Strange Crumbling Noise

It probably is metal crumbling! Almost certainly the half shaft u-joint - has it got any oil (or special grease) in it? If kept oiled these rarely give trouble, but run dry will soon protest. There is a slight possibility it is a wheel bearing, but I would expect them to make the same noise regardless of steering position. Jack up that wheel and spin it to listen more closely, and you should feel roughness even with the wheels straight if it is the bearing. JD

Might want to look at bushes too. My Holden Commodore (Chevy Lumina, etc etc) has a rumble from the front when turning left due to knackered bushes. Should be a quick easy job to check anyway...

Macca

On or around Tue, 23 Sep 2003 06:24:41 +1000, JD enlightened us thusly:

mind, my CV joint rattles at full lock. very old axle though, in all probability it's done over 240K miles.

(snip)

Yes, but CV joints tend to be noisier when worn than cross & bearing joints as in the 2a in question. (comment: no signs of wear in the CV joints on my 110, but it has only done about 400k km. - CV joints are more sensitive to lack of lubrication than cross& bearing) JD

On or around Tue, 23 Sep 2003 20:26:07 +1000, JD enlightened us thusly:

ah. as you were.

I suspect the rattler on mine has been run dry. one-shot in it now, but it's sneaking out.