Sounds to me like the CVC joints are going bad on the right side....and yes the boots should have grease in them....it they don't, this probably hastened the problem with the R/S CVC joints.....sounds like the right side has suffered the most damage from loss of grease....some serious work is needed here....
Sounds like a CV joint problem. The boots you are talking about are PS steering gears, right? Because if your CV joints are making noise, they need to be replaced with rebuilts; you can't just reboot half shafts. Get them from your local NAPA store.
But don't just assume it's CV joints. You have to check your wheel bearings, struts and strut bearings, and brakes also to make sure they are not the ones making noise.
If you are talk> Its a 1988 Camry I4 wagon. 195K miles. Both front tires have low miles
Sounds like the CV joint. Were the torn boots PS steering rack boots or CV boots? If your CV is the problem, then rebooting is not going to help. You need to replace with rebuilts. Get them from your local NAPA store if CV is the problem.
But before assuming the CV joint is the problem, you also need to check the wheel bearings, strut bearing and strut, and the brakes to make sure they are not the ones making noise.
PS steering rack end boots -- rack ends have oil seals at the rack body. So these boots are for keeping dust out. But CV boots do have special CV joint grease.
ger> Its a 1988 Camry I4 wagon. 195K miles. Both front tires have low miles
Its a 1988 Camry I4 wagon. 195K miles. Both front tires have low miles almost full tread, no abnormal wear...not yet. When making a right turn, it makes a loud knock-knock-knock sound, one knock for each revolution of the transaxle, it sounds like. Also the steering wheel is vibrating right/left, also depending on RPMs. It is also pulling pretty badly to the right. Three days ago it was running smooth as a new car. Then began to notice vibration/knock in right turns on the highway. Now its really bad. I did some major work recently where I had to remove both cross-members and all lower suspension points. So I thought I had done something wrong there. I checked the suspension and mounts and didn't see any problems. It is hard to tell if the knock is coming from the right or left...but since it pulls to the right (tires have the same inflation), should I be checking the RH suspension points? I think it has stabilizer bar mounts, would this be the most likely cause? I eyeballed all the strut, arm, stabilizer bar ends.... whetever it is it sure isn't something really obviously loose or worn out. Yet from the way it makes those loud clunk noises something is sure very loose.
I checked the steering gear, there is a very small amount of slop in each side of it, but its in the steering gear ends. Also, the boots on both sides have split in half. Are these boots supposed to be grease-filled? Can I buy replacement boot kits?
thanks Geronimo
Vibration and pulling to the right is due to broken rubber bushings in lower control arm.It is a popular problem amondg the second generation Camrys. The knocks are coming from damaged outer CV joint, replace both axles.
It is the power steering rack that has the torn boots....the CV joint boots are still intact. Also, The knocking noise in RH turn is not a metallic one at all, I have always heard that a bad CV joint is more of a metallic "click, click" sound. This is a dull non-metallic clunk, like if you hit a wrench on the rubber bumper. Yea, I know the CV joints have to be changed in pairs. Why would a worn out CV joint knock the rh wheel out of alignment? Is this a job a Sunday mechanic can do? Guess it will need to go to a pro for diagnosis. Thanks, Geronimo
CV joint sounds are usually clear metallic ticking. Not sure about dull rubber bumper sounds. Maybe it's as simple as something knocking on plastic parts. Have someone help listen and find the origin of the sound. But clicking while turning is almost always a outter CV joint trade mark (do check wheel bearings, strut/bearings, brakes to eliminate them from the list).
Do a search on Carmy half shaft replacement for hints and tips. Wheel hub may take some time on the first try, especially try to get the axle nut off. (If CV joint is the source of the problem.)
ger> It is the power steering rack that has the torn boots....the CV joint
I took it over to Firestone store, they found that the belt on the LH front tire had separated causing a lot of the vibration problem. But they also found out that the steering rack inner tie rods are worn out/loose, so it needs a new rack. I can get a new A-1 Cardone rack & pinion for $122.00 from Rock Auto, which beats Autozones' price. IS there anything tricky about getting the right steering rack for 88 Camry? Also they say that the lower control arm bushings on both sides are worn out. Have not found a source for this. Also LH lower ball joint worn out. No problem to get this at local auto parts store. So the tirereplacement made quite a driveability improvement, but its still not good. Probably all the rubber mounts are about shot. At least, thank God, they did not find CV joints bad, and shocks and brakes are still fine.
The cost to have them test drive car, then check it out on the lift? $18.00....and did it quickly!
Thanks, Geronimo
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