I have a 2001 Dodge Durango w/ 4.7 engine with 140,000 miles. I run it a lot in 4WD in the winter. Recently, in this past winter, when I was in 4WD and turned the car hard to the left, I would sometimes hear a kind of clicking sound, as though something wasn't quite right. When I switched to 2WD and made the same turn, no clicking sound. Therefore, I thought I had a problem that had to be somewhere in the front drive, maybe in a c/v joint or two. I looked at the c/v boots and they looked fine; no signs of a tear or leaking grease.

Anybody have any idea what might be going on and what to look for to pinpoint the problem?

 

Were you on a slippery surface? If you were on dry, solid ground your transfer case may have been binding up. It could still be a CV joint though. If it does it turning left, you should check the passenger side.
By the way, you tagged on to a post that is about 2 1/2 years old. You probably should have created a new one.

 

i like that he used an old post sounds like it was in a bind

 

Sdad,



I have been making hard left turns on hard-packed snow...not slippery, in other words.



Can a c/v joint be bad if it looks OK outside the boot?



Transfer case? How to know if that's the problem?



I could have started another thread, but I thought the general idea was to keep like stuff together. Yes? No?

 

the idea is to keep things together, but if you need help troubleshooting a new thread is usually better because it leaves your problem out there, on its own for people in the future.

 

It's ok to use 4wd on the snow. You just need to make sure you don't use it on a surface that doesn't "give" or has a lot of friction (i.e., asphalt, concrete, etc...).

Typically, a damaged boot is an obvious sign of CV joint problems to come. A damaged boot causes problems in 2 ways... 1) it allows contaminants, such as dirt, into the joints and 2) allows the grease to escape the joint. Here's where it can be deceiving though... if a damaged boot is replaced without properly repacking the joint, contaminants can be present behind the new boot. So, yes the CV joints can be bad if the boots appear ok.

 

Sdad,


Following that explanation....

The problem (if it is a problem) came up this winter. (I don't run 4W in the summer, and 2WD seems fine.) I haven't had any problem or anything wrong with C/V joints for more than 6 years. Therefore, why now? If the grease in the boot leaks out, there would be signs of leaking grease, right? But no sign of grease on either side.

So what about the transfer case? Is it sealed? Might the clicking sound indicate a lube level issue? Something else?