thought it was the bearings or cv joint. So I decided to take it to the dealer and it ended up being a loose brake caliper and pads. so you should check those before you change anything else.

[steelman86]

no such luck its either the bearings or cv joint or hopefully not the 4x4

[steelman86]

can anyone tell me how to check for which is bad?

[vballfun]

Just last month I replaced both left and right upper and lower ball joints in order to get an alignment. only to be told that my bearings were bad and they still wouldn't align it. So I changed my left front bearing. And when you get it out you can see on the inner (towards center of car) side that the seal is bad and grease has leaked out.. cost me about $120 from advance. Since it's a self contained unit there shouldn't be any grease leaking.. and mine was all over. However the symptom was not 'clicking' as much as it was whining/grinding sound.. it had grown so gradually over the years It was one of the sounds I started 'filtering out'. It was nice to get in and have a quiet ride on the interstate.

Anyway.. that's how I could tell it was hub due to the leaky seal.

Tim

[Rbraczyk]

My K5 blazer has been making a horrible squealing noise from the left front wheel. Its constant and gets faster as you go faster. Its a 94. Its sport edition too.

[steelman86]

i don't think it wasn't either clicking i believe it is the front drive shaft i can wiggle it side to side and when i do this it clicks can anyone tell me if i need to change the u joints or the whole drive shaft