Chrysler Repair: clicking sound from front wheel area, constant velocity, bood

Question
when i put the van in gear and release the brake i hear a noise in the front drivers side like a click-click-click also when stopped and release the brake you can hear the noise. replaced the brakes and hardware the noise is still there. Any advice would be greatfuly appreciated

Answer
Hi Sue,
If you are saying that you hear the noise when the van begins to move forward (or even backward) and the rate of clicking is proportional to the speed, then my suspicion is that you have a constant-velocity joint that has a torn boot and has lost its grease. If the noise is there without any motion from the wheels then that is a puzzle but it would be easy to figure out by observation with an ear 'horn' to focus on the location while the van just sits there. But more likely if the van is moving at all when when the click begins it is that joint. Another corroborative symptom would be if the intensity of the noise changes when you turn the steering in either direction which changes the amount of flexing such a dried-out joint would be subjected to. Let me know if I don't have the picture and we'll try it again. The boot is easily visibly checked from underneath, being located just inboard from the wheel itself. It is bellows-like, made of rubber and would be torn if I am correct. The fix is usually to replace the half-shaft, but you also can simply remove the half-shaft and replace the bood adding grease back into the joint when the boot is put on.
Roland