so whats a front u-joint sound like when its going bad???



chuck

 

snap crackle pop clunk.

look around the caps at the cross.if it's really bad you will see some dry rust in this area.

 

all the time or mostly in turns?
is it common?
my GMC had cv's going bad but you never heard them unless in hard-over turns.



chuck

 

Don't know if this is what you are experiencing or why you are asking. Before you condemn the front U-joints in these trucks due to a clunking sound or feeling, primarily while making a turn, you need to check the front hubs (If they are the auto type). They have a bad habit of not disengaging and you will never know it unless you hear that clunking while making a turn.

 

it would be when turning with the hubs locked in.i've never had one of these trucks with the auto hubs but what johnnysf350 said sounds feasable too.

did you look around the caps at the cross for rust?do they feel tight?

 

1ST off you would have to be in 4wd to get the axles to turn to hear anything...If the hubs are broke and engaged all the time then disregard that...Its normal for popping in tight turns even in a new truck. What I do to check for a tight joint is to jack up the front and turn the wheel by hand or with the steering wheel and check for binding with the joint pivots aligned with the ball joints. Then I turn the axles 90 deg and check the other joints. With a seized joint sometimes in 2wd the steering will kinda lock and free itself if the axle happens to have been stopped in a position thats not favorable..


Dick