Calling all car mechanics! What are the noises, symptoms, signs that the CV joint(s) are going out in a vehicle?

I’m not a car mechanic (but I was married to one)... the noise is rhythmic with the speed you are driving, and it gets louder as you turn in the opposite direction of the bad side and is quieter as you turn toward the bad side.

I’m not a mechanic, but have learned much about cars and dealing with mechanical problems by listening to the show Car Talk on NPR. Here is a link to an article on their website regarding CV joints.

@mcbealer Link wasn’t there….

@hearkat But bad tires would be rhythmic with bad tires too, right?....and I wasn’t driving so I couldn’t / didn’t feel, or sense or notice any change in anything when we turned….. (O, why didn’t I pull Mom-Rank and say, “I’m driving!”)

Don’t ever purchase a used car unless the owner allows you to take it to a mechanic first. My dad taught me that in 1965, I taught it to my son in 1996.

@pdworkin No money for a mechanic. Between us we have ex’s, brothers, sons, and step fathers to step in….but we have yet to hear from them…..what the hell ever happened to taking care of women?

@Val123 ~ I fixed it almost immediately… try again maybe?
Also, it would be worth it for your daughter to check any used car she’s planning to buy on both NADA (where you can also do a free VIN check, sorta like carfax but free) and the Kelly Blue Book website for fair market value pricing information.

BTW I couldn’t find a 1999 Mazda Intrigue on either website. It looks like the Intrigue was actually made by Oldsmobile, not Mazda.

@mcbealer Thank you so much for checking…. going to look at your link now…

Dear Tom and Ray?? Those guys crack me up! I mean, I know what they’re talking about, but it’s like reading Dave Barry! OK. Sorry. Going to read the link now….

@mcbealer Ok. Thanks….but…..what is the sound bad tires make?.....I didn’t notice any particular sounds when she turned, but the, I wasn’t listening for any…..

@Val123: Yes, tires can make a similar noise; but the feeling and the distinct difference as you swerve from one side to the other (don’t do this on a major highway, just a quiet back-road) are more pronounced with the CV Joints.

@mcbealer I couldn’t even FIND an “Intrigue” in the Kelly Blue book…?

@hearkat Thank you. I think that was the crux of my question….can the noises be similar? O why O why didn’t I pull rank and drive? I could have told so much more just by the feel of the steering wheel in my hand….

Is it too late to drive it once more? Why?

@pdworkin Well….she’s going out one more time tomorrow to check the car. It’s hard because…..the “kids” (my babies, 22, 24 (daughter in question), and 30) are now making their own decisions. I’m pretty much out of it. And my daughter is in a rush…she’s been w/o a car for three months, she has two kids to ferry here and there, to walk to school, doctors appts, etc., and….Wednesday, the HIGH here is supposed to be 17 degrees…....some cold walkin’ at 7:30 a.m when it’s more like…..6 degrees….....it’s like….she’ll have the $ tomorrow, she wants wheels (and a heater) under her tomorrow…

It’s cheaper to pay the mechanic to check it out first than it will be to replace the CV joints.

@Val123 ~ Oldsmobile makes the Intrigue, not Mazda

@pdworkin Yes, well you pay a mechanic $50 to check it out, that’s a big chunk out of what what money you have to pay for a car, and if a mechanic nix it…then you pay $50 for him checking the next car…... I totally understand what you’re saying, but…I’ve been in situations where $50 is a month’s worth of food, or a utility payment…it’s a wrenching decison…she has “friends” who are going to look at it again tomorrow….

@mcgealer…and Olds makes a good car!.... thank you…

Do you feel the rumbling in the steering wheel? Or only hear it?

Liek others have said $50 for a mechanic to check it out (It cost me $80 btw) is a good way to save money. Lets work through the math. The car costs $700. It is 10 years old from GM. What are the chances there is repair work required that costs $300 or more, assuming this is the point where you would scrap it? If its higher than 4.28%, then your expected cost of repair is higher than the cost to prevent buying a car that requires those repairs. Heck,

Also, if you don’t have $50 for the mechanic, what are you going to do about those bald tires. Many states will not let you pass inspection. And if you have a blow-out?

Mine always made a whump whump sound when driving straight (and you can feel it in the steering/ride) and a harsh chunk-chunk-chunk sound when turning. You can feel the car try to pull away from you.

Honestly, I would steer the heck away from this car. Find an old Ford that she can work on more cheaply. Olds, ugh, I hates em.

@arpinum She has $1000 total to work with. #1 is tires. If she gets it, she’s driving straight to WalMart. Then insurance and title…..as far as a mechanic, my husband, my son, her ex, and a friend of ours are as good of (where’s Bill? “Good of”??) mechanics as one could want. We just don’t have access to a lift. Wish she could hold off a bit until we can get everyone rounded up….

@gemiwing Yeah…I would have felt it too, if it was there…but I wasn’t driving….I think my daughter would have sensed something….

Clicking in the corners is a sign that the outer CV joints are shot, as is a soft clicking that gets louder in the corners. I can generally hear those 50 feet away.

A bad wheel bearing can, at least at certain speeds, make a sound like someone running their finger around the rim of a wine glass. They could also make a humming sound, but rumbling is unlikely unless the wheel is almost ready to fall of the car. How is the handling of the car though? A little dodgy or does it handle tightly and responsively?

Tires can make all sorts of sounds, but the big thing there is that they are ALWAYS rhythmic and vary with speed. But of all the things I can think of, they would be the most likely to rumble, especially if the alignment is off. I had a ‘94 Corsica where the rear-right wheel had too much camber and you should’ve heard some of the sounds from that corner of the car!