I hear a very loud squeak coming from my front left wheel suspension area. I hear this when making very slow turns like pulling in and out of my driveway. If I turn the wheel very very very slowly, I can avoid the squeak. If I turn the wheel at regular pace, it squeaks. It also squeaks when I jerk the wheel left. It sometimes squeaks when I return it to center.

I have spent a lot of time diagnosing. I broke down the FL suspension. Examined coil spring and replaced rubber isolator. I lubed the bushings etc. on upper, and lower control arms. Examined and lubed tie rod. Removed and examined brake caliper, brake pads, rotor, rotor shield. Regreased bearing and examined spindle, and replaced spindle nut.

Somewhere I read that it could be the lower control arm and ball joint. It looks fine to me in that there isn't any obvious damage or wear. I did replace the FR lower control arm about 2 years ago due to it cracking but it wasn't a ball joint issue. I don't know if something is flexing or rubbing. The squeaking sounds like some old rubber part or metal part squeaking as it moves, and it is driving me insane and I feel like a neighborhood spectacle everytime I come home. Creeeaaak. I'm home!

I need someone's expertise or suggestions. I hope someone answers unlike my last post a few months ago!

 

maybe your power steering pump is about to go??

 

Sounds to me like brakes. They squeek sometimes when they are touched just right, like when turning right or left. It'll wear down after time and they won't squeek anymore

 

this is what I was thinking. Does it go away when the brakes are applied?

 

sounds to me like an outer u-joint...

 

Thanks for the input. I went home last night and continued to troubleshoot. With the engine off, I was bouncing on the front bumper and can hear the creak also. I think it may be the lower control arm. Specifically, where the ball joint is connected to the rest of the control arm. I think those large pins that are pressed in for the connection are coming loose. Also, when I bounce the suspension, I see that the ball joint connection flexes more than the rest of the control arm.

I carry a Warn winch on the front bumper which is probably responsible for most of my suspension issues. That added weight adds a lot of burden to the front.

 

When my father had his lower control arm replaced it was making a poping noise, no squeaking. Good luck, God Speed.

 

Well after crossing my fingers and gambling on a $383 replacement for a front left lower control arm, I am happy to say that I fixed that creak! I ordered my part from the local Dodge dealership and picked it up on Friday. Installed it that night. Took about 2.5 hours from start to finish. I lubed and cleaned every part I could while I was in there. Now my turns are silent and stealthy.

Lessons learned: It was really a creak more than a squeak. And, it got worse every day. Soon it was creaking for both right and left turns, at any turning speed. It would creak whenever the suspension moved over bumps. It creaked when I bounced on it with the engine off.

Examination of the extracted part showed no real clues. I read somewhere the test for ball joints is to shake your tire for play when it's up on jackstands. I did not feel anything. I can only say that the only obvious clue was the ball joint was rusted in some areas, but that doesn't mean anything.

I have now replaced both lower control arms on my truck. Both replacements were beefier than the ones that came on my truck. I think Dodge upgraded the arms at some point. I have a 2001 2wd quad cab short bed. I am guilty of running in the California desert with a 3" lift with 305x75r16 tires, stiff rancho shocks, a front-mounted winch and light bar. All the weight is probably well beyond the recommended accessories. But the truck has been very dependable.

So anyways, if you have a loud creak coming from your front spindle, check the ball joint. Thanks for the help.