clicking noise while driving

[jremington59]

I just looked and my pads are almost gone. I wonder if somehow the "squeekers" are making the clicking noise? The bad part with the AWD is you can't spin the wheel without removing the shaft...

 

[panamexplorer]

The brake pad wear indicators will squeal but shouldn't click, once down to them they rub continually when applied.

if your not on the brakes they shouldn't make any noise

 

[jremington59]

By the time I took it into the shop it was clanking so bad I didn't even want to drive it there. It sounded like every time the tire turned someone was smacking the rotor with a hammer. It was that bad. We put her on the lift and I got in and put it into gear while my mechanic friend listened. I thought it had to be the cv axle or a brake but he said he thought it was coming from the prop shaft.

We pulled the calipers and saw no sign anything had been rubbing, put new pads on and put them back together. Then we pulled the propshaft and the end connecting to the transfer case was sloppy and the rubber boot protecting it was torn. I took it for a ride w/o the propshaft and there was no noise. I then filled the end with the torn boot with grease, thinking if it was making the noise it would act as a buffer. We put it back together and went for a twenty mile ride with absolutely no noise.

Personally. I don't think it was the propshaft making the noise. The noise coincided with roughly every revolution of a tire, and the propshaft probably turns a minimum of 20 times per one revolution of a tire. I can't see a cv axle making the kind of noise this was making, and then just going away. If it were something inside the TC or differential I don't think it would just go away.

So basically, the noise is gone and neither of us could pinpoint what was making the noise. If it comes back all I can think to do is to drive it until whatever it is breaks. I'm still sitting here trying to figure out what was making that kind of noise, yet showing nothing.

 

[panamexplorer]

exactly in the same place as you jrem59, just scratching my head a lot !

LOL or crying ... I'm not sure yet

 

[jremington59]

panamexplorer, is yours AWD or 4 WD? I made a mistake not taking it for a ride before pulling the propshaft. If yours is the AWD is there any way you can pull the propshaft and see if it goes away? That would at least narrow it down to a drive train issue.

I went back today to see the mechanic that helped me. He is as baffled as I am how something could make that much noise, yet not be able to pinpoint it. He seems very certain it has nothing to do with the brakes, wheelbearings, ball joint or axle shafts. I'm not so sure. I will add it didn't make near the noise on the lift so weight or load does have something to do with the severity of the noise. I even relooked at the old shoes but there was nothing on them to indicate anything was rubbing. There's no less than 50 threads on this forum over the years with the same symptoms, yet it seems no one ever found the exact nature of the problem.

It went from being a light tick to a heavy tick/clang/metalic slap very quickly. It did stay "even" in noise with the turning of a tire being the time between the noise.

 

[panamexplorer]

Mine is 4wd, 4.0L with the auto switch.

My problem still is an 'even clicking' 4 months now without change.

I've even tried coasting downhill with the engine off in neutral... still clicks. And I agree sounds more like tire rotation than shaft rotation.

When I had the truck in Canada I had all new front end, transmission, tires etc, drove it for a month perfectly.

Then i brought it to Panama and the clicking started 2 weeks later (the only difference is that mine sat in a container on a ship for 6 weeks).
All my tools are in storage still and I'm in a rental without garage facilities so i can't even get the truck up in the air.

I'm hoping to find a decent mechanic down here that's willing to let me use his shop.

I can jack one wheel up at a time and look but haven't seen anything obvious, I just hope nothing gets worse or causes damage until I get my own tools !!

 

[jremington59]

Seeings yours is 4 wd and mines awd that leads me to believe it's not my propshaft as we had the exact same symptoms, except mine got worse.

Have you ever replaced the front brake pads?

 

[panamexplorer]

yes

a couple of months (and the time in the shipping container) before the 'clicking' started I put all new motorcraft extreme duty brakes - rotors, pads, calipers and lines and wheel bearings and ball joints too.

That's why I think its tolerances somewhere.. but I don't see any rub or wear marks and the clips seem fine.

Not the first time 'new parts' have caused problems !!

 

[Bdizzlebot]

Finally found it, a cv, not at the wheels

Found that the noise is a bad cv joint. The front drive shaft at the input of the differential has a propeller shaft with a cv like construction. This makes it sound exactly like a bad cv on the drivers side because of the location compared to the driver. Most the time you will find the boot only tore, but the grease that was in the boot is gone and the propeller shaft end is spinning on the seized or less bearings. I also changed brakes, driver side cv and almost changed the hub before I found the solution. It is also a nice kit to have a fresh cv without buying a complete shaft. http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-932-201-Driveshaft-Joint-Kit/dp/B00450I2MY/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8&Make=Mercury%7C56&Model=Mountaineer%7C728&Year=1998%7C1998&ie=UTF8&n=15684181&newVehicle=1&s=automotive&vehicleId=1&vehicleType=automotive