I was driving my car the other night and I noticed a loud clicking noise as the wheels were spinning. so I took it to a shop and the guy told me it was my differential and it was eating up the rest of my trans. The mechanic also told me the cv boot on the drivers side was out. The car is still drivable but it clicks and I can feel the click as I'm driving, would a car still be driveable if the differential was out? The faster I go the louder it clicks. I dont have any mods done to my car at all. What should I do?

 

Clicking usually means CV joints.

Are you 5MT or 4AT?

 

The CV boot is just a rubber skin that holds the grease onto the CV joint, and when the boot tears, it allows the grease to come out, and dirt and moisture to get on to the joint. Once the joint gets contaminated, it's not long until it starts to fail. Bad CV joints have a signature sound: like horse hooves. If that is the sound you are hearing, you need new joint(s). Generally speaking, the sound is usually more evident when you have the wheel turned, and less noticable when going straight, and the noise will be consistant with vehicle speed. For the most part, it's cheaper to just replace the half shaft than to replace the one joint on the shaft.
The differential/ transaxle should be a grind or whine if bearings and such are going out. I would say it's the driveshaft, but cannot say definately that your diff/trans isn't going too.

 

Replace the CV Axle or Boot first. If teh clicking stops....cheap fix.

 

I have a 5pd, I think its the cv boot too. I wasn't sure why he told me it was my tranny but oh well, a $50 sounds much better. I changed the cv boot on my last maxima so it should be easy.

THANKS FOR THE INPUT EVERYONE!!!

 

Get under your car and check to make sure that your cv boot is ripped and grease is everywhere. If that is the case then replace your axle and everything should be fine. If the boot is not ripped then grap the big part of the axle right where it enters the tranny and try and move it up and down, if it moves your diff bearing is bad..

THe thing about the diff bearing is that, yes it will make a whining noise, but it will also cause your drivers side axle to rattle up and down which will make a clicking noise very similar to a bad cv joint.

My diff bearing is currently shot and when I first started hearing the clicking everyone told me it was a cv joint even tho I did not have a ripped boot. I got under there and wiggled the axle and there was a lot of play in it. Just check the boots and the axle before you start replacing anything.

 

If there is a Carquest Parts Store around your area, buy the boot from them, it's about $10. cheap.

 

Vlasic said it, but I'll make it more clear:

The clicking could be either the diff or axle. If the boot is torn change it ASAP. If the axle has play where it's held by the differential, the diff carrier bearings are shot. (Fix that ASAP too).

Dave