Clicking and popping noise while driving

[SaltWaterDrinker]

Hello all,

Went on an off road trip today; nothing outside the lovely sand and swampiness of South Jersey. No reported problems during the trip, or on the ride home.

An hour or so after I was home, I was going down a hill and I applied brakes towards a stop sign. As I neared my "stop" something popped on the right front side of the vehicle. From that point in, while the truck is in motion, I hear "click click click click pop or crunch." This noise is audible under 20 mph. Anything above that is just clicks.

When accelerating (quickly- 2-3000 rpm), the vehicle is engulfed in extreme vibrations up until about 35 miles an hour, and then it stops.

When hanging a right turn quickly, it feels as if I'm slipping or, for simple terms, something sounds as if it is thumping.

Anyone know what I broke now?

[DirtyBacon04]

have you looked at anything yet? Could be any number of things at this point.

[Wahugg]

I bet it's a CV joint or disconnect. Three months ago my drivers side CV joint started to go bad and it started to click all the time. When it finally wore out on me, it did so with a very dramatic pop. Yours sounds much more dramatic then my experience which is why I included the disconnect, but it sounds like a CV to me.

Just pull off the passenger side CV shaft to confirm. You'll notice something wrong with it when you do, and when you go drive around without the cv shaft in, the clicking should be gone.

Good luck!
-Wahugg

[dvanbramer88]

He didn't provide enough info. Disco was just rebuild with all new bearings a couple weeks ago. He pushed on the CV a little bit and it feels just like the other side. I didn't actually play with anything because i was stuck at work. I should also add that it isn't in the suspension or lift. Flexing the suspension manually and running over curbs doesn't cause the noise. It is only while driving. So I'll go ahead and say it's in the "drivetrain" not the suspension or lift.

[dvanbramer88]

Just drove his truck. It makes a clicky/poppy/chunking sound while rolling at <30 mph and with your foot on the gas between 40-45 mph. Small vibration detectible too. In 4hi, it only makes the sound while rolling, The sound is not detectable with your foot on the gas but the vibration is. Also, the swerve test doesn't change the sound/vibration. Ball Joints are in good shape.

I'm guessing passenger side CV? And again, the Disconnect was just rebuilt about a month ago and has all new bearings.

[Wahugg]

If the sound is from the passenger side then yes, it could be the passenger side CV. Like I said before, just pull the shaft and drive the truck around the block in 4 auto. Why 4 auto? Well by removing the CV shaft you also now keep half of that parts in you disconnect from moving, thus not really eliminating anything other then both the CV shaft and the disconnect, which we already suspect. By engaging the truck in 4 auto, all parts of the disconnect will now be moving, and no torque will be sent to the front drive shaft. If the sound is still there then we know it is the disconnect/intermediate shaft/front differential since the CV shaft is removed. If the sound is gone then we know it is the shaft.

Oh and don't worry about hurting the truck with 4 auto engaged on the pavement. With the CV shaft disconnected (effectively disconnecting that side from the wheel) and no torque being sent to the diff, the "binding" action will not occur.

Good luck!

-Wahugg

[dvanbramer88]

Yea, thanks. My next step was to pull the shaft to see if the noise goes away. Also, good idea on the 4auto. And I know how the auto four works, The disconnect engages but the Transfer case stays in 2hi until you get wheel slip and the clutches grab. No worry about driving on the street because it's not really in 4WD, it's actually in a condition similar to other IFS 4x4's that don't have a splined disconnect.

[Trail X]

If you can get the truck up on 4 jack stands and run it in 4WD, you might be able to better locate the source, since you say it doesn't seem to relate to the road surface.

[dvanbramer88]

We pulled the CV today and the noise/vibration is still there. It ha gotten worse in the past few days. Now it closely resembles the noises Bills Wheel hub bearing made in his video/thread "One dead wheel hub bearing" Also, it now "fails" the swerve test. Turning hard left, throwing the weight on the right side make it worse, and likewise, swerving right make it go away. It also gets quieter during acceleration, as the weight is thrown rear-ward, and it gets worse while braking, as the weight is thrown forward. I also visually detected slight wheel wobble while driving today. And the noise is definatly on the far outside, its not coming from the disconect or further inwards. And with the front jacked up, and spinning the wheel by hand, you hear a little grinding and "pitter patter" from the hub. This is all with the CV removed. So I'm sure it's safe to say that it's the wheel hub bearing.

[The Roadie]

So I'm sure it's safe to say that it's the wheel hub bearing.

As certain as the sun rising in the East every morning.

[HARDTRAILZ]

How did the hub feel when you took the cv out? I could feel the bearings were shot when they made noise.

[dvanbramer88]

How did the hub feel when you took the cv out? I could feel the bearings were shot when they made noise.

Didn't really notice/pay attention honestly. Pulling the CV took 35 minutes, we were in a hurry and were working fast to get the CV out and get the truck back together.

[HARDTRAILZ]

Still seems 30 seconds spinning the bearings would have been time well spent.

[dvanbramer88]

Didn't even think to. But Josh did later that night. Like i said in my post, you can hear some grinding and "pitter patter" from the hub while spinning the wheel by hand with the truck jacked up.

[Wahugg]

Kind of odd for a bearing to just suddenly jump from fine to making crunching, popping, and clicking noises. Usually it's a gradual onset. What brand was it?

-Wahugg

[TangoBravo]

Kind of odd for a bearing to just suddenly jump from fine to making crunching, popping, and clicking noises. Usually it's a gradual onset. What brand was it?

-Wahugg

I agree, almost always you have plenty of other warning signs even before you get to crunching, popping, and clicking.

[HARDTRAILZ]

Key word is Almost. I have had them make noise for weeks and had them be shot by the end of an hour trip to my parents when they felt solid upon starting trip.

[TangoBravo]

Yeah anything can happpen that's why I said almost. Just like you can buy a bran new bad part from the parts store. The parts you get are almost always good to go but every once in a while you get the bad one.

Not sent from a Iphone.

[dvanbramer88]

It was the OEM original as far as we know. It was replaced yesterday, truck is good to go.

[navigator]

mine roared for over a month and when I pulled them off they still felt good.
The new ones are much quieter though