i have a 2000 r/t that has 70k miles, i drive to work everyday on the highway and since i only get about 14mpg i try to stay around the speed limit, but every once and awhile i have to go a bit faster, its an r/t, it needs to go faster LOL

anyway once i get above 70 or so i start to hear a squeaking sound that i think is coming from the front right and happens more often if i turn the wheel slightly to the right. the squeak sounds like the morse code tone just held out a bit longer if you know what i mean.

could it be metal on metal rubbing? somewhere in the suspension? ive looked at some of the joints and most of the bushings need to be replaced. is that about normal for them to need replacing at 70k miles?

any thoughts?

 

Brakes?

 

why would i only hear it at 70? i'll try to take a look tomorrow at them for sure though, thanks!

 

If it were bushings, i would think it would be more prevelent when the suspension is in motion. Only reason I say brakes, it that things start to resonate more with speed, so it's just a shot in the dark that you might have something in the brakes vibrating or something. A hub wouldn't squeak I don't think, plus you have another many, many miles before you should lose a bearing.

 

checked the right front tire this morning and cleaned the brakes a bit with some brake cleaner, didnt take the caliper off though, just sprayed them, both sides (left side through the wheel)

took some pics, the rotor seems ok on the outside but the inside pic has a pretty decent groove in it, tried to take some pics, some are kinda fuzzy, was too close

one thing that caught my eye was the tie rod (?) that connects the sway bar to the suspension.

here are the pics http://s471.photobucket.com/albums/r...Right%20Front/

 

The brakes look OK to me. But those stabilizer bar end links are toasted. Replacing them may eliminate the squeak/metallic noise and it will definitely firm up the front suspension and steering. New links should cost around $30.00 to $40.00 each and they are easy to replace. Usually when the links are bad you have a bad clunk or bumping noise from the front end when going over bumps at low speeds, as in speed breakers in a parking lot.

Jack up the front end of the truck, and support it safely on jack stands, and put wheel chocks on the rear tires. Then remove the front wheels, and set your floor jack under the lower control arm, raise it up a just little to take the load off the coil spring. Then unbolt the old links and bolt in the new ones. You have to grab the flat ends with a socket, wrench or vise grips and turn the nuts on them with a second wrench. It's a pretty easy job but use quality parts like Napa Chassis (lifetime warranty) or Moog or TRW.

Jimmy

 

thanks jimmy! so the end link is what ive circled in the photo? also that big bar coming in to the top of the end link, that is the sway bar right? cause its huge, thats part of the r/t package on these things

 

Yep, the part you circled in the pic is the stabilizer bar end link and yours are shot. I replaced my own original end links around 60K, then I did them again when I did my ball joints this past January at about 120K.

The big bar coming in at the top of the link is the stabilizer bar. Stabilizer bar and sway bar are both names for the same part. Dodge calls it a stabilizer bar though. Stabilizer bar link failure is a pretty common problem on Dakota's, they last about 60,000 miles.

Jimmy

 

well, thats were im at, just went over 70k. got them on my wish list at oreilly's, 36 bucks each. hopefully that will fix the squeak i hear. i will update this post when i get them replaced.

i didnt take a pic of the stabalizer bar bushings, but since im gonna be unhooking it anyway, should i replace those bushings too?

thanks again magnethead and thank you jimmy!!

 

The new end links will come with new bushings for each end link. At 60K your stabilizer bar bushings are very likely still in great shape. They don't wear out that quickly. I guess they would on a 4WD Dakota that goes off-road a lot though.

The stabilizer bar bushings you can buy separate, I got a set of Moogs for my Dakota for $16.00 at Advance. I had to call around to a lot of stores before I found one that had them in stock, I guess most parts stores, even Napa have to special order them in for you. Mine came from an Advance depot store, which is like a main store with a big warehouse attached to it.

If you replace the bushings, don't make the same mistake I did...Call and find a store that has the bushings in stock first before you cut off the old ones. I had to make a 90 mile round trip because I had cut the old bushing off and then started calling around, only to find out nobody around here had them in stock.

Jimmy