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CV Joints?

kgd102

Active Member
Joined
April 10, 2001
Messages
56
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City, State
Williamsburg, VA
Year, Model & Trim Level
'98 Sport SOHC - 4x4
My 98' Sport is making a "popping" type noise from the front left wheel. You can hear/feel the noise when driving at lower speeds (30 and under) by hitting large or small bumps or really even no bumps (just by simply driving it, it sounds like a popping/binding-up noise). Also you can hear the noise with it parked and pushing up and down on the front end. It does it every time I back up with or without turning the wheel. A few people I talked to around my area said it's the CV joints. Do any of you agree? If not what do you think it could be?
 






First do a search under the Suspension board for "torsion bar adjusters". If the noise you are hearing sounds like the problem in the thread start there, otherwise:

My '97 was making a poping noise, usually when turning the wheel and backing up. I thought it was the CV joints so I had my ex-mechanic neighbor come over and give it a look. He said if it was my CV joints I should hear the binding when rotating the wheel with it jacked up. I didn't get any noise or binding so I figure it wasn't my CV joints. It was annoying. It started out doing it only when I backed down my driveway (going down the bump). It kept getting worse to the point that it would do it whenever I backed up out of a parking space. Eventually got to the point that when I stopped hard enough to cause the nose to dive, I would get the same "pop". It was bad enough that I could feel a snap in the bottom of my floorboard when it made the noise. The noise seems to have gone away now since I haven't heard if for the last couple of months. It used to do it every time I backed out of my driveway.

When trying to track it down, I tried lubricating my front sway bar links, removing the front sway bar, lubricating both ends of my torsion bars, torsion bar adjusters and greasing my only tie-rod end that has a grease fitting. Nothing I did would get rid of the noise. The ball joints and tie-rod ends seemed tight so I don't know what actually caused it. I'm just glad it is gone now.

If it is very repeatable then try removing your front swaybar links and seeing if the noise is still there, If it is, try your front shocks, check your ball joints, tie-rod ends, the ends of your torsion bars, your torsion bar adjusters and make sure your calipers are not loose on your brakes.
 






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