2003 Chevrolet S-10 Clicking from front wheel area

LIVINALIE

MEMBER
2003 CHEVROLET S-10
2.7L
6 CYL
TURBO
4WD
AUTOMATIC
125,000 MILES

I just noticed this the day before and have been listening the best I can while I drive. From what I can hear there is a clicking sound coming from the front passenger wheel/fender area. It only clicks when the vehicle is moving forward. Not when its stopped nor in reverse. It clicks for sure when turning right, but I cant tell when turning left. The faster I driver the faster the clicking goes. Looking online does not give me a straight answer. Anything from a lose wire, to a failing bearing, to having to replace my axle completely. Any help on this would be amazing. Thank you

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,870 POSTS

There's two common suspects to start with. The first is a worn outer cv joint on the half shaft. Those can make a clicking when going in one direction and not the other, and it will get worse when turning, but they have to be under load to do that. For that reason you hear it mainly on front-wheel-drive vehicles. You typically would have to shift into four-wheel-drive to hear the noise.

The other suspect is caused by a combination of a warped brake rotor and grooves worn into the pad mounting knuckle. As the rotor rotates, it makes the caliper walk back and forth sideways a little, and the pads catch and snap free on those grooves. The clue there is the clicking may stop or it could get worse when you apply light pressure to the brake pedal.

Don't overlook loose lug nuts, especially if the last person to install them didn't use a torque wrench to tighten them.