ticking sound

[anthonyle2002]

hey, i got a question. i've noticed lately (since i moved and drive on mountain roads a lot now) that when i turn right as the road curves and as i straighten it as the road does, i hear a single tick or click coming from the left side of my car. it seems to be coming from where the pillar is but there isn't anything there. could there be something wrong with my wheels or something in that whole area?

[Manarius]

CV Joint. Clicking is typical for a failing one of those.

[skid542]

Is it a click or a clicking, also, is it dependant on how far you turn your wheel before straightening back out? If it's a constant clicking that varies with speed then check your CV's. If it's a single click/thunk, I would be inclined to think it's in your strut assembly. Old worn out mount, bad bearing, broken tophat, or something along those lines.

And incase you haven't already done so, pick up a Hayne's Manual so you'll have a visual reference of what we're talking about. You'll use the manual a fair bit for other things too.

[anthonyle2002]

its a single clink as you said skid. if i turn the wheel more than say 1/4th of the way (90 degrees) it'll click when i straighten it out. so is this something that needs to be checked right away or can it wait a month and a half till i'm done with this quarter at college?

[skid542]

Next question, can you tell if the click is coming from the top of the car or the bottom? Does the car pull to one side or the other? To me it sounds like a strut bearing or some part of the strut assembly that is bad. If it pulls then I'd definately say bearing. If it doesn't pull, I'd think more along the lines of something in the assembly. Now how long can you go.... well, my first car pulled like a bitch and would make a horrific thud after straightening from a sharp turn. Being a half POS beater, I let it go for a good while before finally replacing it. However, I wouldn't wait that long and I'd wait less if it's part of the assembly.
I'd suggest going out and jacking up the car and taking the wheel off from the side that's making the noise. Grab the springs and shake, don't shake it off the jack though. You should be able to tell if something holding the spring is broken. Then I'd also check the bolts on the top of the strut to make sure they're all tight and such.

How much do you drive your car?

[anthonyle2002]

skid, no i can't tell if the clicking is coming from the top or bottom and it doesn't pull. the car kinda really really slowly pulls right but i think thats due to the slight un-alignment of the car and thats been there for a long time.

i'll try and do what you told me with shaking the spring when i get a chance. whats the strut and where (and the bolts holding it) and what does it look like and do?

thanks in advance

[skid542]

Go to http://www.bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=22575 and check out the first three pictures. The triange shaped thing is the part of the assembly that keeps the spring around the strut (the big orange thing in pic #3). The second picture is the strut mount in the rear of the car. It'll pretty much the same in the front when you pop the hood. So check the nuts on the three bolts, the ones that you see on the triangle thing, and then also remove that center rubber dust cap and check the nut under it as well. The strut serves to dampen bounces and keep your spring from just bobbing your car up and down and up and down.... after a bump.