strange noises

[Vehi-Cross-Az]

the last few days my VX has been making some strange noises..
clicking grinding of sort if I make a u turn seeming to be coming
from the LF ..
clunks taking off once in a while..
my guess its in the front diff, transmission or transfer case ..
do these even have transfer cases ? lol
maybe rear diff , either way Im going to put it in the air on Wed
some and start looking for something obvious.
Its been getting progressively worse in the last few days.
Keep you posted.
btw, my beast has 145k on it.

[Scott Larson]

Sounds like a left front axle CV joint to me...

[tom4bren]

I always try to troubleshoot on the KISS principal. Check the simplest things first and work towards the more difficult. By that approach, I would:

1. Check lug nuts - are they all present and tight?

2. Check air pressure in tires - all to factory standards and equal between tires?

3. Check tire treads - anything funny there (uneven wear, broken belts, bulges)?

4. Get on your hands and knees in front of the VX & inspect your CV boots - if one is torn, you'll have grease splatter all over the place.

5. Jack up front end & shake each front wheel top to bottom - any play?

That's the easy stuff - now onto the more difficult/messy:

6. Check fluid level in front differential.

7. Check fluid level in transfer case.

8. Check fluid level in transmission.

9. Trace your exhaust pipe all the way from manifold to tailpipe focusing on the heat shields. If any are loose, they'll rattle against undercarriage components.

10. Remove wheels and check brakes for trapped gravel in the brake dust shields.

That's a start & if no problems are found, then let us know & maybe we can think of something else to check. Good luck & have fun wrenchin!

[Vehi-Cross-Az]

checked most of that stuff already. thanks
didnt check the axle, forgot all about that lol
look into that too today... and rest of the other stuff

thanks guys

Are the axles hard to come by ?

[Scott Larson]

They're not too hard to find, but they are expensive...I believe the CV joint can be rebuilt by a u-joint and driveshaft specialty shop, you might want to check that out. Others here with firsthand experience I'm sure will chime in, so hang tight!

[tom4bren]

& there's a complete used set that will be available in PA shortly.

[MSHardeman]

Replacement "half shafts" aren't that hard to come by. EMPI makes replacements for the VX but they aren't an exact fit. They do work, though. I know Triathlete has them in his VX and has done a trip out to Moab with them.

The axles themselves (the pieces that go in the front axle housing) are a little harder to come by. I think the passenger side is readily available, but the driver side seems to be a little more scarce. I had some driver side CV issues a couple of years ago where the "green cup" got scarred and pitted due to my CV boot splitting and letting gunk get in there. I couldn't find a replacement axle and ended up having the axle taken out and sent to a shop where they welded up the checks and pits and then remachined the green cup back to spec. Hasn't given me a problem since.

[tom4bren]

MS

Can you post the contact info for where you had yours done? I had mine done twice (original wear & second time was due to accident) but that place no longer exists.

Tom

[Vehi-Cross-Az]

yeah, dealer wants $800 for a new one..
pass sides are everywhere cheap
Tucson has a lot of 4x shops, going to make some calls
to see who can maybe rebuild it for me first.

[tom4bren]

You could contact these guys. They indicate that they have them for the VX.

http://www.cvunlimited.com/

[Vehi-Cross-Az]

seen them in the past, forgot about them..
thanks !
just sent them an email.

[Vehi-Cross-Az]

quick reply from them
Negative !! ugh

[tom4bren]

These guys can rebuild yours if you can have your beast up on blocks for a few days.

http://cvaxleexpress.com/

They said that they can probably turn them around in a day. Sorry but I forgot to get an estimate.

[MSHardeman]

MS

Can you post the contact info for where you had yours done? I had mine done twice (original wear & second time was due to accident) but that place no longer exists.

Tom

Tom, I wish I could post the contact of where I had mine done, but I had a local shop here in the Aspen valley take the axle out, and they sent it off to a place in Denver to have the welding/machining done. The local shop that pulled the axle is no longer in business so I can't call them to ask. I'll look through my records tonight to see if I have the information hanging around somewhere. If not, I might be able to call the owner of the defunct local shop to see if he remembers anything.

[tom4bren]

OK but don't knock yourself out. I found a place in SLC that can do it too.