I have this 2004 kia optima and recently ive been hearing this clicking like noise every time i make turns or sharp turns especially. At first i didnt hear it as loud or as often as now. I was told it could be my axle needing to be replaced. Is that true?
You could try tapping on the location of the pin hole with the pointed end of a ball peen hammer. Copper is soft and mailable. This would only be a temporary fix.
Sound like your CV joints. It's best to have a garage replace them with new ones. Most CV joints are universal so you can get them cheaper at Autozone or a similar shop. They range in price $60 - $120 each but it's the labor that gets you. Labor can run $150 - $250 per CV joint. It's always best to replace both at the same time. Oh, and an alignment will run you about $70.
Well lets see It really sounds like a Tie rod End. those are about 1/2 inch or 1inch diameter. Those are what steer your car. Depending if this is a rear wheel drive or front wheel drive. if its a Front wheel drive there is a Axle called a CV joint that connects your Wheel to the transmission and what makes your wheels turn. Then you got the lower ball joint that allows Left to right motion and Up and down. some cars have upper ball joints and some just use the strut/shock in place of the upper ball joint. Which they call that a Mac Pherson Setup But Im pretty sure your tie rod end went. if thats all they run about $30 to $40 maybe cheaper when you replace the one side do the other side as well. But you need to have a shop check the rest of the front end while getting the alignment done. On rear end drive cars. I never heard of a Axle snap and those axles are about 4 to 5 inches diameter. and usually a bearing seizes or gears get chipped in those. And another thing that would cause that is a stabilizer bar. Those are well known to break and are about the same size and will make the tire sit all wrong.
if it is a front wheel drive, when you start to get wear you hear clicking sounds when you turn left or right, usually the long shaft goes first, if you look under the hood, there is an axle going to the transmission from the left wheel and one from the right,and one side is shorter than the other. when you replace one, try to buy a high qualify one if it is available, and make sure the rubber boot on the other axle is not damaged, if the boot is good and it is full of grease, the other side may last awhile if you push it too far something will break inside, and this can cause much more damage, so fix it, before it tears itself apart. you actually buy the whole piece as a unit, then you pay a mechanic to put it in. they usually last for a long time, as long as you do not go road racing with them.
