If during any of the checks described in Chapter Maintenance, wear of the driveshaft CV joint is detected, remove the wheel cap and make sure that the driveshaft mounting nut is tightened to the appropriate torque. Install the wheel cap and repeat the test on the other drive shaft.
Slowly drive the car in a circle, turning the steering wheel to the maximum angle of rotation. If a clicking sound is heard at the front of the vehicle, the outer CV joint is worn out.
If vibration is felt during acceleration, the inner CV joints may be worn out.
Remove the CV joints and inspect them for signs of wear as described in Sections Replacing the protective cover of the outer CV joint of the drive shaft (models with manual transmission), Replacing the protective cover of the inner CV joint of the right drive shaft (models with manual transmission) and Replacing the protective cover of the inner CV joint of the left drive shaft (models with manual transmission).
On models with a manual transmission, wear on the outer CV joint can only be eliminated by replacing the drive shaft. For the inner CV joint, the tripod assembly is sold separately, but wear on any other component also requires replacement of the drive shaft.
On models with automatic transmission, the drive shaft must be replaced when any CV joint is worn.