intermittent popping noise from front-end

[bertmaster2000]

i own and love a 1988 camry wagon with 4cyl and auto trans...165,000 miles.

i recently started hearing an intermittent popping noise when i turn the wheel sharply to the left at low speeds. i hear nothing while driving with the wheel straight (like driving down a highway).

i have checked the cv boots on both sides and they are weather checked, but intact.

could the cv joint be wearing out? ball joint?

thanks in advance for any input.

[Vermillion]

I had a very similar problem with my 93 and it was the CV joints. I would've called it clicking, but popping and clicking are close enough I guess. And it was only when turning left at low speeds. It still had the problem at higher speeds, the click was just less discernable. Over time the clicking got worse. As I recall it was about a $250 job at my local shop. Hope that helps!

[Bmaintz]

Clicking...Popping with a hard left means it is the Right CV joint.. I have the entire axle (both CVs) for $99 plus tax.... Shop around & pick a shop that specialiazes in front axles... They will have the axle in stock & only takes an hour to do once they start.... Of course at Toyota you will pay through the nose....

[rob3]

Originally Posted by bertmaster2000

i own and love a 1988 camry wagon with 4cyl and auto trans...165,000 miles.

i recently started hearing an intermittent popping noise when i turn the wheel sharply to the left at low speeds. i hear nothing while driving with the wheel straight (like driving down a highway).

i have checked the cv boots on both sides and they are weather checked, but intact.

could the cv joint be wearing out? ball joint?

thanks in advance for any input.

Most people seem to have the CV joints problem with the Camry's, but when you say a popping sound, that sounds like a ball joint, the CV joints are more of a clicking, not one big pop. However I rarely read about a ball joint problem with Camry's. I had a Couger once that had a bad ball joint that did a single pop when you turned corners.

[SashaMay]

my 1991 camry started popping/clicking (lil of both after a day or two) and after very minim. driving.. i drove it into my friends place (he decided it was my axles and he would replace them for me), i turned a sharp corner in his driveway and POP! ...little metal balls fell out and my car turned into an expensive lawn ornament.. grr.. (just bought it a month ago).
then we proceed with about 6 hours of annoying labor on his part, to find my axle that broke was stuck into the tranny and he couldn't get it out. so we took it to a shop and i got two whole new axles.
my boots were rather torn and apprently had been torn for awhile. but it was symptamatic for two wks before it broke. im so ticked off at it. lol
but i do now know what it sounds like when one happens to go out...