So I replaced my axles yesterday with a set of new Raxles axles. The job went relatively smooth with some air tools. I put everything back together and double checked my work and took it for a test drive slowly around the block. As I give her some gas, there is an audible clicking sound that is consistent with vehicle speed. Almost sounds like the clicking while turning a corner with my old, leaking axles. So I put her back into the garage to sleep for the rest of the day. I am no going to drive it until I get this figured out. Anybody have any suggestions? I'm not leaking any fluid. Please help if possible b/c I cant be without a car for too long.

 

So it only happens when driving in gear? Straight, around corners, what?

If you throw it in neutral while rolling, does it still make the sound?

Is it only while accelerating (as you seemed to imply) or while cruising/decel as well?

Does it make the sound while up in the air, or only with the suspension under load?

 

yes, Driving in gear only when i give it gas (not on cruise or decel), straight or corners, the noise does not change. I havent checked if it makes the sound while lifted, only when driving.

 

Does the noise seem to come out of one side or both? Did you tighten the axle nuts to 230 ft-lbs? If so, trying cracking them loose and re-torquing.

 

Well I didnt tighten them down to spec....I'll come clean about that. But I did use a 1" drive Ingersol Rand impact gun with a 1/2" drive adapter, (that sucker must have weighed 20 lbs!) so I'm sure it was on there tight enough. I have tried to listen for the noise with the windows opened - seems to be on drivers side, but I'm not ruling out both sides yet.

 

Oddly enough, my car is doing the same exact thing.

The noise IS from the drivers side, is intermittent, and only happens under acceleration.

I recently replaced the passenger side axle. Maybe my(and his) driver side axle is just on its way out?

 

Yeah, My car is making the same sound too! It's making this sound like a small chain is dragging under my car. It only sounds when I'm in gear. When i'm in neutral is does not make a sound. Anyone have suggestions? I know for a fact my boot is ripped.

 

I had both CV axles replaced about six months ago and when I turn right, the drives side makes a clicking sound. It goes away after I hit 10-20 miles per hour. I also changed the shocks recently, however I did not change the struts. Any ideas what might cause this noise?

 

had the same problem about 6-8 months ago. thought it was an axle and replaced it 3 times (last with a raxle) and the persistent clicking never went away. i gave up and went to the stealership and they told me my car was too low (a springtech setup). So i shelled out big money and replaced the spring techs with an h&r/illumina setup just to find out it was a 15 dollar plastic strut bearing while i was doing the swap.

 

Camfantasy, this is what I am thinking. I should of replaced the struts while I was changing the shocks. Stupid of me not to change strut components while I was replacing the shocks. Do you have to have another alignment done if you replace the struts? Thanks Noodles.

 

its possible you have a very bad wheel bearing like mine.



As you can see about half of the inner race is gone!!! There was alot of free play in there. It also clicked when turning. But i hope this isnt your problem.

 

I have the exact problem, it sounds like a metal rubbing sound. And I thought it was the brakes at first since I got the car without any previous knowledge of how the owner took care of it. And so took off el wheels and cleaned the mother load of rust from the brakes and used some brake cleaner and it was still there, so I cleaned the little rod that connects to the wheels that spins (Sorry no knowledge of things outside of engine ) And so.......long story short I was desperate and out of ideas and so when I put on the wheels I took off, I tightened all the lug nuts on all wheels and found out the back ones had become slightly loose and so now the noise is barely audible although once in a while when going uphill I hear it............... sorry for the essay!

 

my wheel bearings are good, I know that for a fact because I just pressed in new ones about 5 months ago.

 

yes, i believe anytime you disconnect the assembly from the control arm you have to have an alignment

 

I have a similar sound that's been around for some time. it happens (or I only hear it) under acceleration in a right or left turn, it's best described as a ratchet-like sound. By process of elimination, I'm now positive it's my right strut bearing. I've replaced axles, LCAs, lower rad support, inner/outer tie rods, all the while hearing that sound throughout the time span of those repairs.
It will be the first time I'm tearing down a strut, so I'll look at it as a learning experience. The silver lining is that the part is cheap

related thread:

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...front-end.html

 

its not that hard, theres a great writeup on vqpower.com for changing the struts that helped me alot. here was my bearing btw.

 

im clicking on my new set of Raxles as well. it just might be that the car is too low and is putting extra stress on the axles. i never had this problem until i swapped from illumina/GC to shortened Koni/GC.

 

Well I'm also dropped pretty low, about 3/4 the way down on some Tein coilovers. But if thats the case, then why would it not click on OEM axles and click on some quality Raxles?

 

Don't mean to jack the thread, but i can't start one yet. I have a 1996 Nissan Maxima SE 5 Speed. And whenever i'm driving it sounds like a chain is draggin below my car. I see nothing under my car dragging. I took it to pepboys they can't figure anything out. My local mechanic couldn't either. Has anyone every experianced this problem. I thought it was my CV boots, but I got them both replaced and the sound is still there.

 

What did you do to correct the situation Mr. ****s???
I may try to adjust my coilovers to raise my ride height a touch. Hey, at this point its worth it cuz my 3 hour project is going on a month!

 

My axles were blown so I replaced them and then dropped my 95 2.25in with D2 coilovers. I got an alignment. And blew my passenger side axel. I replaced it thinking it was just a bad rebuild (autozone) and it blew again. I raised my car to about a 1.75 in drop and stopped blowing axels. It might be that the car is dropped to low and the axles have weird forces put on them. A friend of mine who has built up an array of different cars, told me that if I wanted to keep the drop take the axles to a suspension shop to have them rebuilt. It shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred (a local shop does them for like 45 per axle).

BTW cheap rebuilds, aren't always properly done and I have found about 50% were blown when I put them in.

 

Raise the car. My car does the same thing. It makes a clicking noise when in gear, pressing the gas and turning left. My car is all the way down on ground controls. I switch back to stock suspension for the winter, and the clicking goes away. I am not sure what the science is behind it, but our cars make this clicking noise when the reach a certian point of drop. So IMO you need to raise the car or else just live with it. I have been driving my car for a few years like this.

 

the only way to resolve the problem is either get adjustable LCA's or just plain raise the car up to a height where the clicking is non-existant. (most likely another half-inch to inch more)

you got me on that question. im asking myself that same question when i had my illumina/GC setup. i was sitting just as low and running on oem axles. never had a problem until i switched to the shortened koni/GC setup. the only reason i see is that with the aftermarket coilover assembly being shorter than the oem/aftermarket strut&spring, it increases the angle the axles are in therefore putting a lot more stress at the joints. sucks, but thats what i came into conclusion to. these cars just arent made to sit super low.

 

car with bigger wheels, heavier will put more stress on wheel bearing, I think might be wheel bearing too

 

UpdaTe! I swapped out both front motor mounts with new parts and heavy duty strut bearings (metal, not plastic) and my noise is gone! God I'm relieved. I do however, still get a very slight click from the outer driver's side cv joint upon sharp turns though, I may have to raise up the car a lil bit more.

 

where did you pick up the metal strut bearings? im tired of worrying about mine everytime i raise and lower the car.

 

I went to Autozone believe it or not....picked up a pair of Gabriel strut mounts which, in fact, came with the metal bearings to my surprise. $80 out the door for the pair and it solved all my issues.

 

strut bearings only make the clicking noise during low speed cornering, parking lot driving, etc...

 

Only is a strong word. Mine made the sound while going straight, under load, upon acceleration. I replaced them on both sides, and the sound is eliminated. Maybe I just had a rare case.

 

Isn't it impossible for the strut bearing to make noise going straight as the strut shaft is not turning relative to the strut mount? I'm not challenging your diagnosis, just trying to understand. Maybe the reason the clicking went away is that with the new strut bearings in place, and your coilovers set to the same height, you car sat slightly higher, reducing the internal forces on the CVs. That would also explain why you are still hearing some slight clicking, its still just not quite high enough.

 

but the way he strut bearing is designed, it would only click when turning since that's when the bearing itself is spinning. When going straight, he bearing doesn't move. Unless something else on your strut assembly was loose and made room for back and forth movement and your bearing was mangled to ****...

 

Oh my bearing was totally shot. Worse than the pic that CAMFANTASY posted up in post number 16. I should've taken a snapshot of the new bearings prior to installation, but I was too frustrated at the entire situation as it was. But I figured I would do both of them while I had the car up on stands, even though the driver's side bearing was unscathed. The funny part is that I had no lateral steering sounds upon turning the wheel, parked or moving. Hmmmm.

 

that is weird...

 

If I may add the following; In my experience of servicing struts I have always wondered why the upper bearings were there in the first place since there is nothing that prevents the piston in the strut from spinning inside of its' tube (try locking down the top nut without the right tools and you'll get the idea). Anyway, I suspect that your upper bearing seized or certainly didn't want to turn very easily and so the turning was done about the piston instead. Despite what I said above this is obviously not how it was designed to work. If you are rotating about the piston then that point of rotation (that is, the point that is taking on the radial loads) will always be changing and that can't be good.

So, it is reasonable to assume that the upper bearing should always be kept in a state where the piston rod will turn in it instead of the piston turning within the tube.

Before FWD was king, front wheels turned about king-pins or upper and lower ball joints.

 

turned out the clicking sound was my brakes!

 

How do brakes make a clicking noise?

 

Are you sure the Brakes are making a clicking sound? Could it be another type of sound like a low rumble? I'm pretty sure brakes don't click, unless there is something caught up in the rotor assembly.

 

this is a month old........