Squeaking front end

[palmaceae]

I have a bad "squeak" in the front end of my 2001 Sport Trac. It squeaks when the suspension travels up and down and also when I turn the steering wheel. The sound is only on the drivers side, could it be a bushing, or the shock, or something else?
Thanks

 

[tubaexplorer]

Upper and lower ball joints....check them out I'll bet the boots are torn. I got mine at Gateway getting swapped right now.

 

[swetrid]

Sounds like ball joint to me.

 

[palmaceae]

How long will the ball joints usually last after they start making noise. I hopefully can get the truck in tomorrow but no guarantee. Normally I would do something like this myself but having surgery either this week or next and will not be able to DIY.
Thanks

 

[tubaexplorer]

Umm I went about two months, but the guys at Gateway said that I was pressing my luck as far I could. The uppers have to be replaced with the control arms, but the lowers will pop out of the factory arms. Ran me 1100 unfortunately, but on the plus side it's all moob stuff. I've changed ball joints before, I'll pay what I need to not to have to do it again.

 

[palmaceae]

Umm I went about two months, but the guys at Gateway said that I was pressing my luck as far I could. The uppers have to be replaced with the control arms, but the lowers will pop out of the factory arms. Ran me 1100 unfortunately, but on the plus side it's all moob stuff. I've changed ball joints before, I'll pay what I need to not to have to do it again.

$1100, wow, more than I thought. How much do factory parts cost (of course they may not last very long)?

 

[tubaexplorer]

Dude knowing factory, probably close to that just for the parts!!!

 

[palmaceae]

Dude knowing factory, probably close to that just for the parts!!!

lol, you are probably right.

 

[TRAK]

$1100, wow, more than I thought. How much do factory parts cost (of course they may not last very long)?

I GOT THE SAME EXACT QUOTE FROM AN ALIGNMENT SHOP, THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULDN;T ALIGN MY TRUCK UNLESS I CHANGED UPPERS AND LOWERS, PLUS THE TIE RODS,(TIE RODS WERE LOOSE FROM THE RACK AND PINION)

I WENT TO AUTO ZONE AND REPLACED THE ONES HE SAID WERE BAD, WHEN I TOOK IT APART IT ENDED UP NEEDED ALL OF THE JOINTS IN THE FRONT, UPPERS AND LOWERS, LOWERS COST ME ABOUT 38 BUCKS A PIECE AND UPPERS WERE ABOUT 93 A PIECE, SPENT ABOUT 300 BUCKS AND ABOUT 2HOURS DOING THIS, SAVED ME 700 BUCKS FROM HAVING SOME ONE I DIDN'T KNOW DOING IT.. ITS NOT HARD AT ALL, I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TOBE, NO NEED FOR SPECIAL TOOLS AT ALL I GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT
I BET YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF

 

[TRAK]

i have a bad "squeak" in the front end of my 2001 sport trac. It squeaks when the suspension travels up and down and also when i turn the steering wheel. The sound is only on the drivers side, could it be a bushing, or the shock, or something else?
Thanks

back to the topic hehe, i still have a strange squeek when my left side of the suspension travels like you said, i also replaced shocks and stuff before, its made like a squeeking weird noise since i got the truck :/

 

[tubaexplorer]

When I did mine I had to have the upper arm replaced because the the ball joint and arm are one essentially from the factory. On my Nissan I was supposed to do that with the lowers, but I didn't and messed up the hole where the ball joint was supposed to go; ended up costing a lot more time and me getting so pissed off I paid 1100 this time. Go figure.

 

[W3HOG]

I GOT THE SAME EXACT QUOTE FROM AN ALIGNMENT SHOP, THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULDN;T ALIGN MY TRUCK UNLESS I CHANGED UPPERS AND LOWERS, PLUS THE TIE RODS,(TIE RODS WERE LOOSE FROM THE RACK AND PINION)

I WENT TO AUTO ZONE AND REPLACED THE ONES HE SAID WERE BAD, WHEN I TOOK IT APART IT ENDED UP NEEDED ALL OF THE JOINTS IN THE FRONT, UPPERS AND LOWERS, LOWERS COST ME ABOUT 38 BUCKS A PIECE AND UPPERS WERE ABOUT 93 A PIECE, SPENT ABOUT 300 BUCKS AND ABOUT 2HOURS DOING THIS, SAVED ME 700 BUCKS FROM HAVING SOME ONE I DIDN'T KNOW DOING IT.. ITS NOT HARD AT ALL, I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TOBE, NO NEED FOR SPECIAL TOOLS AT ALL I GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT
I BET YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF

How the heck do you "press" the ball joints in???

 

[tubaexplorer]

On my old vehicle we lined them up by hand, and then with a rubber mallet tapped it in.

 

[W3HOG]

I just spent $650.00 getting just my lowers done, wish I got Moogs. It is still not 100% right, need an alignment, and it shakes/shimmies a little bit.
Do ball joints "break in" at all?

 

[W3HOG]

Sorry to "bump" this, but I'm just trying to find out if it is normal to be very stiff after getting new lower ball joints?
Mine seems to take bumps very hard right now, will this break in over time?

Thanx
Dan