Horrible front end squeak (passenger side)

[2001ex]

I would think that if the rubber boot is still in good shape there would be little chance of anything getting in it the rubber would kinda self heal itself because the hole is so little

 

[nmazzio]

hahaha we all have the same problem.. i went through a little mud in my 2000 sport and when i washed the mud from the joints, the grease went with it..they squeaked like rubber duckies every where i went..i had to spray wd-40 on em before i left my school parking lot so that they wouldnt squeak for about 50 feet..hopwever the squeak went away some how haha i hope it doesnt come back..For didnt put little grease fittings in their trucks so its hard to keep grease on their..they all do it

 

[alohamonte]

I'm laughing with you Mazzio. These ball joints are a joke. They're supposed to be maintenance-free sealed joints!

I guess I'll go out and get a grease gun and needle attachment...

You know, the noise itself doesn't even bother me. It's the fact that the noise means there is metal on metal friction and each squeak brings the truck one squeak closer to joint failure.:roll:

 

[Steeda90GT]

Well for mine, the boot was already ripped. So I didn't mind poking it with the needle. My other side was still sealed, but I poked it though. After filling with grease I pull the gun out and put some more grease on my finger tip, then go over the tine poked hole with it...smearing it everywhere. That seams to keep debris and dirt out.

Every oil change, I check to see if the joints need to be greased. If not then I wipe a little bit of grease on the poked hole as a preventative maintenance measure.

 

[nmazzio]

I'm laughing with you Mazzio. These ball joints are a joke. They're supposed to be maintenance-free sealed joints!

I guess I'll go out and get a grease gun and needle attachment...

You know, the noise itself doesn't even bother me. It's the fact that the noise means there is metal on metal friction and each squeak brings the truck one squeak closer to joint failure.:roll:

hahah yeah they are ..when i first had the problem i popped off my tiresto fill up the grease fittings and there wasnt any lol..my friend who has never seen my dad truck or met him inhis life was like yeah my old 97 f-150 did this and didnt have any fittings lol.. i was like wow my dad's 97 f-150 does it too hahah ..but if you just put a lot of grease on whenever it starts to squeak you will be good..

 

[Blackmun]

would the lower ball joint going out cause the axle to rub on the suspension behind it whenever taking a left turn

 

[Cranmaro99]

I had this problem on a 2000 Ranger, 4x4. It was a dry ball joint. Got a needle attachment for grease gun and inserted into the rubber covering of ball joint and greased the ball joint in this manner. You can grease other sealed components this way. Good luck.

Yup, mine is doing this and it needs a lower balljoint.

 

[Grizzlyman]

My squeak sounds the exact same (02' Sport)- under the front, extremely loud, etc...

I JUST got back from a mountainous road trip. before I left ( two days before) I had the upper and lower passenger ball joints replaced and had the drivers inspected .

I noticed that the squeaking would become very apparent when going down a mountain and would disappear going up or being level. I'm assuming this has to do with putting some sort of pressure on the front end and the suspension causing something to rub strangeley?

I tried a few thing to diagnose:

-squeaks mainly w/ pressure on front end
-Neutral still causes the squeak
-Squeaks without the brakes
-squeak straight as well as turns (doubt the ball joints squeak when straight)
-clearly It is also increases w/ the speed

so it is definitely something to with either the wheels, axles, or something else spinning at speed.

I'm not sure if anyone solved the problem???...best I can tell everyone thinks its the balljoints, but then the squeaking comes back right away after its greased?

 

[jackblackjeet]

Oooopps... I "heard" that it cost 600-700... - 400 sounds more realistic..
Still rather do it myself. 1st set (right side upper and lower) took almost 4 FRICKIN hours...
I lost my temper several times cuz I didn't know what the F@!$@# I was doing.. Second set (Left side upper and lower) took about an hour and a half... Go figure... Now, does anyone know the quickest way to fix / replace the dash lights in a Ranger? I can barely read my speedo and guages....
Do I have to rip out the entire F@!$!$!$ing dash or is there a shortcut?

Yeah, you have to rip out the dash, but it isn't really that bad. I used the pictures from this thread http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46290&highlight=indiglo+install

You need a 7mm socket, a 8mm socket, 6 "194" bulbs. It took me about 30 minutes to change all the lights.

It is amazing the difference it makes.

 

[drbenz]

Please realize that if the front end parts are making noise they could be worn out as well as out of grease, I strongly recommend that you make sure that the parts that you grease are still good.

 

[Grizzlyman]

SHocks

Changed shocks and front end squeak disappeared. (shocks were REALLY bad). Best I can figure is the shocks were doing little to control the coils, and the squeaking that I thought was Rotational or spinning was probably due to up & down movement. Anyway, this fixed the problem, I hope this can help someone else...bothered me for the LONGEST time. This is also the reason it made noise when front end was loaded (turning & going downhill)