Front popping/clunking end noise when turning

THIEL

MEMBER
2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA
3.8L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
91,000 MILES

I hear a popping/clunking noise when I turn at moderate speed, fast enough I can feel the weight of the car go outwards. Most prevalent when turning from one elevation to another. For example my drive has a slight incline from the road before leveling back off. Seems to happen when one tire is at one elevation and the other is on another. Also sometimes occurs when you hit a decent pothole. Any suggestions on where to start and how to diagnose would be helpful.

3 Replies

DANNY L

MECHANIC
5,648 POSTS

Hello, I'm Danny.

Usually what we ask people to do is use their cell phone to make a video of the sound and upload it here. It sounds like you might be having an issue with the CV-drive axle. When CV-drive axles are failing that is when you hear clicking or popping sounds from the front end when turning. Here is a tutorial showing what is involved in its replacement:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-cv-axle

I've attached CV-axle replacement picture steps below for your car. I would suggest making a video and uploading here for us first before just replacing. Get back to us and we'll go from there. Hope this helps and thanks for using 2CarPros.

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Sunday, December 6th, 2020 AT 5:10 PM

THIEL

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Thanks for info. I’ll upload a video soon. One question in advance though. I assume an alignment will will be a good idea after I change the axles, if that’s the issue? I guess also what is the guesstimate on the life of a CV axel? I understand that may vary greatly. Thanks

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Monday, December 7th, 2020 AT 12:43 PM

DANNY L

MECHANIC
5,648 POSTS

Hello again.

Yes, an alignment after the repair is a good idea after having the suspension taken apart and put back together. It's hard to guess the life of an axle because of so many variables like road debris, weather, etc. My mothers Lincoln had an axle fail at 40,000 miles due to a plastic bag wrapping around it and tearing the boot. It then lost all the grease and started making noise. I've also seen them last the life of a car. You never know. Keep us updated and let us know if you have any further questions on this issue. Hope this helps and thanks again for using 2CarPros.

Danny-

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Monday, December 7th, 2020 AT 3:10 PM