Clicking in 4wd around corners

[brehas]

Hi all,

I have a 2002 Pathfinder with just under 100k miles that I don't drive very often. We had a bunch of snow recently, so I've had it out quite a bit. When it is in 4HI and I go around a moderate to sharp corner, I get a lot of clicking that seems to come from the front end. I don't feel anything in the steering wheel or anything like that. Everything is fine in 2wd. The only thing I can think of that it would be is the front diff. Does anyone have any other ideas?

BTW, I was driving on ice, so it wasn't the sound of one of the wheels binding up.
thanks
Brent

[Hooligan]

Most likely the CV joints. Even when you are not in 4WD you are still wearing out your front drive train. As your wheels turn, everything is wearing out all the way back to the transfer case. Since most driving is done straight forward the ball bearings in your front universal joints are wearing a groove in the races. As long as you drive straight the balls will stay in the groove and not make a sound. When you turn a corner the track of the balls is altered. The clicking sound you hear is the balls running across the worn grooves. The cost for a complete front axel unit is about 50 bucks aftermarket. You need two and they're pretty easy to change.
You can get a set of manual twist locks for the front wheel hubs and eliminate the wear and tear on the front drive train when you are not four wheeling. There are some pretty decent units available for half the price of the Warn locks.

[brehas]

Thanks for the reply. Wouldn't I get the clicking in 2WD as well if the CV joints were the problem?

[Hooligan]

As you can imagine, when under load the balls run into and out of the grooves with a lot more authority. The noise would be more noticeable in 4WD.

[brehas]

Well that certainly makes sense, thanks. I'll add that to my spring to do list.