Front Suspension Advice/Troubleshooting

[Stewart's SS]

Hey everyone,

 

I searched for suspension issues and found very specific threads; I hope it is okay to make a new thread about this topic.

 

I am looking for advice. I have a really loud squeaking sound coming from my front suspension. Greasing the hell out of it didn't do anything and I am thinking I am going to have to take apart the front suspension to find the issue. I brought it in once and the mechanic couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. Since a lot of the components are getting really old and suffering the brutal torment of mid-west salty roads, I am considering replacing the main components of my front suspension.

 

My questions are:

 

Which route should I go; replace the parts or try an locate the specific issue?

 

Which company should I go for the suspension parts.

 

Is this way to hard for a novice to tackle?

 

What could I expect in costs?

 

Thank you for your time and consideration SS family.

 

- Stewart

[Downeast Johnny]

I would suspect squeaking to be coming from bushings as opposed to front end parts, (tie rod ends, Pitman arm, Ball joints).

 

I would start by doing a thorough grease job. If that doesn't get rid of the squeak I would jack the front wheels up high enough off the ground to get a long pry bar ,(long piece of pipe), under and have a helper activate the suspension by prying the wheels up and down. One person pries the other is under the vehicle listening to isolate the squeak.

 

There are systematic methods to chasing down squeaks. I don't know them all but here is some reading.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=finding+squeaks+in+vehicles&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

 

Here is a link to bushings.

 

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw5sHHBRDg5IK6k938j_IBEiQARZBJWvPpufdy1LZQ18GL13MA0sV9LUD79jtB1FVBPKAPIFsaAh3H8P8HAQ

 

Good luck with your search for the squeaks..

[monster1213]

With one bad ball joint and one bad inner tie rod, I just decided to do a front end freshen up last week. I went with all Moog components. New upper and lower ball joints, new inner and outer tie rods on both driver and pass. side. Total cost $275.