front end grind

[evillecutter]

so after replacing my idle control valve, fuel pressure regulator, and throttle position sensor (amongst other things) i finally have the vx idling fine and running good enginewise - so i went on a short roat trip yesterday to test it out (maybe 40 miles) - the motor ran great and car drove five - it didnt feel weird at all... until i get home and turn into the garage - i have to make a sharp right turn into my drive then an immediate left to get into the garage and i hear a horrible sound like metal grinding - i back it up out of the garage and drive it around the block to see whats up and the sound continues around every turn and even at low speeds while going straight - its def coming from the front end but from which side i have no idea - sounds like the middle but thats what scares me - anyways, i put it in low gear to see what it would do and when i would slowly accelerete it sounds like a baseball card in bicycle spokes - this is terrible - the first thing im thinking is my cv joints or a wheel bearing but im scared its something wrong with the tod or abs - no warning lights whatsoever and it went into low gear fine other than making the noise worse - brakes feel fine in a straight line but could be making it worse around corners - got underneath and nothing looks broken or bent and both cv boots look fine no signs of leaking or tears - any ideas on how i could diagnose the problem without bringing it into the shop? maybe the diff needs service? i appreciate any suggestions...

[Triathlete]

Barakes? Stuck caliper? Also check that a small rock has not become stuck between the brake disc and cover.

[evillecutter]

ive had a caliper stick before on a previous vehicle and i didnt feel like this - its like a binding or grinding noise but only while turning or straightening out after a turn - the sharper the turn the worse it seems to be - either way i will check the brakes when i take the wheels off - prob gonna be a few days before i can really have time to properly work on it but i figured i would get as many suggestions as possible beforehand

[vt_maverick]

At the risk of getting a "DUH" in return... have you checked to make sure your tires aren't rubbing the cladding?

[Scott Larson]

At the risk of getting a "DUH" in return... have you checked to make sure your tires aren't rubbing the cladding?

You won't get a "Duh" from me, that's a good place to look!!

[Scott Larson]

Sounds to me like one of your sharp turns may have broken one of your front axle CV joints. A broken drive flange (cage) or drive ball will make all kinds of racket when turning and make a distinctive clicking sound when going straight. Just a thought... Best of luck!

[tom4bren]

It sounds like you've already adopted the KISS principal for diagnostics ... good.

I agree that brakes aren't likely but go ahead and pull the front wheels & inspect them since it's easy.

While each side of the front is up in the air, try & jiggle the wheel up & down to make sure your bearings are good.

I'd also drain the front pumpkin to see if anything bad comes out with the oil. Remember though to remove the fill plug first - if you can't get it out then you shouldn't drain the oil because you won't be able to fill it back up. Also keep in mind that there can be significant gunk built up in the pumpkin so you may need to probe the drain with a piece of wire or a zip tie to get the oil to come out.

I'm kinda leaning towards one of the outer CVs gave up the ghost but when mine did that, it literally exploded.

Keep us posted on your progress & if we think of anything else, we'll let you know.

[evillecutter]

Sounds to me like one of your sharp turns may have broken one of your front axle CV joints. A broken drive flange (cage) or drive ball will make all kinds of racket when turning and make a distinctive clicking sound when going straight. Just a thought... Best of luck!

would these noises be worse when put into 4wd?

[tom4bren]

stock wheels and stock size tires no accidents wheels not rubbing (its a metal sound not plastic and rubber) - any walkthroughs on checking/refilling the "pumpkin"? - tried the search on changing diff fluid but came up empty as far as how-tos go

I'll look in the diff drop installation instructions. It may be in there.

would these noises be worse when put into 4wd?

Probably since there would be more 'drive' applied to the front wheels while in 4L.

Try moving the half shaft around (side to side, up & down, rotationally, & linearly). There shouldn't be any play at all.

[evillecutter]

stock wheels and stock size tires no accidents wheels not rubbing (its a metal sound not plastic and rubber) - any walkthroughs on checking/refilling the "pumpkin"? - tried the search on changing diff fluid but came up empty as far as how-tos go

[tom4bren]

- tried the search on changing diff fluid but came up empty as far as how-tos go

The diff drop instructions just tell you to do it, not how to do it. Sorry.

It's pretty simple though. There will be a plug high on the differential & one low. The high one is the fill plug & the low one is the drain plug. Remove the fill plug first & then the lower one with a catch pan underneath. You may want to have a piece of cheese cloth to drain it through to catch any particles for later inspection. Remember, the hole can get clogged with gunk so you may have to poke at it to keep the oil draining. You'll need 2 bottles of 90 weight oil to put back in (IIRC it takes 1 1/2). You do NOT need the positrack additive for the front pumpkin but it won't hurt anything if that's all you can find.

Replace the drain plug. Start putting oil in the fill hole until it starts dribbling out. Replace the fill plug. Drive it for a day & then check to see if you need to add more.

EDIT:

The shop manual isn't much help either but you can find it here:

http://www.vehicross.info/modules.ph...warticle&id=20

Look on page 4A1-2 for diagnostics and 4A1-3 for a drawing of where the drain plug is.

[Scott Larson]

I would think so, as you are now driving the the front wheels full time making the CVs work harder with the extra load placed on them.

[LittleBeast]

Just get under there and grab the center shaft of each CV and try to move it in any direction, if you get much play or can turn them, you may have a bad CV :-( Hope not though.

[Scott Larson]

Checking the front diff may also be in order as Tom stated as you would also be putting it under additional load with the 4WD engaged...

[evillecutter]

ok so i couldnt stand it so i went home on lunch and started wiggling stuff and everything seems solid - didnt have time to raise the wheels off the ground so i couldnt check the bearings but i tried to move every piece i could including the two bars going into the cv boot - they didnt move at all except a small amount of play with an in and out motion dorectly towards the wheel - very small amount of movement (i got them to make a small clicking sound) and exactly the same on both sides - cv's the culprit? if one is bad then the other must be too could they both go at the same time? still gonna try to check the diff fluid and brakes later...