my 06 350z front right axle makes a clunking noise when turning steering wheel. when I lookd underneath there was heavy grey grease on inside of rim. what is this ?
thanks april

 

Welcome April- this buildup could be from a variety of sources. You need to jack the RF side up and take a closer look to be sure. One guess is the RF wheel bearing has failed and needs to be replaced. Only a manual inspection will tell for sure.

Be sure to comeback to this thread to let us know what you find.

 

Hi Thanks for the reply! I researched it a bit and you may be right. I noticed thick grey grease on my inner rim when checking that area. Will keep posting!

 

Also, it's important to mention that a wheel bearing failure is a critical part. It could result in a nasty accident if not repaired promptly.

 

I would think you could hear the bearing 'hum' at different speeds, if it has failed to that point.

Could also be your lower ball joint has failed. If this is the case, they should be replaced in pairs, or both sides. Also wouldn't be a bad idea to check for other loose/ worn suspension tie rods/ ball joints/ bushings, etc...

The clunking noise could be unrelated to your finding of the grease as well. Check your sway bar end links for play, i.e. can you move the sway bar back and forth with just your weight. This turned out to be the culprit of a clunking noise for me.