Strange front end clicking- front diff?
 

This is weird, but after Aamco did a full tranny flush and filter I keep hearing faint clicking noises coming from the front left behind the wheel and the clicks increase in frequency as I speed up and I can only hear it when the window is open. I don't know if the 4x4 is fully disengaged or if it is a CV joint, but I know the 4x4 is working because Aamco checked it. I jacked up the LF wheel and spun it. Felt like some drag and I heard some faint, repeatative noises as I spun the wheel. I could spin and let it go and it will only rotate 1.5 rotations and stop. I am hoping that it is not the front diff not fully disengaging because we had to have the whole thing repaired last year for a broken shift fork that destroyed all the gears. Even the dealer was shocked when they opened the diff. Car was out of commission for 2 weeks. Could some cable be stuck that activates the diff? The ball joints are new. I know the 4x4 engages properly because I drove on our back lawn before to get something out of the back shed and actually got stuck and ripped up the grass (sorry mom!). Put it in neutral > 4HI > 1 + a little gas and got unstuck instantly (yay part time 4x4. AWD is for babies!). I also put it in 4HI before I raised the LF wheel and I was only able to rotate the wheel a couple inches each way and I saw the front driveshaft move a little bit and prohibit me from moving it further.

Does it change when you have the steering fully turned in one direction or the other?

Seems to click the same regardless and it is most audible at 30 Mph when the wind noise is low enough and the clicking is fast enough.

Could it be a CV joint or the front diff not disengaging properly? Could it be bad for the diff or the driveline?

UPDATE: It seems to be doing it in both 2HI and 4HI at 15 mph, but in 4HI the clicks sound in a different rhythm. I know for a fact the 4WD is engaging properly because I can't turn the wheel more than 3/4-1 full turn (didn't make certain sharp turns in a parking lot at a crawl) before I get binding in the driveline. Possible inner CV joint failure? It has been leaking grease at a slow rate on/off for 2 months.

Too bad this is one problem my Jeep friend cannot solve because his stock 05 Wrangler has U-Joints in place of CV Half-axles.

Always seems to be a competition between us regarding which is the better vehicle. Simplicity (Wrangler (W) ) vs. Complexity (Jimmy (J) ), power windows, locks and 6-speaker sound system with a nice Sony MP3/WMA CD deck(J) vs. Plastic, zipper windows on half-doors with no electronics, stock CD sound system (W) , Electronic transfer case (J) vs. manual, lever operated T/C (W), 4 doors with alot of cargo and passenger space (J) vs 2 door with little cargo and very little rear seat space (W), leather (J)vs. cloth seating (W), I could go down the list all day, but I am sure you guys would get annoyed at me if i keep talking about jeeps all night. This guy is crazy. Left l000000ng skid marks when he went crazy with it in 4LO the first day he drove it to school in the temporary gravel lot the district set up while they are adding onto the school. He even likes talking about taking the doors and top off and even flipping the windshield down. Hasn't he ever heard of crash safety (At least the Jimmy has a fully enclosed shell)? No doors + no top + flipped down windshield = no protection + high chance of injury. Thanks for your patience while i rant about this crazed jeep owner and thanks for any help regarding the clicking sounds.

ComputernerdBD

UPDATE: The inner CV is losing alot of grease and seems to be the only probable cause of the clicking. I bought a new GS-P axle from advance auto parts and we are getting it installed sometime by the end of the week. Oh, and the rubber adhesive trick I did to try to stop the slow leak? Only trapped the grease in a bubble between the boot and the coat of rubber adhesive, and it popped, leaving grease all over, so the parts still lost grease and failed. Too bad there isn't a way to convert to U-Joints like on the Jeeps........ Those CV Joints: one rip in any one of the boots and it is doomed. Multiple points of possible failure on just one axle! I wonder who the knucklehead engineer is at GM who decided to put CV joints on a 4x4 vehicle that people take off road! If you get stuck and that breaks, you better hope your AAA membership is valid!!