So, I have this popping sound that has been around for about a year now. And it's progressively getting worse. So, I figure I should fix.

Year: 2003
Make: Mazda
Model: 6i (2.4L)

Facts
- Popping is coming from RIGHT SIDE car.
- Popping used to occur only when making right-hand turns, but now occurs at any time it wants (especially on non-smooth roads).
- Popping has no correlation with speed.

I jacked up the car slightly, just enough so I could fit underneath, but so that the wheels weren't off the ground (meaning, wheels were under load). Crawled under, and listened while the someone turned the steering wheel. The popping is definitely coming from the right side of the rack/pinion in image below (highlighted in red).



My Question
Should I just replace the inner tie rod there? Or do the entire rack and pinion? I'm afraid if I just do the inner tie rod, it will end up being something inside the actual rack that is busted and I'll have to do it all again (plus, the rack is expensive). I'm trying to avoid having to do it multiple times on top of trying to spend as little as I have to.

6/1/2012 12:34:59 PM

there's an inner and outer joint, most probably your culprit. they are cheap to replace

6/1/2012 1:55:22 PM

Quote :

"CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT"

6/1/2012 11:41:49 PM

It is your Cv joint without a doubt. Just had this done on my 6 back in January.

6/3/2012 2:08:53 PM

UPDATE

I did some more troubleshooting... and it's definitely not the inner tie rod or power steering rack.

- Jacked up car. Pulled on tire @ 9 and 3 o'clock. No movement or noise. Pull at 12 and 6 o'clock, no noise or movement either.

- Pressed down on front of car => clunk/rubbing (maybe "creaking" is better word). So, drove up on some boards to give me room to crawl under and now I think I found where the root of the sound is.

It's coming from the control arm (I guess it's the "front" control arm). Could be coming from the ball joint (there's two of them) or maybe the bushings in the control arm are shot. Check out the video below:

http://youtu.be/ikYdliCTwjw


Is it safe to cut the boot a little and shoot some grease in there to see if it helps? Is it safe to spray PB blaster or WD40 on the control arm bushings to see if it helps the creaking? I heard the control arms are hard (dangerous) to replace. Maybe I just need a new bushing for the control arm, but that probably entails taking the whole thing out.

6/3/2012 10:26:15 PM

do not cut the boot. is there a grease fitting on top or side of the ball joint? it might look similar to this if there is:



a lot of cars don't have greasable ball joints, tie rod ends, etc. nowadays, so it may not have them.

6/3/2012 10:42:34 PM

No grease fitting... looks like I'm going to have to replace the whole thing Looks like a beast to replace too. Might just take it to a shop that has the right tools instead of me banging on it with a sledge hammer.

6/3/2012 11:03:30 PM

it it's bolt-in, then it's not too bad. you'll just need a cheap grinder from harbor freight. if it's press-in, then you'll need a press. in the video i think it appears to be press-in.

i did the press-in lower ball joints on my old dakota with a propane torch, a floor jack, a large pipe nipple, and a big fucking hammer. wouldn't suggest that route.

if you've gotta pull the control arms, you might as well replace the control arm bushings, too. getting 10 yrs out of those parts isn't bad. might wanna consider doing tie rod ends while you're in there.

[Edited on June 3, 2012 at 11:35 PM. Reason : fad]

6/3/2012 11:30:13 PM

i've always just changed the whole control arm instead of the bushing. it doesn't cost much more and requires a lot less tooling

6/4/2012 12:14:37 AM

Quote :

"i've always just changed the whole control arm instead of the bushing. it doesn't cost much more and requires a lot less tooling "

wait wut?

6/4/2012 7:29:56 AM

something like http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/smart/more_info.cgi?pn=31-12-1-094-233-M290&catalog_description=Front%20Control%20Arm%20With%20Bushing%2C%20Left%2C%20525i%20Sedan%2FTouring%20%282001-03%29%2C%20528i%20Sedan%2FTouring%20%281996-00%29%2C%20530i%20%282001-03%29%2C%20Each
vs
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/smart/more_info.cgi?pn=31-12-9-068-753-M203&catalog_description=Front%20Support%20Arm%20Bushing%20Set%2C%20One%20Per%20Car%2C%20525i%20Sedan%2FTouring%20%282001-03%29%2C%20528i%20Sedan%2FTouring%20%281996-00%29%2C%20530i%20%282001-03%29%2C%20Each

[Edited on June 4, 2012 at 7:42 AM. Reason : stupid crazy code]

6/4/2012 7:40:23 AM

Quote :

"i've always just changed the whole control arm instead of the bushing. it doesn't cost much more and requires a lot less tooling"

that should be handled on a case-by-case basis. on some cars, replacing the whole thing will run you a lot more, but on others it'll make sense. on some cars it's easy to change the bushings, but on others it can be a pain in the ass.

6/4/2012 8:31:05 AM