Clicking noise seems to be coming from the drive shaft

2011 SUBARU OUTBACK
200,000 MILES • 1.5L • 4 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
Avatar
GURJEET_CLUB
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Hi,

When I turn steering right/left and accelerate it makes a hard clicking noise possibly coming from drive shaft.

Is it safe to drive so and what's the cost of replacing drive shaft?
Appreciate your time and suggestions.
Dec 12, 2019 at 1:14 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
MOTOR MASTER
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 279 POSTS
Hello, my name is Dave.

It sounds like you have a CV joint going bad, turning the steering wheel and accelerating is the usual test and if you here even a little clicking noise it is advised to replace the half-shaft on the side the noise is coming from. A high % of the time you will also find that the boot on the CV joint is broken and has allowed the grease to come out causing the failure.
I would highly recommend replacing the faulty half-shaft as a failure can cause more damage and I have even seen rare cases where it caused loss of control of the vehicle. The reason for replacing the whole axle (shaft) is that there are 2 CV joints per
side and they are the same age and have the miles so if one has failed odds are the other one is not far behind, not to mention I can't remember the last time I've seen CV joints offered separately and the cost of the labor to replace just one would more than offset any saving you might have gained. As a general rule if both axles are original the shorter one will usually fail first. I hope this helps and please keep us up to date on your progress and thank you for using 2CarPros!
Dec 13, 2019 at 4:14 AM