Front end clicking noise?

[Howski]

I've had a clicking noise from the front end that has sprung up. It occured once before for a short period of time but went away after I greased the hell out of the u-joints on my front driveshaft. No looseness in the driveshaft so the u-joints seem to be fine. I grease them on every oil change and atleast once between every oil change. The noise seems to be coming from the front and only occurs under acceleration. If the truck is coasting or is kept at a constant speed there is no noise at all. It sounds similar to when my rear locker clicks although it is MUCH MUCH quieter. Any ideas on what it could be?

 

[brushogger]

It's probably one of the axle cv joints. First, jack up the front end and shake the tires up and down and side to side to check the unit bearings. If they are ok, remove the front driveshaft and lock the cdl. Drive it this way, and if the clicking disappears it is the drive shaft . If you still hear the clicking, find a quiet empty parking lot where you can have a friend stand by it while you start to accelerate. Also , while he is there, do a series of slow "s" turns while driving thru the lot. If it comes and goes with the turns it's most likely one of the cv's.

 

[Howski]

Ok, I will check that out. I should have mentioned this earlier but the clicking happens when going both straight and turning (either direction)

 

[Antichrist]

U-joints can be bad even if they aren't loose, but clicking is more generally a bad CV joint. Usually shows up first when making turns.

 

[Snagger]

The first thought I had on reading the thread title was "CV joints" - it's a classic symptom of a failing CV unit.