Weird Clicking in 4wheel drive

Yesterday while I was wheeling up an "easy" trail I kept hearing a click. The click is a hard noise to describe but, I'll do my best. It was coming from the drivers side wheel/suspension area and sounded like a rock stuck in the tread. It seemed to happen when the shock was being compressed. I was wondering if any of you have experienced something like this?

 

What size tires are you running? Could they be rubbing somewhere?

 

Stock.

 

Did it occur primarily while turning your wheel? I had this once and it was a CV boot.

 

Yes, check your cv boot if it happened while turning.

Also just to double check, what is an easy trail? Was there at least dirt, it wasn't dry solid ground was it? Clicking can be the 4wd binding up too

 

I think the click was either binding in 4 wheel drive or maybe your traction control.

 

Interesting, it may have been while turning the wheel. I will need to test this theory.

I'm new to this 4x4 game what do I need to check out? Is there something I can inspect? No, It was a muddy, dirt, and rocky trail.

 

To check the CV boot, look underneath at the front driver and passenger side wheels, look at this:



Check to make sure you dont see any fluid/grease leaking out of the springy looking boots.


It is possible you hit a patch of rocky surface that the 4wd didn't like, but muddy/dirty/rocky doesn't sound like it would bind up the 4wd, especially not in a straight line. If you were pulling a tight turn on a long rocky surface, maybe, but if it did click/pop it wouldn't be for long.

If it was happening when the suspension was compressing, can you put a lot of force down on a stable corner of your truck and see if you can reproduce it? Do you notice a similar sound when going over speed bumps or if you were, say, coming out of a driveway and your front tire dropped off the curb slightly? If so, could be a body mount bushing at the radiator core. You wouldn't be the first to have a bad one from the factory.