first post here.. axle issues

[theflystyle]

hello bbs.

i recently had my front right drive axle changed (94 legacy l) and since the change there has been a new sound comming from the area. while on some turns there is a "poping back into place" or "pop" sound that occurs. its a short pop and i have no idea what it could be.... the new axle is fine, the tie rod end have to be changed because of the threading was shot, but other than that the change was smooth and easy.

this is driving me crazy and i cant see anything physical wrong or outa sync..

my friend says it sounds like the axle is moving around??? it just sounds like something is not sitting right but no clue..

thanks for any help

Ali

[evolutionmovement]

Jack it up and try tomove the wheel around in different axes. If it moves, see where the play is. Are the boots ripped on the axle? You can try turning the wheel by hand and hearing or feeling if the problem is present then. I suspect it isn't the axle, though, sounds more like a balljoint.

Steve

[entirelyturbo]

Could be balljoint, or it might be a swaybar bushing.

I have a really, really, REALLY loud clunk in my front end that I need to do something about but I'm too lazy. It happens when I brake hard, and then won't happen again until I accelerate somewhat briskly. So something is shifting fore and aft on the car depending on which force is acting upon it...

[theflystyle]

do you think it could be the tie end rod, attaching to the hub?? lets say if the nut was not all the way down, there could be possibly movement on turns? especially incline or decline ones??

[evolutionmovement]

No, the nut could possibly allow the inner tie ro to turn and throw off your alignment, but any wear in the tie rod would be at either the inner or outer joint itself. I've driven some cars that were unsafe from bad tie rods and they never clunked - I don't see how they could. The front end just goes all over the place. A balljoint could clunk or an antiroll bar bushing as Mike said. The bushings you can live without fixing if you like (though it's an easy cheap job), but the balljoint should be done ASAP if it's clunking. Does the wheel shake under braking or does the car track off to the side when either accelerating or braking? If your ball joints are bad enough to make noise, you would probably have these types of issues.

Steve

[theflystyle]

the steering wheel is still and great... when i get the car jacked i will take a look at the bushings as you said, but the tie rod end was replaced... including the ball joint.. do you mean the lower control arm?????

[evolutionmovement]

There are two tie rods and each has two ends: inner and outer. The inner is a ball and socket that goes into the rack and the outer is a ball joint that attaches to the wheel spindle. The suspension ball joint attaches the control arm to the spindle and allows for rotation as well as vertical movement - that's the ball joint I was referring to. The antiroll bar bushings that clunk are in the 'C' shaped link that attaches the bar ends to the control arm.

Steve

[professor]

I'm betting on the ball joint. With a brand new tie rod, you have some nice, tight linkage there that was probably sloppy before. Now with it all tight it is pushing the worn balljoint around a lot more than before. Take a good look at the boot on the balljoint for hidden rips.

If the balljoint is bad, you should be able to jack the car, put on jackstands, and by pulling and pushing the wheel/tire, actually see a movement at the balljoint. Sometimes a rather massive pair of slipjoint pliers or vice grips helps to pull and push things the way you want.

This a a good example of stuff that is good to do together...if higher in miles, a tie rod and balljoint may very well both be worn, and the balljont could have been swaped quickly and easily while on the tie rod job.

[theflystyle]

the ball joint is what most people are saying needs to be changed. i checked some sites, 29-39 is the price for the part. my only question is it is something i could do myself or should i just get the mechanic to change it for me??

[evolutionmovement]

Depends on how long it's been there and the condition of your undercarriage. If you have lots of rusted bolts and such, I'd pay someone for the aggravation of possibly dealing with a stuck one. If it's in half-decent shape, it's an easy job to do yourself.

Steve

[professor]

yes it could be real stuck but when you are replacing them (notice I said them, doing just one side when you have the tools in your hand makes little sense), you can beat the shit out of the old one with a pickle fork to separate it, screw the boot (the new one has a fresh one on it),

If you don't have the pickle fork, there should be an auto parts stores in your area that will lend these to you for free. I'd also start spraying the crap out of the area with penetrating oil daily until you do the job.

Look at the Haynes manual, the pics are actually pretty good for this job. A little heat will go a long way if the balljoint is stuck.

[theflystyle]

went to local mechanic to get the pass side axle changed... $105 later i asked for an estimate on the balljoint as well.. they said 80 for the part (hahahahaha) and then 180 for the labor??? cmon... i can change an axle myself can i do this?? sounds easy but those prices are crazy

[evolutionmovement]

That's rediculous. Ours aren't even that hard. I paid my mechanic $80 parts & labor to do one of mine when it let go in the winter. It's definitely something you can do yourself. For those prices, even if it gives you trouble it's worth doing yourself.

Steve