ticking noise - front left (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Threads
5
Messages
74
Location
Alabama
Forum lurker looking for some ideas.

Yesterday I noticed a ticking noise that sounded like it was coming from the front driver's side of the vehicle. I can only notice it with the windows down at low speeds. The best description I can think of - it sounds like a rock in the tire, but slightly louder.

It only make the noise when in motion, regardless of being in drive or neutral. This leads me to believe it's not an exhaust or engine noise.

I recently changed from factory tires to trail grapplers, but the noise did not manifest until recently, and the tires have been on for a month or so.

I'm going to be crawling under the truck this afternoon, and I'm just looking for ideas on what to check for other than anything obviously rubbing.

So far, a search on the forums has netted checking the caliper screws, and checking the speedo cable.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Tim
 
check your CVs for leakage and cracks.
 
Cracked Drivers side Header - numerous threads on replacement and a group buy.
Mine is getting worse, started off not annoying, but its getting there. Sometimes at the right temp after driving a while it goes away, but then at a certain cracked point - it stays and ticks all the time.
The thread I can not find is a JB weld sucesss story for those of us (me) that can't drop the cash for performance headers.
 
when my front diff had the broken teeth...it sounded like a flat spot on tire or a rock in tread when driving.....so would say your CV Axle or something in differential based on my recent experience.

if you asked me two months ago would have said exhaust manifold leak except for your comment that it is rotational....
 
There are many causes of clicking. My latest fix for what sounded like a rock in the tire was to replace the ripped and torn fender apron that was flapping in the breeze, with the little plastic fasteners making a rythmic tap-tap-tap as the wind blew it back and forth... Good luck.
 
In my case, the brake line had not been reattached to its bracket (dealer brake change), resulting in the left wheel inside balance weight striking it every time I made a left turn - this eventually compromised the integrity of the brake line, resulting in one day depressing the pedal, feeling pressure, before the line burst and my foot went to the floor.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys.

It's definitely the CV. I've never heard one go bad and start clicking in a straight line before it started making noise in a turn.

I also found an easter egg while I was checking it out. Someone at my tire shop got impact stupid and cross threaded a lug and ruined a stud :mad:

All kinds of fun stuff to take care of tomorrow.
 
Make sure you have the front brake pad shims and retainer springs checked. That is exactly the sound you are describing. I had this same issue and I thought for sure it was a CV as I too have had one go bad on a different vehicle.

Edit: Mine also started right after going from stock tires to 33 inch BFG ATs. Turns out the install guys knocked the brake caliper which in turn caused the shims/retainer springs to catch the wheel on each rotation.

- Sent from a better phone than an iPhone
 
Last edited:
x2 on checking brakes for anything funky. dealer worked on my brakes and somehow goofed the re-install - had one of the caliper pins installed incorrectly and was making contact on the wheel. sounded exactly like your description.
 
I'm re-awakening this thread as I've had a similar symptom, but the diagnosis was different. My clicking was due to an ever so slight warp-age of the rotor which grabbed the brake pad causing it to rock back and forth and clack on the caliper. The warp wasn't enough to give a pulsing feel on the brake pedal, but it was enough to just catch the pad. Recently had the pads changed so I am guessing the extra meat was enough to grab the rotor even with the pistons full retracted. Unfortunately, the shop diagnosed it as a bad axle despite me saying the noise went away during braking. Guess I'm back to workin' on my own rig until I can find a new shop. Do I have to fix everything?!?!?
 
Forum lurker looking for some ideas.

Yesterday I noticed a ticking noise that sounded like it was coming from the front driver's side of the vehicle. I can only notice it with the windows down at low speeds. The best description I can think of - it sounds like a rock in the tire, but slightly louder.

It only make the noise when in motion, regardless of being in drive or neutral. This leads me to believe it's not an exhaust or engine noise.

I recently changed from factory tires to trail grapplers, but the noise did not manifest until recently, and the tires have been on for a month or so.

I'm going to be crawling under the truck this afternoon, and I'm just looking for ideas on what to check for other than anything obviously rubbing.

So far, a search on the forums has netted checking the caliper screws, and checking the speedo cable.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Tim

I've developed the same ticking sound exactly as you have described. Did you happen to resolve this?
 
I have the same exact problem and was actually searching and couldn't really find much. Mine is a ticking at low speeds when I turn the steering wheel to the left. It will do it when I am at a drive thru or somewhere at a low speed. I had new rotors and pads installed about two months ago so that will be the first place I look before looking in the direction of the CV/header crack.
 
I have the same exact problem and was actually searching and couldn't really find much. Mine is a ticking at low speeds when I turn the steering wheel to the left. It will do it when I am at a drive thru or somewhere at a low speed. I had new rotors and pads installed about two months ago so that will be the first place I look before looking in the direction of the CV/header crack.

My front driver side click sound appeared out of nowhere. It sounds like a turn signal relay clicking and it's quiet enough that you can only hear it with the driver window down. It's a cyclical ticking and it's frequency varies with wheel speed (not engine speed). Sometimes if the conditions are right it'll do a double tick like t-tick t-tick briefly. It only happens in motion so it's definitely not a manifold crack. Once in a while it will disappear completely for a brief time. It will usually reappear as soon as I turn slightly to the right while moving. Shifting into neutral while rolling does nothing to the click sound. I can't reproduce the sound unless the truck is rolling. Rotating the hub while on jackstands does not reproduce the sound.

No nails or rocks in the tire. I checked for wear marks inside my wheels and checked the weights for interference. A new OEM CV and flange didn't help. My aftermarket tie rod ends were trash so I replaced them with OEM but that wasn't related to the click. I removed the plastic fender liner completely. I only have about 30k miles on my Timken bearings but I'm going to rip into it and have a look. My brakes and hardware looked fine but I'm also going to tear into those and really inspect them.

My guess is it's brake-related or bearing-related.
 
Last edited:
My front driver side click sound appeared out of nowhere. It sounds like a turn signal relay clicking and it's quiet enough that you can only hear it with the driver window down. It's a cyclical ticking and it's frequency varies with wheel speed (not engine speed). Sometimes if the conditions are right it'll do a double tick like t-tick t-tick briefly. It only happens in motion so it's definitely not a manifold crack. Once in a while it will disappear completely for a brief time. It will usually reappear as soon as I turn slightly to the right while moving. Shifting into neutral while rolling does nothing to the click sound. I can't reproduce the sound unless the truck is rolling. Rotating the hub while on jackstands does not reproduce the sound.

No nails or rocks in the tire. I checked for wear marks inside my wheels and checked the weights for interference. A new OEM CV and flange didn't help. My aftermarket tie rod ends were trash so I replaced them with OEM but that wasn't related to the click. I removed the plastic fender liner completely. I only have about 30k miles on my Timken bearings but I'm going to rip into it and have a look. My brakes and hardware looked fine but I'm also going to tear into those and really inspect them.

My guess is it's brake-related or bearing-related.

That is the SAME exact thing as to what mine is doing. Sometimes it doesn't do it and other times it does it and it is loud. At first I always thought it was my turn signal but it wasn't. Let me know if you figure it out. Hopefully it will give me some insight to what mine is.
 
That is the SAME exact thing as to what mine is doing. Sometimes it doesn't do it and other times it does it and it is loud. At first I always thought it was my turn signal but it wasn't. Let me know if you figure it out. Hopefully it will give me some insight to what mine is.

I feel your pain! I'll let you know if I find anything.
 
That is the SAME exact thing as to what mine is doing. Sometimes it doesn't do it and other times it does it and it is loud. At first I always thought it was my turn signal but it wasn't. Let me know if you figure it out. Hopefully it will give me some insight to what mine is.

The good news is I've been click-free for a whole day. The bad news is I'm not sure exactly what it was I did. It was one of three things.

I put the front on jackstands, turned the wheels slightly to the right, and crawled under with a stethoscope. I spun the wheel while listening to different spots on the spindle, caliper, etc. I only heard a slight drag on the pads but no click.

I pulled the wheel and caliper off, removed the pads, and pulled out my fine-toothed comb. The only thing I could find was the W spring that separates the pads fit a bit funny since the Hawk pads I am running have the spring retaining holes too close to the pin. I spun the rotor while pushing and pulling on the spring to try and recreate the click but it did not interfere with anything. Since my '98 FSM doesn't call for the W spring anyway, I removed it entirely to see if it made a difference.

I found wear marks on the frame beneath the front-most small splash guard that sits near the headlight. It's probably due to normal vibration. I tapped it trying to make it click but the sound was different. I removed it anyway since it was the last of my fender liner pieces.

The last thing I found was my steering stop lock nut was loose. Rotating it back and forth from tight to loose made the exact click sound! But I have no idea how it could click back and forth while in motion since nothing contacts it. Regardless, I tightened it down.

I reassembled everything and test drove it. The click is completely gone and hasn't come back for an entire day.

Hope this helps you guys. I wish I could've found a more definitive answer. I still think it had to do with the brake W spring or fiddling with the caliper and hardware.
 
Thanks for the help! I will look into that and see. I think something with the caliper/brakes is my issue since I had my brakes changed recently. I will also look at the steering stop lock nut and see if mine is loose.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom