Front End Noise

[MJEasly]

I am getting some clunking/popping noises coming from the front end of my K2500. It almost sounds/feels like 4wd is engaged. Ichecked the CV boots and they are all clean and dry without tears. Front half shafts minimal play. Hub, ball joints and other linkages appear to be very tight (on and off the rack), even for a truck w/ 87,000 miles.

Noise very apparent when turning slow with full lock. Another clunk/pop noise, which may be unrelated, also sounds like it is coming from the drivers side caliper/hub area or the torsion bar - frame mounting location.

Any tests or other troubleshooting I can perform in order totrack down this issue?

Thanks.

[More Power]

Does the front driveshaft turn freely (by hand) when in 2WD?

Jim

[MJEasly]

The front shafts turn smoothly in 2wd. No grinding or resistance other than what I would expect from a normally functioning axle.

I am beginning to think there are multiple unrelated issues here. The first was a binding front end that caused the tires to chirp. It only happened once as I was making a sharp slow turn as I always do in my driveway. It hasn't happened since then so I am guessing the front end gears/acutator/transfer case were perfectly aligned and caused the binding. In other words a freak incident.

On the other hand, I still get a pop or metallic ping that I swear is coming from the front left wheel area. I can't get anything to move either on or off of the rack. The caliper and brake pad all seem tight. It almost feels like a wheel bearing shift or a torsion bar key settling in the base of the adjuster. Or a broken shock? It is difficult to track down since I can't load the suspension and recreate the noise and have someone look at the suspension without placing that person in serious risk.

There was another pop when I would hit the brakes. This was caused by a loose rear hub/brake assembly. Fixed it and the noise is gone.

Anything else I should look at or test?

Thanks.

[More Power]

My wife's 1999 Tahoe has a 4WD switch panel acting up. When it's acting goofy, it appears as though either the transfer case isn't completely disengaging or the axle actuator isn't disengaging completely. You get a steering wheel shake when turning and/or during some braking maneuvers. This goes away when the 4WD switch panel is behaving normally (responds to switch activation and lights the correct LED). That's why I asked whether you could turn the front driveshaft when you believe it's in 2WD - i.e. make sure the various parts are in-fact disengaged.

You may have a bad CV joint... But, there could be several causes for the symptoms you're reporting...

Jim

[MJEasly]

It appears to be the driver's side upper ball joint. I discovered this on my family trip to South Carolina. It pops most of the time now when the suspension moves. Everything feels tight until you jump on the bumper. You can feel it give just a bit with the tell tale pop. Apparently it has gotten worse since I can create the pop at will instead of semi-randomly as described before. Also would explain the alignment and tire wear issues.

I'm guessing this is going to be a brutal project.