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First off please allow me to apologize for my inexperience. If I say something silly please let me know. I'm about to purchase a civic as the first car I'm going to put time and money into to learn how to do a lot of mechanical work and fix it up. I was an air craft mechanic for a little while so I know I've got the mechanical ability, just not the knowledge.

Whenever you turn the steering wheel all the way to either side a component in the front left tire makes a clicking or knocking noise. I'm entirely unsure of what it is, and the owner tells me he doesn't know either. Have any of you encountered this problem?

I've got my fair share of driving hours under my belt and from what I can tell is that the noise doesn't effect the way the car handles. Is it just a wheel bearing that's gone bad? Could it be something in the cv components? Should I go as far as to replace my control arms and most of my suspension completely?

 
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http://www.ehow.com/facts_7601159_cv...ning-left.html

 
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hi my name is james what you have is a very basic and easy front end problem perfect for someone trying trying to learn .but it def wont be ur wheel bearing .that you would only hear when ur driving and an axle is a good start but no either that would make a clicking noise when driving and turning at the same time what you wanna do is jack up ur front end firmly grab ur tire at 9 and 3 and shake side to side and repeat at 12 and 6 checking for play ur best bet its gonna be either inner or outer tie rods or ball joint good luck and let me know what you find

 
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Like the link in the second post refers to... classic CV joint noise here.

-R

 
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Hey James, I found out it was the cv axle making that noise. I finally picked up the car on the 10th. I made a slight error it's a dx, but that has nothing to really do with the issue. Turns out it was the cv axle, and I had planned to replace it at a buddies today (Sunday) but she had her own plans. On Thursday, the 16th, the cv shaft went while I was driving. It took all the connections on that side of the control arm with it, I need to replace my wheel bearing and the knuckle mount on my strut and there's a little damage to my brake lines. Thanks to pull a part and such places, I've already found most of the parts I need.

 
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Ouch-

Lot of damage from what would have been a pretty easy fix.

Usually the first thing to look for is a torn boot at a CV joint (usually outer if the clicking is when the wheel is turned).

CV joints tend to last almost forever - until the boot gets ripped and water and crud get into the molybdenum CV joint grease, then that acts like a grinding compound and destroys the joint.

If you catch a torn boot right away, you can clean and repack the joint and install a new boot. If there are already any symptoms, it's better to just swap out the whole half-shaft with a rebuilt one. They are usually cheaper than buying a new CV joint and they take a lot less time to install.

I've even seen "split-boots" that can replace a torn one without pulling the CV joint off the axle. I've personally not had much luck with these.

Make sure the boot is clamped good to the axle. If the metal clamp that comes with it gets messed up (they are supposed to use a special clamping tool) then use a heavy duty zip-tie and clip off all the excess. There is sometimes very little clearance when the axle rotates, and you don't want the clamp catching on something and tearing the boot.

Rebuilt half-shafts can be had in the 60-100 range, but make sure you get one from a reliable source. Some "rebuilders" don't do much more than clean them up, repack them, and put new boots on. If they have already been run a while with a torn boot, this kind of rebuild doesn't last very long. Sometimes not even out of the driveway. Be careful of "new" halfshafts at prices "too good to be true" Some of these are imported from places where low price trumps quality in a serious way.