05 Pacifica Makes Noise When Turning

jackjackson1

My 05 Pac AWD mfg'd in Aug 2004 makes a terrible binding, clunking noise when turning. The tighter the turn the worse the noise. The power transfer unit was replaced and the noise didn't change. Any ideas what else it could be?

arrie

Sounds like it could be CV joint issue. CV joint is used on front wheel to transfer power to wheels, i.e. instead of Universal joint a CV joint is used as it keeps wheel turning at constant speed that single U-joint does not do.

CV joint is built with steel balls, like bearing balls and they are mounted in slots where they can move radially as joint angle changes and they transfer force between drive shaft ends.

Over time steel balls wear dents in the slots and after enough wear has developed balls start making noise as they jump up from the dent when you make a turn and yes, the noise gets worse when you turn sharper.

An easy test if this indeed is the issue is to drive reverse and make the turn. If there is no noise it probably means that the problem is worn CV joints.

The fix for this, of course, is to replace CV joints, which probably is very expensive BUT there is another possible way to do a fix with much less money involved. This is simply to swap CV joints (drive shafts) between left and right sides.

Wear on the CV joints occurs on the side of the slot that carries the force during driving. This is why noise would not happen when driving reverse as reverse side of the slots gets very little use.

After swapping the CV joints the noise would not appear when driving and turning forward but would do so when driving and turning in reverse. But hey, reverse is so small amount of driving that it really does not bother anybody.

Swapping CV joints, of course, would not be possible if they made drive shafts so that they fit only on left or right side but I don't think this is the case. The other thing is that you will probably need to have joint swap done at other than dealer shop as they will want to sell you new drive shafts and will come with every possible excuse why shaft swapping cannot be done.

I know joint swap works because I did it on two Saab cars that I owned in the past.

Arrie

bthawk

I have a 2007 Pacifica. That makes a loud ticking noise during driving. It sounds like the speedometer cable. The faster I go the louder it becomes. The slower the quiter it is. Any thoughts would be great.

jackjackson1

Mechanic says viscous coupler needs replacing. Evidently it's related to the PTU.

I don't know what to think. Any thoughts are appreciated.

arrie

Ask him why would the "viscous coupler" make noise only when you turn?

Did you try driving reverse and turning to see if it makes the noise?

Arrie

probpacifica

I just had my Control Arm replaced and am waiting on a new right front axle. I am told that clicking and popping during turning is a common problem. According to my service adviser there is a TBS that recommends the replacement of the control arm for popping noises. The clicking noise I am told is loosened axle nuts. My axle needs replacement.

gina19

I have an '04 and you may want to check the motor mounts. This has been a chronic problem with the Pacifica. You would hear clicking, clunking when turning or when stopping and starting...We replaced ours in Apr of '09 (under warranty) after a 5 month waiting period for the parts because over 2000 were backordered across the country at the time. We just found out this weekend that they are broken again and need to be replaced. Check your motor mounts!!!

kevlau

this happened to mine and they finally fixed it. It was my front axel passenger side. Now the clunk everytime i turned while backing up out of my driveway is finally gone!!!!!

kevlau

Scratch that!!! It is back as of today. only when i fully turn the wheel...in reverse or forward. I will be screaming at the dealership on monday. I can't believe this!!! :mad:

kevlau

We owners of pacificas with clunks should try to get a recall done on this problem it seems everyone has it. Anyone know how to get that started???

timfromtoronto

I have a 2007 Pacifica AWD and at around 50,000KM I heard the same ticking from the dash on one cold morning driving to work. I found out at noon when I left for a lunch meeting. The AWD transfer case blew apart on an exit ramp on the highway. What a mess!! And $5,600 later because it damaged the driveshaft and some power steering hoses. Likely I took it to a private garage and he saved me a ton of money. I hope I got to you before this happens.

timfromtoronto

I have a very good idea. I have an 2007 and after I blew my AWD transfer case and it was changed for $5,600, my Pacifica was still jerking and binding while I turned corners. I noticed that the longer I drove it and the warmer the vehicle got, the worse the problem. What my mechanic discovered is that the rear end has an added clutch in it on the input side of the differential which allows the vehicle to turn without binding up from front to back axles. It's a common AWD solution. So what was happening is the rear differential clutch was messed up. He checked it with a Chrysler dealer and their best mechanic was aware of this issue. We tried a couple changes of fresh rear end lube and it was a little better, but not much. He then found another used rear end and did the swap... and it was great!...no more binding and jerking at all! and that's 20,000km ago.

dake3

That noise is possibly coming from a metal dampener / weight that is located behind front passenger fender. I too thought it was cv joint, ball joint, shock, and various other stuff. If you get under car, (no jack required) and look around where the fake circular fog lamp is. you will see a metal round 3-5 pound weight that is loose. It will bang and clunk a lot especially if you turn on direction in particular. you should be able to reach with your hand and see if its loose.

dake3

Follow up:

I just took it off. Don't know what it does. Probably extra parts. Car is quiet and runs fine.