I took a drive in the country today, and as I made a slow left turn, I heard ticking/popping/tapping coming from the front passenger-side wheel well. I thought I'd run over some debris, because as soon as I straightened back out, the sound went away. I got all the way home without further incident. But as I turned left into my drive, that sound in the right wheel well happened again. I've never heard that sound before, so...

...I walked around my car to take a look in and around the wheel well for something hanging and banging under there. Instead, I discovered thick, black grease smears in several places on my wheel. Upon further inspection, I found a 1/8" thick layer of grease spattered all around the wheel well and all over the front-right spring and strut. It's a mess!

I have seen these symptoms listed on this forum, but I do not remember the problem that may be causing them. I think I know what the problem may be, but would someone please diagnose this? Where is all that grease coming from? What must I do to fix the problem? While I have the car in the shop for this repair, are there any opportunistic upgrades or modifications I could have done at the same time? If so, I might as well kill two birds with one stone...

Please advise. Thanks as always.

 

busted CV joint, i dont think there are any mods that go along with this, just get it replaced.

 

just so you know, I think it might not help you directly,but I still wanna share this.

It is absolutely impossible to get a "BRAND NEW" CV joints. Almost all of the CV joints you get for replacment are remanufactuered. Unless it comes with the cars, CV joints you get from a part store or Nissan parts store or even Lexus, they are all remanufactuered.

The only new CV joints are the ones that comes with the cars.

 

yup its the CV. i had to replace mine about a month ago. both of mine were busted

 

How much does replacing these things cost?
Is there any preventive maintenance that can be done for them?
As asked before, no suspension mods that are convenient to do at the same time?

 

It could be just the boot, right before my car got totaled into a pancake i got the cv boots replaced that day, only $60 for both sides and like $100 for labor unless u can do it urself.

 

Hmm, I don't think there are suspension mods that are THAT convenient to do at the same time... I can't think of anything since the CV joint is not really something that needs to have the shocks/springs taken off.. I don't know what else u can do down there.....

I had both CV joints replaced on my car, I ended up paying 300$ to have both done.. So that's 150 per side? I don't know if that included labor or what, that day I spent around 600$ on repairs, but as I remember 300 was quoted for CV joints alone....

 

I've been having a similar problem shortly after I put on my GS400 wheels. I hear a ticking noise sometimes at low speeds and I have a little bit of black grease from the wheel hub. I thought the noise was just because I only 4 of the 5 lug nuts on. I think I should look further into this.

 

i need to get mine replaced or rebuilt. i called around and the best price i found so far is $70 a side to get it rebuilt and $110 a side to get it replaced. just to give you an idea....

 

Well, you guys confirmed my thinking. I was afraid it might be a CV joint. The dealership is about 7 miles away. I hope I make it there without a catastrophic failure... You know, like the *Challenger* accident? I'll let you know.

I heard a good joke today...

Three dogs were sharing a cage at a Vet Clinic. The 1st dog said since he stained the carpets from one end of the house to the other, he was going to get a lethal injection later that day. The 2nd dog said since he chewed up everything in sight while his owner was at work, he was going to get a lethal injection, too. The 3rd dog said that as he watched the woman of the house get out of the shower, she reached for her towel and dropped it on the floor. As she bent over to retrieve it... well, he just couldn't restrain himself. The other two dogs said that they wouldn't be surprised to see him get a lethal injection for that. But the 3rd dog said that, no, he was just in to have his nails trimmed!

 

If, the grease thing just occurred,and the clicking noise just occurred, more than likely just a busted boot. Had the same problem and had the boot replaced and the joint regrease or cleaned and grease or whatever the dealer does and its all good now...

 

Bullseye, If you heard clicking from that side, it's too late to replace just the boot. You'll have to replace the CV joint as well. No big deal. It happens with all FWD cars.

 

im sure i have a worn out CV joint, here are some symptoms:

-wheel turned fully clockwise, clicking sounds(sounds like the whole front, i cant tell whether its right or left
-wheel turned fully CCW, no clicking sound

so which CV joint do i have to get rebuilt, left or right?

thanks

 

I back that.

Mark

 

Looks like I'll be getting a new passenger side CV joint.

Do y'all think I should have BOTH of them replaced as a preventive measure? I guess if the passenger side just had a blow-out, the driver side must be due to have one, too.

What say you? Thanks very much.

(Didn't anyone like my joke...?)

 

The odd thing is that the CV joint that is usually busted of opposite the directly you are turning. So, if you turn left and hear the clicking, it is usually the right side, and vice versa. The reasoning is that the outside wheel bears the load in the corners so will be more likely to make noise. So, in your case, turning the wheel to the left, it sounds like the right CV joint is busted. Best thing to do is have the shop check it out. CV joints rarely fail unless the boot is torn and the grease is gone.

 

I would not replace a CV joint unless it is known to be broken, or if the boot on that side is cracked enough for all the grease to leak out. No use paying for something you don't need.

Joke, what joke?? Hehe...just kidding.

 

hahahahahahah