Bizarre clicking from the rear driver's wheel-def. not the infamous axle click
 

I started to develop a light clicking sound a while back that's coming from the driver's side wheel area. It's a rotational noise that's constant and gets louder and more rapid as the car increases speed. The strange thing is it goes away completely when I apply the brakes firmly, but comes right back when I release them. And the noise is getting progressively louder slowly but surely. :(

I have racked my brain trying to figure out what's causing it and I'm stumped. First I checked the caliper/brake assembly focusing on the clip that holds the pads in place but the only thing I found is the outboard pad seems to be a little more worn on the half of the pad closest to the front of the car. I've taken off the wheel thinking the cotter pin in front of the axle nut had come loose but it was cool. Tested the axle nut and it's still tight as a first-nighter (as my Dad used to say :)). Yanked on the wheel when it was still on the vehicle to test the bearing and found no play. All suspension components are tight and looking good so I took it to a friend's shop for a more professional opinion and they are stumped as well.

Their 2 suggestions for a possible cause were a worn out CV joint in the half-shaft or the bearing is starting to go out. I did replace the half shaft on that side with a used one with 32K miles on it about 6 months ago and made sure to clean the axle with a wire brush and grease it up. But here are my thoughts, if the axle/CV joint was failing why would the noise go away when I applied the brake? And would a failing bearing make a light clicking noise? I've only experienced grinding and vibration in previous vehicles with that issue and read about the same on here. My last shot at a guess would be a sticking caliper, but it seems to move OK. I just can't figure out why the pad would wear unevenly with the one piston caliper back there.

Any thoughts/feedback would be greatly appreciated. :hello:

hmmm can you make a video?? Im very curious about this lol. in for answers as well

def sounds like a wheel bearing or cv joint issue.

I'll try to make a vid this week and post it. By process of elimination I am leaning towards a bad CV joint in the axle I replaced. I just don't see how applying the brakes would make the sound go away. :dunno:

I'm having the same issue right now, initially thought it was the wheel bearing...it was not...then i thought it was the axel, it was not. Now i'm thinking it has something to do with my emergency brake sense it started randomly after i took the tire off. Certain its not the bearing. Sounds like a loose spring or something, i need to pull my rotor off

Oh snap, I didn't think to look at that. It's a fairly light metallic which is why I thought it was the cotter pin on the axle, but it could be the coming from the EB.3

Thanks for the heads up. :D