Is it the tierod ends or is it the balljoints?

[yellowstang1994]

Hi guys, I been having this squeak for a while now, here's the deal. It sounds like a rusty door hinge when I go over a lot bumps or sometimes when I turn the steering wheel. It's only the driver's side too. So I took the wheels off and greeased the hell out of the tierod ends and the balljoints, it sounded like the squeak was coming from the balljoints when I put my ear up to it, but i'm not sure. I can also press on the front of the car and when it comes back up it squeaks. Does it sound like the tierod ends or the balljoints to you guys? If it's the tierod ends should I just get the bumpsteer kit? And how easy is that to do?

BTW, my car is lowered too, I thought I heard something about lowered cars having a bumpsteer problem?

 

[MysteryMachine]

If it happens when you push down and it comes back up i would say its your strut. Ball joints and tie rod ends don't have anything to do wth the car moving up and down. To check your ball joints jack up that side put your handes at teh top and bottom of the wheel (12 & 6 so to say) and push on the top and pull at the bottom if the wheel moves back and forth you have bad ball joints. Not sure if theres a way to check the tie rods

 

[HISSIN50]

ball joints do have to do with the car moving up and down (and tie rods do on some lowered cars - hence bumpsteer or toeing on compression).

noise can also come from worn spring isolators, top strut mounts, etc.

if one has slop with the above 12 and 6 o'clock test, have an assistant look at the ball joint spindle while doing the test - one might see the ball joint spindle move.

tie rods can be checked like ball joints, but by putting hands and 3 and 9 o'clock. NOTE that incorrect or worn wheel bearing adjustment can invalidate the testing.

good luck.

 

[MysteryMachine]

humm i thought they just delt with the turning guess now i know

 

[GRGT1994]

humm i thought they just delt with the turning guess now i know

I believe you are pretty much right. But they do flex with the suspension. So they can squeek with only up and down suspension movement, just as any other pivot point can.

 

[droptopford 5 0]

i have the same exact problem with my car now even though its not lowered... when i stopped by to get a flat plugged, i quickly asked about the sound and before i could even finish asking he told me its ball joints... so without any real proof and even though i checked my ball joints to see if they were bad (which they were still fine) take it how you may..maybe my ball joints are just making noise even though they still function correctly.. BTW could they be greased to shut 'em up

 

[yellowstang1994]

I basically have brand new Tokico shocks and struts on my car they are only like 6 months old I think? They never gave me a problem yet.... And I have the Eibach prokit for springs. As for pushing down on the car and it squeaking, the same sound is also coming from me turning the wheel. I used a **** load of white lithium greese on them and nothing happened. But I know for a fact the sound is either coming from the tierod end or the balljoint but I just can't put a pinpoint on either because they are so close next to each other.

Maybee I should just go ahead and do a bumpsteer kit and the balljoints? I know the balljoints need pressed in... I had them done on my camaro back in the day and it cost me around $450 something by the time I was done. I heard some guy saying something about 03 cobra A-arms go for a pretty good price and already have an upgraded balljoint in them? Do you think it would just be worthwhile to find someone's A-arms off them and replace it that way? I don't have a press handy but I could put on different a-arms (we have a spring compressor at work). What do you guys think? And whats up with the bumpsteer kit, is that pretty hard to do? I never changed tierod ends before, let alone put on a bumpsteer kit.