Popping Noise on driver side when in turn on a slope

[Warbeaver]

like the title says, my car has been making a popping noise on the driver side when i turn left or right and go kinda on an incline or on a steep dip. It sounds like its right underneath the floorboard where the brake pedal is. Im thinking maybe something is loose or broken. possibly a CVC Joint or something? im not sure. i need some input if anyone has had this problem or may know the problem. Ive looked at the whole underside before and i couldnt see anything. Im not sure how to tell if CVC joints and that are bad. Im pretty sure its not the strut. help please :D

[Lowizle]

had the same issue with mine, replaced the CV axle, and the tie rod end, and no more noise, cant tell ya which fixed it...but thats what i did

[rixGAphx]

'01, 7-yrs old, mebbe 85k miles?

A 'popping noise' at the front when turning is almost certainly a failed CV (Constant Velocity) joint on the side with the noise.
The joints themselves just wear-out over time, and hard-throttle abuse accelerates this wear.
Additionally, a tear in the protective rubber boot allows all the contained grease to escape, resulting in failure within a hundred miles or so.

For the GA, the easiest/simpliest/cheapest repair is replacement of the entire outer joint/axle/inner joint on that side.
Much better than repairing the joint itself.
Axles assemblies are $60-150 'remanufactured, with core'; or $250+ for brand-new NAPA; much more for GM thru a dealership.
With a special axle-removal tool and large socket for the axle nut, DIY per the Haynes manual would require about 2 hours for an experienced home mechanic.

No need to replace the other axle at the same time, since it may last another 50k miles and there's not a single minute of labor savings by having it done now.

Tierod ends, control arm bushings, ball joints, and struts should all be inspected, but there's no reason to suspect them for this problem nor to expect them to be worn at this age/milage.
Replacement of them would require an alignment after the work; replacement of the axle itself does NOT necessitate an alignment (assuming everything else is negatory).

Hope this helps,
-Rick

PS: Replacement of the CV joint/axle DOES require removal/reinstallation of the brake caliper, which is about 3/4 the labor required for a 'brake job' on that wheel.
So consider doing a front brake job (both front wheels) at the same time, especially if the pads are near the end of their life or the rotors are problematic.

[Warbeaver]

i just replaced the rotors, pads, and painted the calipers. I know what joint your talking about. we tried greasing that up, but it was stuck tight and we were afraid to break it. so i guess it wont matter if i replace it.

[jackpot]

hey

could be completely different issue

recently i had a popping noise, either drivers or passenger, when turning at low speeds, probably about 3-4 pops either way in a full turn

had it looked at several times quickly for free, no result

when I took it to the dealer for a scan I showed the tek the problem and he said he'd have a quick look at it

turned out to be (his words) a boot at the end of the tie rod end that had come out slightly from its place and was making a pop pop during the turn, he pushed it back in and its been flawless ever since

he said if it came back the boots might need to be replaced (what boots specifically im not sure) but its been a few months now and the problem is still gone, knock wood

peace
JP

[rixGAphx]

i just replaced the rotors, pads, and painted the calipers. I know what joint your talking about. we tried greasing that up, but it was stuck tight and we were afraid to break it. so i guess it wont matter if i replace it.No, we're talking about 2 different things.

The CV joint is the end of the axle, right in the center of the wheel hub.
It's hidden inside the balck rubber 'accordian' boot, so there's no joint to see; you couldn't possibly:
1) 'Try to grease it' (it's a seamless rubber accordian); nor
2) 'Tell that it was stuck' (since you can't see it; and it never ever 'sticks' anyway).

The joint that you saw was either:
1) The link from the sway bar (little 'dumbell' thing with rubber donut bushings); or more likely,
2) The outer tierod end, which is a miniature ball joint; these DO fail, but they become sloppy when they do.
They never actually become 'stuck' since they move about 15* each way when you turn the steering wheel; if it were rusted stuck, you couldn't move the steering wheel an inch.
They are permanently lubed from the factory, not greasable in service (notice there's no Zerk fitting). Some ball joints can be taken apart with a ball joint separator tool, and they will feel like they are 'stuck' unless you have this tool. The GA's tierod end ball joints can't even be serviced this way.
You just buy new ones (when the old are worn and sloppy) and toss the old.

The joint that jackpot is referring to is the INNER tierod end; it's nearly identical, except it's concealled inside a minature rubber 'accordian' boot, which is actually the protective dust cap to the steering rack end.

Hope this helps,
-Rick

PS: Does this go 'pop-pop-pop....' continuously as you go thru a turn? If so, that's a CV joint.
Or does it just go 'pop-pop-pop' two or thre times as you turn the steering wheel, then nothing more as you travel thru the turn? If this is the case, then look to the tierod ends, both outer (as you described) and inner (as jackpot described).
If it's more of a 'clunk,clunk' only as you bounce/turn over a curb, then the problem is likely to be the strut mounting bearing plate; do a 'search' about this condition.

[sudden_impulse]

We have a noise similar to that on the 00 SE, thought it was a CV shaft. Took it into the dealership (dad didn't want us messing with it, said it'd get fixed on his dime), turns out it was the strut mount. When you turn right, does it pop the whole way, and stop popping when you turn it the other way until the wheel is in the center? If so, I'd guess the strut mount. How new are your struts? Because if that is the problem, you'd might as well replace struts, since you need to take them off to change it anyways.

[mattcow]

I had similar noise which I spent a lot of time and money on tryinng to diagnose. The poping noise would happen inconsistantly with the wheel turned and going uphill or over a bump...or when starting to reverse and turning. Sometimes there would be as many as 3 "pops" in a row. The noise finally went away after I replaced the wheel bearing eventhough there were no other symtoms of a wheel bearing failure.