Front End Clicking

[buckwheat010101]

Mods - This is a double post from another thread, hopefully this is allowed. Trying to get more eyes on it for more ideas. Thanks!

My 2021 Toolcat 5600 has started making a clicking noise from somewhere in the front end and I am hoping for some ideas on what to check or how to fix. Stream of conscious details incoming:

• I noticed it after changing the transaxle fluid (~350 hours on the machine)
• clicking noise comes from the transxle/ inner CV joint area
• noise only happens when turning. It is very rhythmic and the intensity and rate changes depending on how far you turn and how fast you are going while you are turning.
• noise also happens when the machine is stationary and you turn the wheels from side to side fairly quickly
• if the machine is lifted off the ground, the noise does not occur. When picked up I tried forward, backward, turning the tires, everything I could think of. No clicking noise at all.
• I changed the front and rear transaxle fluid at the same time, and only the front seems to have the clicking sound.

I have not run the machine very much since this started. I have tried turning the differential lock switch off (single action switch on the dash), but the sound stayed the same. Does anyone have ideas on what I could check/ test next? Thanks for your time!

 

[vortex]

Sounds like something in a CV joint.... I just went thru the fun of replacing the inner and outer boots on one of mine - if anything broke / fell apart / got into the CV joint, it would certainly make some noise each time it went around. The inner joints provide movement for both sliding in and out, and, for up and down. The outer ones don't have any in and out motion. If it won't happen when its off the ground, sounds like something in the inner joint that is causing it when the axel is pushed in a bit - when you lift it up, and the suspension drops, it would be out further. Whether its worth risking ruining a boot to take it apart, clean it, and put in new grease... I dunno. The process on mine turned into a nightmare... couldn't get the CV joints to release where they were supposed to.

But if the boots aren't torn - seems unlikely to have debree in it that didn't come from the joint itself... in which case, you would likely be replacing the driveshaft...unless it was something small like the snap ring that is in there - I could see it grinding that up without doing serious harm.