Could this possibly be the left side CV axle going bad? It doesnt make the usual popping noise that CV joints usually make though.

 

Check your wheel bearings.
Most alignment shops will do a front end check for free.

 

I am going to replace the front wheel bearings this summer to fix the metal on metal noise during turning. It has 125000 miles, so I'm sure theyre worn out. I still am wondering what would cause the clanging if I take off real quick. I give the gas a quick jab leaving a light and this clanging lasts for a couple of seconds. Is this the wheel bearings too?

 

Take your truck to a place and get a free front end inspection. TODAY!!!! Not tomorrow, or next week, or sometime this summer.

You don't seem the realize the importance and ugency of this. How about I explain it like this.

We had a lady in the shop just last week complaining that her car seems to drift around the corner. The only thing holding her tierod to the steering knuckle was a piece of rubber boot. I could literally seperate the tierod from the steering knuckle by hand, one hand, actually 2 fingers. Had she hit a big enough pot hole her tierod would have seperated and the wheel would have done its own thing and she wouldn't have had any control over her car. We never see the vehicles that wait too long, they end up in the junk yard.

Your call!!!!

You can post up the results and we can walk you through the repairs. Waiting to have the front end checked is never a good thing.
Grinding to me indicates bearings, especially turning one way and not the other. Clunking noise could be a bad A arm bushing, ball joint (see tierod example above), driveshaft (u-joint).

 

If this is a bearing problem putting it off is not a smart move. My mom owned a 69 Olds and her front wheel came off the spindle(car) and she was lucky she was just turning a corner to get on the freeway. If the wheel had seperated at a higher speed I doubt that she would have been able to control the vehicle and she might not be here today...

Unless you plan on PARKING the Blazer until you fix this problem, then you need to get it diagnosed and looked at. The longer you wait the more expensive it can get...instead of just replacing bearings you could end up replacing a Blazer or worse.....

DON'T WAIT

 

I'm parking it for a while. I'm getting it checked by Merchants and them I'm going to park it until I get the time to fix it. I know how serious it is, I just cant fix it right now, so its going to sit. Ive inspected all the tie rod ends and bushings, it has to be the wheel bearing.

 

When you get ready to replace it, post up asking for tips. There is a faster/better way compared to the Haynes manual.

One word of caution. Sticker shock. The hub bearings are not cheap, and they come with a new ABS sensor. Price it now so you can save up for a new one. I also still recommend you get a shop to verify the problem. If you replace the wrong side, your out twice as much money, which can be sustantial.

 

Yeah, I'm going to check the wheel bearings myself by seeing if the wheel will move when jacked up, hands on 12 and 6. It's going to go to the local Merchants Tire for the inspection unless you can reccomend a better place. Probably wont be until Saturday or next week sometime. I already saw the price of the hubs, would it be a good idea to save up double and replace both while I'm at it? It has 125000 miles, if I have one that is bad and one that isnt, how much longer could the good one last? The last time I got tires, I went to JustTires and they tried to tell me my lower ball joints were out of spec because they could move the wheel up and down, but then the Blazer went to the dealership, and they verified that they were within specifications, so I dont think its the lower ball joints. Ball joints didnt look very expensive from Napa ($20 or $50), if this is the hub, its already going to be a pain, should I just go ahead and put all new ball joints in too?

Thanks for the help, this is the one area of the Blazer that I really dont know that much about.

 

Its up to you, however I would only replace what is worn out here. I have a hub that is somewhat loose and expect to be replacing it sometime. Its been this way for over 30,000 miles though. I have the part.

As for messing with the ball joints while doing the hub. It would be easier with the cv shaft out of the way, at least the lower ones. But it isn't that difficult to remove the cv shaft.

SInce you going to do it yourself. Replace the hub unit that is.
Here is the short cut, ignore the instructions in teh Haynes manual.
Jack it up and place it on a jack stand.
Remove tire (helps to breka the lug nut loose while the tire is still on the ground, unless you have an impact gun)
Remove the brake caliper and caliper mounting bracket.
Reach around back of the hub, there are 3 bolts, take them out.
Remove the cv shaft bolt, wahser, etc.
Pop the hub out. You might have drive a chisel betweent eh hub and steering knuckle. I use an air hammer,chisle to pop the hub out.

Replace in reverse order. With a lift, and impact tools I can replace a hub in 1/2hr. That is from teh time I park it till I drop the truck back on the ground.

the Haynes manual has you remove all sorts of crap and then you need an alignment. They make it a 4 hr job.

Now when you do decide to replace the lower ball joints, remove the hub like outlined above, then remove the cv shaft. To remove the cv shaft after the hub is out, you just need a long extension on your impact gun to remove the bolts holdign it to the center chunk.

 

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but I did a search, and found some people mentioning steering box noises here. What kind of noise do steering boxes make? Mine make a lower pitched groan noise when cutting the wheels fast. To me , it doesn't sound like a p/s pump or belt noise. It's like a brrrrrrmmp. IfI turn the wheels slow there is no noise, only when I turn them fast, whether the car is parked, or moving. It also seems like there might be more slack in the steering lately. I also tried revving the engine while turning the wheels to see if it made a difference, and it didn't.
Thanks.