creaking/squeaking from front end, what is it?

[dstang01]

So my car has developed a bit of a front end creak/squeak. It happens mainly when turning at low speeds, like in parking lots or pulling into the driveway. Also, when you turn the wheels when the car is stopped, it also creaks. When I go over a slow dip in a road or an occasional speed bump, it squeaks. Ive done some searching, and people seem to think its a tie rod, a bushing or maybe a ball joint needing lubrication. The car has only 106,000 KMs so hopefully its nothing too big. Thanks in advance

 

[The Green GT]

I have a bad ball joint and mine does that.

 

[vladasap]

i have a bad front ball joint, same exact symptoms

finally fixing it this week after a 8 months of sqeeking and creaking =)

 

[bmac50]

I'm with ball joints. Jack the car up and twist the tire side to side and see if there is play. <(( tire ))>

Another common cause is spring isolators, Ford installs rubber ones that end up rotting away.

 

[dstang01]

Ok, so it sounds like it is the ball joint(s), approximately how much would new ones cost? How hard are they to install, or would it be best to have shop do it. The noise is annoying and makes the car sound like a junker thats falling apart hopefully its an easy fix

 

[dstang01]

I hear that another culprit could be tie rod ends. Is there any way to self diagnose whats causing the problem? Is there a way to determine if its the ball joints, tie rod ends or anything else by jacking up the car and listening for anything?

 

[Sirone]

Ball joints. Had a friend that his car did the same (94 GT). My car is starting and the sound comes directly from there.

 

[SublimeRT]

I've also heard worn out rack bushings make the same creaking noise at low speeds and when stopped when turning the wheel. I have had past Mustangs do this and just to help pinpoint the problem (this is not a fix) I cranked down on the rack bolts and sprayed some lube on the bushings which temporarily quieted it down a bit; this let me know where it was coming from. You can jack the car up, put it on stands, and have someone turn the wheel to try to pinpoint where the noise is coming from, but it might not make it since the suspension won't be loaded. Now about ball joints, I haven't ever replaced any in a SN chassis Mustang, so I can't say how hard of a job it is, but they are pressed in and I hear it's quite a pain to change them. Quite a few people that need ball joints opt for some new 03/04 Cobra lower control arms since they come with new, better ball joints and bushings, and supposedly tighten the turning radius a bit. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[Mikeyhats]

Hi, I'm new had to join to answer the question about mustang squeaking/creaking.
It's the rubber to rubber grommets at the top of the shock tower. You'll have to remove the retainer nut at the top and disassemble the top of the shock part and lubricate with synthetic grease between the rubber pieces. Not to say that something else has worn out causing this to happen but I did replace the shocks to find this out

 

[revhead347]

The known failure is the outer tie rod ends. They fail way more frequently than the ball joints. Put things into perspective when you are dealing with a car old enough to have graduated college. An alignment is about $79 these days. If you are on a very short budget, I would change the failed part. If you have a little more money to spend, change the ball joint, the tie rod end, and the wheel bearing while you are there. If you don't have a press or a gear splitter, you can pull the control arm and take it to someone to have a new ball joint pressed in for a very reasonable price. Might as well do both sides if you can swing it right now. Get the most out of that $79 alignment, or be back paying $79 again in a year or two. And unfortunately the rear track and front track on a Mustang is different (along with body interference), so you can't string method the toe on a Mustang.

Kurt