I was turning into a parking spot today and clanking sound came from what seemed to be my front driver side strut. I tried reproducing it and it would only happen when my wheel is turned extreme left and I was accelerating. What do you guys think this could be? Spring unseated, blown struts, etc?

 

bump. Anybody?

 

CV Joint maybe? is it 6 speed?

 

It's a CV joint, almost certainly. That's a pretty textbook sound that a busted one makes AFAIK. Replacing it entails replacing the axle on that side, I think. At least that's what the guys on "two guys and a garage" did on the weekend

 

I would agree thats its a CV joint... Try to cut the wheel hard left and throw it in reverse, this puts the most stress on the CV Joint... you will get the same reaction

 

It does sound like the cv joint, but I'd be surprised if the boot was already ripped on your 03. Go into an empty parking lot and turn the wheel all the way to the left and do some slow circles. Try it turning to the right and doing the same. If you hear a knock.... knock... knock, it is probably your cv joint. Look underneath the car on the affected side and look at the boot right before where the axle meets the wheel. If the boot is ripped, the cv joint needs replaced.

 

Thanks guys. I'll try your suggestions out tonight.

 

strut bearing

 

any way to discern between a problem between the strut bearing and a CV boot?

 

I had a noise coming from my 02 when I made 90º turns into a parking lot. It was a bad strut that was replaced under warranty. Your noise is probably the same as mine was. A busted (dry) CV joint will normally be nosiy at all times the wheel is moving. There will also be grease flung onto your fender lining when the CV boot gets torn.

 

damn l think it might be my strut then. I've had problems installing that one strut (Its aftermarket) and I guess my ghetto rigging may have caused these problems.

 

cv joint for sure...

 

Why are you so sure?

 

I'm not so sure that its my CV boot b/c my max is relatively new. 36k miles. What makes me more suspicious of the strut is that it wasn't installed well and I had to redo it a couple of times.

 

Do you mean the steering wheel or the actual wheel (tire)?

My CV joint needs to be replaced soon and it only clicks when the steering wheel is turned completely to the right. During normal driving theres no clicking.

 

I'm talking about while you're driving the car down the road. Especially at highway speeds. The dry joint will make a howling sound when all of the grease has beed flung out of it. Your CV joint may or may not need to be replaced depending on how much wear it has and how much grease is left in it. It needs to be dissasembled and inspected before replacing it outright.

 

Mine were completely destroyed, along with the bearings, and they only made noise when you turned. It has happened the same way on all 3 of the maximas I have owned. That is how im so sure charliekilo.

 

If it is making noise, it needs to be replaced as the damage has already begun. If you catch the problem early and your boot is ripped but there is no noise yet, then you can regrease the joint and install a new boot.