have you ever heard an older front wheel drive car making a sharp turn in the parking lot and it starts clicking and sounds like the wheel of fortune?
it's the bearing binding in the CV joint... this happens when they have exceeded their maximum angle. stock joints are only good for (and this is a random number as i'm not familiar with the commander specs) say 30* off center. compount the axle droop, torque & the turning radius and you can easily exceed this number. it's the ball bearings inside the center section popping in and out.
keep in mind that a lift kit also adds some additional angle to the CV. it's a common practice to have to drop the front diff a little to correct the CV angle with larger lift kits to prevent the self destruction of the CV from normal, everyday driving due to the excessive angle.
crappy picture but you get the idea.... center splined section goes on the axle. then you see the "cage" and then the outter section that bolts to the stub shaft. in the middle of all that you see the bearings and take note of the grooves the bearings ride in. and if you look closely you notice the thickness of the entire assembly... it doesn't take much to get the bearings to the edges of it where it will bind and then snap back into place.
Originally Posted by IamJEEP
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