Looking for a little guidance. I'm getting a clicking noise in my front driver side outside axle area. I've had these RCV axles for about 10 years. The clicking seems to be in the area of the wheel hub / CV joint, and it only occurs when in 4WD AND turning left or right.
I replaced the bearing / hub assembly, and that didn't fix it. I've taken apart and cleaned the same and CV joint. I was expecting to see something obviously broken, cracked, chipped, etc., But to my untrained eye, I don't see anything wrong. Do any of you see anything here that would be a concern? The bearings can move if I shake the joint.

​​​​​​Any suggestions on where else to look?

Thanks.

 

 

Did the noise start happen suddenly or was it quiet then louder over time? I ask because when I got my rcv’s I did some research before hand. One of the negatives of rcv’s is that the bearings create a small groove or pathway in the cv area over time. When you’re turning your bearings go across that groove. Did you take the axle apart completely and inspect everything?

Have you verified that the noise is in fact coming from the cv? One side or both?

 

It certainly seemed louder around the time when I finally took it apart. I haven't taken the bearings & cages out of the Joint assembly yet. I only heard the noise coming from the Driver's side. I had a mechanic walk next to the Jeep while driving to get his opinion on location of the noise, and he agreed that it was either the outer axle / CV joint or hub. The inner axle shaft looks fine - I don't see any issues with the splines.

 

There sure isn't much towards the outside to be making a noise like that than the hub and CV, and you've already replaced the hub.....and you're dealing with a 10-yr old CV. I have RCVs but have never had an issue with them to the point I had to disassemble and visually inspect the CV.....though I think it's going to be pretty hard to spot something visually. I think it's that joint, but have you reached out to RCV at all to have them watch that video clip? They would be most familiar with what their joint sounds like when it fails. That was a bit louder than I expected to hear. Most CVs I've heard were driveshafts.

 

I did reach out to RCV, sent pics & video, and they sent a replacement CV Joint. They were actually a bit surprised I'd gone 10 years without having an issue sooner. Go figure.

In any case, it didn't resolve the issue. Local Jeep shop rebuilt the front driveshaft (front & rear joints), and that *mostly* took care of it. Driving in 4wd on dirt, and it's fine. On pavement, I still get some clicking. So I'm guessing I had multiple issues going on. It's much improved, but I wouldn't say solved.

2 thumbs up for RCV for replacing the joint in any case.

 

I didn't recall it getting louder over time. There was just some point where it was enough to catch my attention. I did pull the driver side axle all the way out and didn't notice any issues. It definitely sounded like driver's side, and that's with having someone walk outside the Jeep while I drove in circles. See my other post below about the front driveshaft (which is also driver's side).

 

Yep the last CV joint I had that went on a Subaru sounded just like that. Pardon the pun but - those balls are not very shiny so a rough surface sure will chew them out fast. Did you find there were lots of grease in there and any filings in the grease?

 

Glad RCV stood behind it and got you set up with a replacement.

 

The joint was still plenty packed with grease. Can't say I noticed a lot of filings to the point of it standing out to me.