I’m not sure when this started, and I can only hear it when the windows are down, but I have a crisp noise that can only be described like a snapping or popping or electrical arching sound, coming from my front wheel area. It only does it when I make turns.

I’ve heard U-joints when they’re going bad and it doesn’t sound like what I have. I had new ball joints and the upgraded 2008 steering linkage installed last year so I’m wondering if it could be connected with that? I’ve also got the aluminum with chrome clad wheels and I’ve read some people have had noise issues coming from them too.

I’ve jacked up the front end and turned the wheels, pulled, twisted, and thumped on things and don’t see anything wrong. Anybody have any ideas?

 

Most everytime you hear a clicking/popping sound from the front-end while turning you have axle joints that are shot.....they will get worse and the noise will get louder.

 

You may be right, it sounds like it's coming from that area, but the truck only has 113K easy highway miles? The noise is very strange; very tinny and it goes in sync with wheel rotation. Reminds me of when we were kids and we put clothes pins in our bike spokes to make noise. Could the flashing around the front brake pads have been bent when I had new ball joints installed? Maybe a cracked wheel - seems to have started when I put on my summer wheels and tires? I have a winter set that I'll be switching back to soon, so I'll see if that cures it.

 

Did you check the wheel bearings too?

 

Almost guarantee it is an axel u joint. I have replaced mine twice.

 

Whats involved with replacing these? What kind of sound did they make going bad... could you feel anything in the steering wheel? All I have is a sound similar to quick turns of a bolt that has no lubrication - kind of a dry metal on metal squeky thing. It's almost ear piercing like short blasts of finger nails on a chalk board.

 

That's your axle joints!! Easy to do...Remove tire/wheel, brake assembly, and unit bearing....the bearing could be a bugger to remove but they do come off. At that point simply and carefully pull the axle shaft from the housing and do a simple u-joint change. Dry as they are it will take some elbow grease to get them out.

For cheap insurance, put some fresh grease in the bearing through the hole for the ABS sensor.

 

While you are there I would buy the bearing assemblies and replace those also. My truck probably did not see as many "easy" miles as yours did but with over 100K on it I would do that while I was there. I have had the front end apart a couple/three times but It really isn't all that fun so do the hub bearing assembly while your at it.

 

Do you have chrome clad wheels? I have one that will do that every time it ends up on the front driver side. move it to another spot and it goes away, return it and sound returns.

 

I'm going to try this first. It may well be axle joints; but to me it sounds like a noise I'd expect to hear if aluminum were rubbing or flexing against cladding that had some grit or road sands in between the two. Or maybe lug nuts that are torqued tightly against a bad casting... wheel bolt circle and the mating flange area.