CV joints axle failing already?

[hungt1999]

I made a hard right turn to get out of my drive way this morning and I heard a loud clack! clack! clack! somewhere near the front axles and almost everytime I made a hard right turn. The frequency of the clack noise seems proportional to the rotational speed of the wheels. In other words the faster I go, the faster I hear the clack clack clack

It does not happen if I make a left turn or going straight.

I had a quick inspection of the CV joint boots and they seem OK

Can it be the CV joints? if so, the one on the driver's side or the passenger's side?

can CV joint fails even if the rubber boot is intact?

I called the dealer and I can only have an appointment in 2 weeks. Can I keep driving like that for a while ? will I risk breaking the wheel on the road ? this is a potentially very dangerous condition.

the car is less than a month old, only 2000 km and I did not hit potholes or anything.

[new echo owner]

Is that the only time you hear the noise, on hard right turns? Do you have aftermarket wheels/tires? Have you check to see if the tire is coming in contact with the inner fender well for both fronts?

N.E.O.

[toyomoho]

If a CV joint it would typically be the outer joint and the noise would come from the tire area.

Typically the defective joint is on the opposite side of the direction turning.

The joint can be defective regardless of boot condition.

If a joint don't hot rod the car or make sharp turns until the dealer inspects it. The joint typically does not break unless completely worn out, in most cased long after it should have been changed.

The noise could be from some other area such as brakes.

[hungt1999]

Originally Posted by new echo owner

Is that the only time you hear the noise, on hard right turns? Do you have aftermarket wheels/tires? Have you check to see if the tire is coming in contact with the inner fender well for both fronts?

N.E.O.

I am driving with aftermarket wheels+winter tires. During lunch break today I went out and checked the front wheels. Nothing special, lug nuts are tight, no ice accummulation or nothing that could rub.

This is new, the car did not do that yesterday or before and yes, it happens only if I make a real sharp turn on the right

[new echo owner]

See if you can determine if the noise is coming from the left side or right side. Even though the tires might not be coming in contact with the inner fender when sitting still, but on when turning with the suspension travel they may.

Are the winter tires same width as the regular street tires?

N.E.O.

[hungt1999]

Originally Posted by new echo owner

See if you can determine if the noise is coming from the left side or right side. Even though the tires might not be coming in contact with the inner fender when sitting still, but on when turning with the suspension travel they may.

Are the winter tires same width as the regular street tires?

N.E.O.

the noise seems to come from the passenger front side. I turned the steering all the way to the right and clearance is OK. For my winter tires, I am using same size tires as OEM (195/65R15). By the way, the clack clack sound get louder if I am accelerating at the same time as I am turning. If I let go the gas pedal during the turn, the clack clack is still there but less noisy.

It is very annoying not being able to make sharp right turn

When turning a street corner, I have to take and extra radius and I seem like a drunk driver LOL!

[trunks9_us]

how cold is it there? Because My echo with 60 k miles on it does the same thing when it is cold weather even though my car has miles on it it does the same think until the car warms up how long are you diving and how cold is it?
just fyi my echo started doing it the first winter i got it as well although i bought it used with 18k on it.

[hungt1999]

Originally Posted by trunks9_us

how cold is it there? Because My echo with 60 k miles on it does the same thing when it is cold weather even though my car has miles on it it does the same think until the car warms up how long are you diving and how cold is it?
just fyi my echo started doing it the first winter i got it as well although i bought it used with 18k on it.

It is winter here, the temperature is sub freezing point for the last couple weeks.

I commute about 45 minutes to work, mostly highway stop and go traffic for a distance of about 20km.

This just happened today, the problem did not go away once the car has warmed up

[rolla-XRS]

That's not a normal condition - but you might have some troubles if the rims aren't OEM. Nevertheless, call your dealer back and advise them you can't wait 2 weeks for an appointment for warranty service.

Personally - I'd drive right in there and forget about having an appointment. They might like everyone to get appointments but they'll service you anyways without one.

Either way, living in Montreal you can always select another dealer.


EDIT: WOOT! 1000th post!

[trucknut1]

i drove my 90 honda accord for over a year and about 20,000 km with a cv joint clicking so i dont think 2 weeks is a big deal... if it was to fail your going to be "dead in the water" because all your power will be going to that broken shaft, your wheel is not going to fall off you are just going to come to a stop... replacing a cv shaft is not a big deal, most likely a bit of dirt got in past the boot during assembly...

PS the honda was 15 years old and had over 350,000 km when the cv joints started to fail... we still drive it, now has 450,000 and i swear it runs smoother then the xrs

[new echo owner]

How long have you had the winter tires/wheels on the car?

N.E.O.

[hungt1999]

Originally Posted by new echo owner

How long have you had the winter tires/wheels on the car?

N.E.O.

I have been driving with winter tires for the last two weeks without any clicking noise

after driving home earlier today, I raise the front of the car with the jack and I rotated the front wheels by hand and tried rocking the wheels back and forth, they are not wobbling but the passenger front wheels seems to have more play and I was able somehow to reproduce that clacking noise to a lesser extent

[new echo owner]

Maybe double check the torque of the lug nuts, if that checks good, rotate the wheels/tires on that side to see if it makes any difference. Also look for wheel weights or the inside of the wheel for possible scraping marks; wheel weights can sometimes get too close to the brake calipers.

N.E.O.

[hungt1999]

It is really cold in Montreal this morning (-20 Celcius or -4 F) and I noticed the grinding noise happens now on both sides with sharp steering either to the left or to the right

The noise when making sharp turns now is more like a grinding noise rather than the clack clack noise of last week. It is similar to the ABS grinding sound however I am not touching the brake pedal. I don't think the brakes are stuck either because the car does jam or slow down due to brake grabbing.

After driving a while about 20 minutes later, the griding noise went away when steering hard to the left but still persist towards the right

I am thinking now that it must be temperature-related,

If you are in Montreal or if it is really cold in your area, can you test it out and tell me if you have that grinding noise. All you need to do is to turn the steering wheel sharply to either side and start accelerating.