2002 4cyl 2wd clicking

PhilMcRevis · Jul 14th, 2007, 11:39 PM

I have a 2002 4cyl 2wd automatic transmission.

The front left wheel started making clicking noises while making right turns. It now seems to do it most of the time. (span of about 2 weeks)

The frequency of the clicking noise appears to be proportional to speed. Faster driving causes faster clicking. Tire wear appears even, It was aligned about 6mos ago.

Any help would be appreciated.

Oldnissanguy · Jul 16th, 2007, 05:58 AM

Jack up that wheel and spin it by hand to locate the source.

azrocketman · Jul 16th, 2007, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilMcRevis

I have a 2002 4cyl 2wd automatic transmission.

The front left wheel started making clicking noises while making right turns. It now seems to do it most of the time. (span of about 2 weeks)

The frequency of the clicking noise appears to be proportional to speed. Faster driving causes faster clicking. Tire wear appears even, It was aligned about 6mos ago.

Any help would be appreciated.

Turn sensitive noises that are speed related are typically related to something that rotates, assumes a load, and deflects during the turn. Typical sources are:

1) Wheel bearings
2) Wheel cover flanges (which you probably do not have since most Frontiers have cast wheels and no wheel covers). You might remove the lug nut center cover and see if that is the source os the noise but I doubt it).
3) Brake pad sensor - The brakes are getting near their wear limit and the sensor is starting to contact the disk high spots.

Steve

PhilMcRevis · Jul 16th, 2007, 02:50 PM

The brakes were replaced a few months ago.

I looked under the truck and did notice that the lower ball joint on the noisy side has fresh grease coming out from under it. The one on the other side was caked over with dirt. Would the lower ball joint be a possible culprit?

azrocketman · Jul 16th, 2007, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilMcRevis

The brakes were replaced a few months ago.

I looked under the truck and did notice that the lower ball joint on the noisy side has fresh grease coming out from under it. The one on the other side was caked over with dirt. Would the lower ball joint be a possible culprit?

I'd be surprised if it's a ball joint issue since it's speed dependent. Does the noise go away or change when the brakes are applied? If so, I'd look at the brake installation. Also, any chance you have something stuck in the tire or its tread?

Steve

kkspeed · Jul 18th, 2007, 11:30 PM

Check the heat shields on the brake pads. I've seen them slide out of position on the brake pad and rub against the rotor.

PhilMcRevis · Jul 25th, 2007, 01:04 AM

Are there any service manuals or online resources that have an exploded diagram of this area of the truck? I have the haynes service manual and it seems pretty helpful if you know the exact problem you're looking to fix. I'd just like to get a good idea about how all of the parts involved work together.