My '96 850 is making a metal on metal click,click,click noise when the wheel is turning
into and out of both right & left turns, and in reverse also (slowly backing out of
driveway). The noise is louder & quicker the faster you go BUT also occurs when
parked (engine running) and turning the wheel slowly, however it clicks only once
(and faintly) while going in and once coming out while parked.
Only front end work i've done are the control arms/ ball joint & sway bars.
I put in lower grade ones 30k ago and had to replace control arms after 24k (good ones
this time !!) but am still on the same sway bars. CV's and struts seem ok and don't
think there the culprit because it happens while parked.
Will be jacking it up this weekend to look things over and need help/advice on what it
might be and what to look for and how to check possible causes.
Anything would be greatly appreciated !!!
Thanks

 

Check the upper spring seats.

 

Thanks tech; spring seats seem ok. I turned the top nut and felt rubber/springy
resistance. I moved tire at 12/6, solid, no movement; at 9/3 there was noticable
play and steering wheel was moving. In park, I rotated tire back and forth (it moved
about 1/16th of a turn) and heard the click noise. Crawled under and found both
outer cv boots grease covered and ripped in half. I'll change both joints (not just
boots) because I could see contaminants inside (lots of road sand in a New England
winter).

Could the cv's be the cause of the clicking ? and could they be causing the 9/6
movement ? Do the steering connections seem questionable ? Should I just consider
cleaning the cv joints and only replace the boots ?

Will be crawling back under to try to pin point the "noise maker"

 

The tie rods might be the play.

It might just be cheaper to buy to aftermarket axles. EMPI axles are pretty good and on the cheaper side.

 

Outer tie rods look good. The "play" and clunk noise is coming from inside the inner rod's
sleeve on both L/R . If I put pressure up or down on the inner rods while having tire
rocked at 9/3 it quiets down. Question: is this bad inners rod or a linkage issue further
in? I don't want to remove the rubber sleeve if there is another way to diagnos but will if
needed.

Will be getting new Empi axles.
Are Meyle tie rods (if needed) an ok brand ?

BTW, fixed odometer gear. Took the dash right out instead of prying left side up. Just a
few more screws to remove it and cluster access is a breeze!! A DIY'rs dream job....
no dirt, danger or difficulty !!!

 

sounds like inner tie rod ends. Also if you can turn your mounts at all with a bare hand you may want to consider replacing them, though I doubt they are of any consequence in your current situation.

 

The inner tie rod is under the boot. Yes the meyle is a decent brand.

 

Thanks for the info guys! Axle assemblies delivered & tie rods are on the way. Will be installing this weekend. Axles came with 32mm nuts but plan to use the original 36's
(beefier sidewalls). I have the inner tie rod socket/wrench, lok-tite, etc. & have been
hitting essentials with WD-40 every 2 days. " Feeling good "

Bought the "brick" for my 3 teenagers because of it's A-One crash cage and have no
regrets. I knew they would be hard on it, but all cars need fixing and keeping a good
one running for them is a labor of love.

Thanks again for a great forum !!

 

That 36 mm nut is a tough one. I bought a 3/4" drive breaker bar and a 5' pipe to get mine off. Got the breaker bar for $20 at Harbor Freight. Pretty sure I would have broke the 1/2" drive with a converter for the socket. My son said he broke three craftsman 1/2" ones before borrowing a 3/4". He had the socket from Harbor Freight and I borrowed them off him. Father borrowing from his son, now that's a new one!