please help front end troubles

[dannyces]

hi again... i am having problems with the front end making some noise if i turn to tight and i am also gettin a shaking in the steering wheel at low speeds.. ive been search the forum for awhile now and cant find what i need to know... please help i am outta time and broke????
the best i can tell from my searchin is that its the cv joint, problem is how can i tell for sure thats it before i buy a new axle??? could it be a wheel bearing?? and lastly if it is a cv joint do i just change out the axle??
thanks for any help if it wasnt for this site i woulda burnt this truck years ago
Danny

 

[masospaghetti]

what kind of noise is it? Clicking usually indicates a bad CV joint, although they don't usually fail unless the boot is torn, so that is the first thing to check.

I don't think a wheel bearing would cause shaking or noise at low speed. A bearing usually causes noise or vibration at higher speeds.

 

[dannyces]

great thanks, yeah its a clicking sound but it doesnt happen very often its more the shaking that happens all the time at low speeds.
so yeah the boots are shot... now am i right in that i have to change the axle and do i need to do both at the same time???
thanks again
Danny

 

[masospaghetti]

Still, shaking doesn't sound like a bad bearing. Almost sounds like a bad power steering pump (if it only happens when turning). I suppose a CV axle that is worn badly enough could cause shaking.

If only one axle has bad boots, you can wait on the other one, just be aware that it's probably on it's way out. But there's not much labor saved in replacing both at the same time except for jacking up the front end and draining the front gear oil.

 

[dannyces]

ok sooooo... dont know what i was thinkin but boots actually look ok i just went out to take a look.. i took a couple of sharp turns and it also kinda sounds like a "grindin" almost kinda hard to explain but it only happens when i turn real tight.. could anything else cause a steering wheel shake and that kinda noise??
thanks again
Danny

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Need more information. What size are your tires/wheels? Also do you have a torsion twist lift? Is it both directions, or only when turning to one side? How long have you had the vehicle - did this just start recently? Is the ABS light on? Any recent work on the front end?

 

[dannyces]

hey... so tires/wheels are stock size no lift and no recent work done... ive always had alittle noise when i turn real tight (ive had the truck about 3 years) but i make sure not to turn to tight and its been fine... the vibration just started acouple weeks ago and its been gettin worse... the turning noise happens left and right and no abs light...
that being said upon looking at it alittle more closely today the bushings all look bad i mean BAD... mainly upper control arm bushings.... rust is a b***h... could that be the problem??? again its not so much the turn noise but the wheel vibration
thanks
Danny

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Yeah bad ball joints or bushings could end up with some wheel hop on a tight turn (think badly out of alignment when pushed out). That would certainly give vibration or feeling of binding.