Front end noises

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kjpilot

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
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Location
Minneapolis, MN
FYI, This is also posted at LOST.

2 weeks ago, the front end started clunking. You could feel the clunks through the steering wheel. Never clunked above 35 MPH, and only when under power. It didn't always clunk, but when it did it happened once at 4 mph, three times between 18-20 mph & twice more at 30mph. At first, it didn't matter if I was turning or not, but after awhile it would clunk more when I turned right. So I think drive shaft, or CV joints. I found that I could shake the drive shaft about 2mm, but when I jacked up the right wheel to check the CVs, the wheel moved in a lot. The ball joint was shot & it wore the LCA ball joint socket into an oval. I thought the ball joint was the trouble so I replaced them with Moogs and a right LCA. While it was apart, I did a 1/2 inch clevis lift.

While taking it to get an alignment, It still made clunking noises& more of them, but handled much better. So I removed the front drive shaft, & the clunks went away... But were replaced by a scraping sound. With the windows up, it sounds like a tire scraping on the plastic in the wheel well, but I happens when going straight or turning, it doesent matter. So today I removed the fender flares & well liner, & beat back my pinch weld. I took it for a drive with all the stuff off, & the noise is still there, but now I know it's not my tires or wheels.

I engaged 4X4, & the T-case makes a horrible grinding noise, but it's a different noise & from a different spot. The scrape is definitely from the front. I listened with the windows open, & there is a metallic element to the sound. It also only happens when moving & under power, but it does happen at any speed, totally random, when turning or going straight. there is about 1mm of front to back movement in the half shaft on one side. I'm pretty much down to the CV joints or front differential. Any Ideas?
 
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