Ticking noise coming from CV? (1 Viewer)

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reddog90

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I have started getting a slight ticking noise coming from my front DS wheel area. The noise seems to be more pronounced with the wheels turned, leading me to believe it could be the CV starting to go out. I installed an Ironman FCP lift with SPC UCAs and 285/70/18 RGs on factory wheels with spidertrax spacers about 4k miles ago. Most of those miles have been city and highway driving. Truck has about 111k on it now, and it was bone stock when I bought it last fall. My CV boots are not leaking. As suggested by @cruiseroutfit, I ordered a grease gun needle attachment and gave the upper and lower boot extra grease a couple days ago (about 8 pumps each). After about 25 miles of city driving, this doesn't seem to have changed the noise at all. Maybe I didn't add enough grease for this test? I also jacked up the truck and shook that tire at 12 and 6 and there is no play. Second video below is with the front end off the ground, rotating the tire by hand. All I can hear in that situation is the boots flexing and squeaking, and it is distinctly different than the metal ticking noise in the first video. (the grease spot on the boot in the second video is where I used the needle).

Any ideas what might be causing this?



 
Clicking when turning is a classic bad CV. If it's ticking one of the balls is probably bad. It was worth a shot but realistically extra grease probably won't help.

It might be possible to rebuild the CV yourself if you can find a replacement ball-and-cage, but probably easiest to just order a replacement from Toyota.
 


I had similar issue, and there was a small debate with hub/bearing vs CV, which ultimately turned out to be CV...
 


I had similar issue, and there was a small debate with hub/bearing vs CV, which ultimately turned out to be CV...
Yeah rule of thumb is if it is a constant growl and especially if the growling gets worse if you swerve in one direction, it's a bad bearing. If it's quiet when going straight but clicking when you turn then it's a bad CV. Youtube has some good examples.

Obviously rules of thumb don't always apply though. FWIW my front bearings were tight with no play and felt smooth when spinning, but when I put a set of chassis ears near the front hubs it was very clear that the left bearing was making some noise whereas the right was silent. Also someone else (I can't recall who offhand) had a rear that was clicking and since there's no CV in a solid axle then it was also very obviously a bad rear bearing in that case.
 
Sounds like I need to do the CV. A local shop ball parked 3.7 hr labor at over $500. I feel like this should take a pro an hour max with air tools and a lift... Have either of yall DIYed this repair? Seems like all I need is the axle assembly, oil seal, an axle popper, hub nut socket and a free afternoon.

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Don’t forget a torque wrench that goes up to 340 Nm/251 lb/ft.
 
$500 is reasonable per side if it includes the CV. Seems a high if it's just labor. My local Toyota dealer rebooted my CV and parts+labor was about $350. Based on that I don't think it should take more than 2 hours of labor, probably less. Their labor rate is $125/hour, though the $350 included the boots ($50) and the labor to disassemble, clean, and reassemble the CV)

Now if they are quoting 3.7 hours for both, that seems like a reasonable amount of time. Their labor rate is $135/hour.
 
$500 is reasonable per side if it includes the CV. Seems a high if it's just labor. My local Toyota dealer rebooted my CV and parts+labor was about $350. Based on that I don't think it should take more than 2 hours of labor, probably less. Their labor rate is $125/hour, though the $350 included the boots ($50) and the labor to disassemble, clean, and reassemble the CV)

Now if they are quoting 3.7 hours for both, that seems like a reasonable amount of time. Their labor rate is $135/hour.
This was 3.7 hr of labor for one side, price did not include any parts. He mentioned it seemed a little high but I feel like I can do it in my driveway with hand tools in that time.
 
This was 3.7 hr of labor for one side, price did not include any parts. He mentioned it seemed a little high but I feel like I can do it in my driveway with hand tools in that time.
If it’s one side and no parts anything over $300 is insane. Should be no more than $250 given a full reboot with parts at the dealer is $350. I can dig up the book rate but it’s got to be no more than 2 hours
 
MSRP on the axle assembly is $529.34 and online retailers sell for under $375. That alone is enough for a guy like me to DIY, (unless I am in an situation where I value time more than money). Then again, I have all of the tools, so I do not need to go out and buy them.
 
I replaced this ticking DS front axle today. I did it in my driveway with hand tools in three hours. That included cleaning all the blown grease out of the wheel well and suspension components, one youtube break, and one phone call. A pro with impact tools could do this in an hour no problem. The OEM Tools axle popper kit came in clutch. Parts courtesy of EB Toyota Parts. I was actually refunded the core charge the day after I ordered for some reason, and I didn't end up using that oil seal. I saved about $160 on the CV by sourcing it myself and about $500 on that shop labor quote. I did have to order a 39mm 12 point socket, the axle popper and a 250 lb torque wrench though.

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Amazon product ASIN B01N5SP368Amazon product ASIN B003TSOYZW
 
That CV angle appears to be terrible, is that supposed to be an acceptable angle for an LC with a lift and no diff drop? I've had to replace CVs on my Tacoma due to the CV boot rubbing on itself due to the lift, similar to how your old CV is chaffing in your video above, eventually the rubber wears on itself until it rips and grease starts to leak out. And my CV angle is much more relaxed than yours appears to be. Based on my experience, I don't think its a coincidence your CV started to deteriorate so soon after your lift was installed. I wouldn't be surprised if you were doing this job again sooner than you would have hoped. Did you do the lift or a did a shop install? I'm not saying its not installed correctly, rather is that supposed to be "acceptable" for tolerance purposes.

There seems to be an influx of people reporting CVs breaking or needing replacement over the last 6 mos to a year and I don't think its due to the parts failing from normal wear and tear. Sure in some cases the scenarios were extreme situations but a number of other cases appear to be lift related. I've been on the fence about lifting my own but am holding off due to this exact reason. Its mostly a "been there done that" experience with the other truck, replacing CV boots every 4-5 years...At least its a pretty easy job if you line it up with the brakes being replaced.
 
That CV angle appears to be terrible, is that supposed to be an acceptable angle for an LC with a lift and no diff drop? I've had to replace CVs on my Tacoma due to the CV boot rubbing on itself due to the lift, similar to how your old CV is chaffing in your video above, eventually the rubber wears on itself until it rips and grease starts to leak out. And my CV angle is much more relaxed than yours appears to be. Based on my experience, I don't think its a coincidence your CV started to deteriorate so soon after your lift was installed. I wouldn't be surprised if you were doing this job again sooner than you would have hoped. Did you do the lift or a did a shop install? I'm not saying its not installed correctly, rather is that supposed to be "acceptable" for tolerance purposes.

There seems to be an influx of people reporting CVs breaking or needing replacement over the last 6 mos to a year and I don't think its due to the parts failing from normal wear and tear. Sure in some cases the scenarios were extreme situations but a number of other cases appear to be lift related. I've been on the fence about lifting my own but am holding off due to this exact reason. Its mostly a "been there done that" experience with the other truck, replacing CV boots every 4-5 years...At least its a pretty easy job if you line it up with the brakes being replaced.
If you're worried, just do a diff drop. They've ~$100. I did one and my CV angles went from ~25 degrees to like 10 degrees.
 
That CV angle appears to be terrible, is that supposed to be an acceptable angle for an LC with a lift and no diff drop? I've had to replace CVs on my Tacoma due to the CV boot rubbing on itself due to the lift, similar to how your old CV is chaffing in your video above, eventually the rubber wears on itself until it rips and grease starts to leak out. And my CV angle is much more relaxed than yours appears to be. Based on my experience, I don't think its a coincidence your CV started to deteriorate so soon after your lift was installed. I wouldn't be surprised if you were doing this job again sooner than you would have hoped. Did you do the lift or a did a shop install? I'm not saying its not installed correctly, rather is that supposed to be "acceptable" for tolerance purposes.

There seems to be an influx of people reporting CVs breaking or needing replacement over the last 6 mos to a year and I don't think its due to the parts failing from normal wear and tear. Sure in some cases the scenarios were extreme situations but a number of other cases appear to be lift related. I've been on the fence about lifting my own but am holding off due to this exact reason. Its mostly a "been there done that" experience with the other truck, replacing CV boots every 4-5 years...At least its a pretty easy job if you line it up with the brakes being replaced.

I think you're right and we may be underutilizing diff drops as a community. It's been somewhat assumed early on that the 200-series doesn't need a drop. As more and more people lift with more aggressive suspensions, combined with more aggressive use now that the 200-series is in the affordable range in the second hand market, there has seemingly been more reported CVs failures and this deserves another look.

From this thread, seems that a common failure is at full front droop. Without particularly high loads.

Seems that there's more aggressive suspensions on the market that add significant 2+" of droop, and that's where the diff drops just might be justified or required.

Other CV vulnerability learned early on has been not to use UCAs to push the tire too far forward for clearance, as that has proven to grenade CVs as well. Perhaps pushing tires forward in combination with extended droop is another problem area.

I believe diff drops, and the expanded use of body mount chops (BMCs), might be helpful in preserving CV reliability for more aggressive setups.
 
@CruiserFan88 I wouldn't call my CV angle terrible, but they are definitely not ideal. I tried to avoid the DD when I installed my lift. There is lots of conflicting information on lift height, UCA selection, tire size, wheel offset, dd and KDSS relo use, and CV angle on here. I've learned that I can't base my setup and parts choices on another member, even if that person has the same year model, lift, tire and wheel as me. We just seem to get different results somehow. I am actually heading to a local shop tomorrow to drop the truck off. They are telling me my CV issues and rubbing is common with a 200 lifted over 2", they don't recommend a DD because it only drops the front of the diff, and it's not necessary when the truck is properly lifted. I honestly might have them pull the coilovers and lower them slightly, which should improve my current handling characteristics and CV angles. I bought the ironman kit pre assembled at 2", but got 4" which has settled to about 3.5". But even that is hand measured center of hub to fender lip, and my OEM suspension had 107k miles. I am hoping this shop that has a lot of experience dialing in lifted 200s can just help me sort this out properly.
 
Who makes the diff drops?

Is the diff drop then going to effect the front drive shaft angle much?
 
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@CruiserFan88 I wouldn't call my CV angle terrible, but they are definitely not ideal. I tried to avoid the DD when I installed my lift. There is lots of conflicting information on lift height, UCA selection, tire size, wheel offset, dd and KDSS relo use, and CV angle on here. I've learned that I can't base my setup and parts choices on another member, even if that person has the same year model, lift, tire and wheel as me. We just seem to get different results somehow. I am actually heading to a local shop tomorrow to drop the truck off. They are telling me my CV issues and rubbing is common with a 200 lifted over 2", they don't recommend a DD because it only drops the front of the diff, and it's not necessary when the truck is properly lifted. I honestly might have them pull the coilovers and lower them slightly, which should improve my current handling characteristics and CV angles. I bought the ironman kit pre assembled at 2", but got 4" which has settled to about 3.5". But even that is hand measured center of hub to fender lip, and my OEM suspension had 107k miles. I am hoping this shop that has a lot of experience dialing in lifted 200s can just help me sort this out properly.
I appreciate the feedback and insight. 3.5-4 inches is a lot of lift, so no surprise that additional work/parts is needed to make everything as right as the situation allows.
 
Who makes the diff drops?

Is the diff drop then going to effect the front drive shaft angle much?
Marks 4WD I believe, and some clones of their kit. I bought mine off ebay for ~$60 a few years back. Other than the spacers being gold instead of black it was identical to the Marks 4WD kit.

It changes the front driveshaft angle slightly and tilts the diff slightly as it lowers the front by 1" and the back by maybe 3/8" to 1/2". I think Ben at Dissent and/or Taco said they didn't like that, either due to the driveshaft angle or more likely to how it rotates the CVs slightly. Anecdotally I have not had any issues with it, but I'm just one guy.

Everything is a compromise, and if you're dealing with CV issues I think the DD kit is a good thing to try. On the plus side if you keep all your original bolts the DD is easy enough to uninstall later.
 
Will a bad CV make noise when turning the steering wheel while the vehicle is stationary?
 
Will a bad CV make noise when turning the steering wheel while the vehicle is stationary?

Not that I know of, .. I have never seen that happen.
 

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