I've been hearing some strange noises in the front end of the truck lately. First off, I noticed a CV axle on the driver's side has been leaking grease everywhere. I plan on replacing the whole axle shortly. But I've been hearing some popping and grinding noises more noticeable when the steering wheel is slightly turned. You can feel the popping and grinding on the floorboard. Does this sound like typical symptoms of a CV axle? I'm hoping it's not anything else.

 

i would say it does sound like the cv joint. winter is almost here so i would recommend repairing this promptly, you may not get too far with that bad joint with the 4x4 engaged

 

Yep, it's definitely on my priority list. It seems odd that the popping just started to occur after I did some brake pads on the front. I vaguely recall a vacuum line on the front driver caliper that I had no idea where it plugged into. It ran in junction with the brake line. Could this be a loose vacuum line to the hubs?