99 XC clacking clunking crap

When I turn to the left my '99 XC makes a clacking or clunking noise up
front. Any thoughts? Dumped $5g into this car this year alone. (This car has
been a piece of sh*t). So is my wife's '98. As soon as we can afford it we
will push them off a cliff.
Pete

 

A classic symptom of a failing CV joint. It is easy enough to diagnose: look
at the front drive axles near the wheels. You should see a rubber bellows
between the axle and the hub. I bet on one side (possibly both) you will see
a bellows with a tear in one of the folds and black grease slung all around.

Repair is typically done by replacing the whole drive axle - it's usually
the most economical way. I recommend doing both sides if you can afford it
since the other is probably going to do the same within a year or so. Not
familiar with the prices for your car, but $300 to $400 US parts and labor
is typical per side.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Pretty much every car that has front wheel
drive or AWD goes through this every 5-10 years, depending mostly on
climate. It can be driven a while (a couple/few months) in this condition,
but it is possible for the CV joint to wear so much that the axle falls
apart. You don't want that to happen.

Mike

 

Michael,

Thanks for the information. I was holding out hope that this would not be
the problem but it certainly seems like it.

Thank you,
Pete

 

Not sure if we experienced the same problem. My '00 S70 makes similar
noises when turning left and right, especially when making fuller turns
by turning the steering wheel more like when in a U-turn. The dealer
helped me lube the steering stops, and the noise goes away. However,
the noise always returns, and the steering stops must be lubed again.
You might also want to tighten the subframe bolts.