front axel question...

[DavidT]

I am looking at a 91 sho. Front axels (I assume) make a LOT of noise. Don't even have to be turning the wheel! Weird thing is... it can turn "on a dime". My sho had kinda the same problem when I bought it. The sound wasn't as severe, but it could not make a normal full turn (there was no way I could've made a U turn on a highway) Could the 91 have more complicated problems?
P.S. What could happen if you let a car continually drive on worn axels?

 

[rangerj]

DK.

What is a lot of noise? What kind of noise, Why do you assume it is the axels? It could be front wheel bearings, brakes dragging, and/or a number of other things.

Mopre information is needed in order to be of assistance. rangerj

 

[DavidT]

well, it is definitely the clicking noise, but MUCH more severe than I have ever heard it (of course, I only have my sho, when I first got it, to compare it to). It is a horrifying sound. Also I hear it not only turning the wheels, but it seems the noise was made just backing up, for instance (no turning). Is there an easy way to narrow it down. Because as little as I am going to offer for it, I doubt the guy will let me take it to a garage.

 

[shojuan]

It could very well be that one or both wheel bearings are toast. They're a sealed bearing and should be considered a normal wear item, I had to replace one at about 135,000 miles. Maybe I'll snap a picture of what can happen if you drive on one like that for 10,000 miles (CV axle stub sheared off). The worn bearings will make a dry, grating type of noise. Here's some checks you can do:

Jack up front of car to get wheels off ground. Get some jackstands under there for safety. Inspect the CV joint boots for tears. The inner boots almost never fail so expect those to be OK. If there are tears in the outer boots then assume that halfshaft will need rebuilding and replacing.

Spin the front wheels around by hand. Do they sound relatively smooth or nasty? A bad bearing can pass this test. Grab the top and bottom of the wheel and try to wobble the wheel back and forth. If you notice play here then you've got a bad wheel bearing. Also search for some other tests you can do for wheel bearings. I think Steve (ProjectSHO89) posted a good one a while back, or maybe I'm just remembering some tests he posted for tie-rod ends.

Rick