1996 Volvo 850 Noise Possible CV Joint Question

wackenhut · Post by **wackenhut** » 14 Dec 2015, 20:45

Hi,

So I was recently driving in a parking lot, weaving, almost in a serpentine motion. I noticed that when i turned the steering wheel to the left and then made a hard right, I get a noise coming from the left front tire area. I didn't hear anything from the right side when doing the opposite. Does anyone know what this can be, and what are the likely costs involved in the repair? I am just concerned since this might be a safety issue with the steering.

Thank you.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 14 Dec 2015, 20:59

The likely answer is in the title to the post. Can you describe what the noise sounds like? Is it a "clacking" sound?

If so then chances are it is a bad CV joint. The way to deal with a bad CV is to replace the axle. Finding a good replacement can be tough though. Most of the rebuilt auto parts store axles are junk as are the cheap Chinese axles that are new. From what I understand Raxles no longer does Volvo axles which is a shame since they were always the absolute best when it came to quality for an aftermarket axle. I need to buy one for my Platinum 850 and I honestly don't know what to buy.

...Lee

wackenhut · Post by **wackenhut** » 14 Dec 2015, 21:46

I just had the axle replaced a few months ago. Could it be something with the tie rod? I think it might be a clacking sound.

Post by **erikv11** » 15 Dec 2015, 00:35

It could also be the wheel bearing on that side, but you may have missed a key statement in Lee's post: "... Most of the rebuilt auto parts store axles are junk as are the cheap Chinese axles that are new." Because of that fact, a bad axle is also high on the list of possibilities to consider.

wackenhut · Post by **wackenhut** » 15 Dec 2015, 12:33

So I went over to tire kingdom just to check and there is play in the left front tire. They said I would need an inner and outer tie rod on the left front. Parts and labor come to $300 without the alignment.

How much is a reasonable amount to pay for this, and does it make sense to do the other side as well?

Post by **abscate** » 16 Dec 2015, 15:36

100 in parts and 200 in labour sounds pretty close to me.

wackenhut · Post by **wackenhut** » 16 Dec 2015, 21:50

is it best to do both sides?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 16 Dec 2015, 22:49

When I stage zero a car I do both sides but after that, unless I have clocked another 100 k miles on it after the stage zero, I just replace stuff as necessary. I have to remind myself that stage zero isn't forever. I've put another 145k on the '94 after I stage zeroed it and it needs stage zero all over again (along with reworking the head).

...Lee