jon928se

Two possibilities if it only does it when the wheel is turning.

1 Wheel bearing is slightly loose allowing

A brake pad that is also stuck slightly to contact the disk.
or the brake backing sheild to contact the disk

Check the wheel bearings by lifting front of the car then rocking the wheel side to side holding the wheel top and bottom, repeat holding the wheel at 9 oclock and 3 oclock. If you feel movement like a gentlle click, have an asisstant press the brake pedal and repeat the rocking. If the gentle click has now disappeared the bearing needs ajusting. If the click or movement hasn't disappeared with the brakes on, the movement you felt is not in the bearing but in the ball joints.

2 The fender liner is not fixed in quite the right place and the tyre is rubbing against it - The favourite spot for this is at about 2/3 of full steering lock. Check the lower part of the fender liner in front of the tyres where the liner has a horizontal rib that sticks further out (rearwards) If it only does it turning right it is likely that it is the left front wheel that is rubbing but check both anyway.

The good news is that on the evidence of your photo above your steering rack is not leaking at all.

sjfarbs

OK.

So when up on the jack, wheel turns great, no noise............car
was not running, I would assume that would be ok.

There is a little play when grabbing top and bottom and pulling out. Still need to grab side to side and pull.

Does this sound like tierod? Or bearing?

What do you think doctor...........

sjfarbs

Thanks jon928!!! Just saw your post, will check those things next. Family is home for the day now, time to be the family guy for a while.............will resume shark therapy in the morning.

Shawn

sjfarbs

Alright, here is the update...........................

On the stand, no noise when wheel turns.
9 and 3 has a fair amount of wiggle room (play).
12 and 6 a bit less, but still noticeable.
When brake is applied, still can wiggle at 9 and 3 and 12 and 6 no change noticed.

Inside fender looks clean, no pieces sticking out that would cause rubbing............

With someone turning the wheel sounds like the squeak is coming from the tie rod area.

So.............what next?

Tie rod, ball joint and new boot?

How damaging is it to drive the car (maybe gets driven 30 miles a week) until the job is performed?

Thanks for the insight guys.

Bill Ball

9 and 3 wiggle is very hard to evaluate unless the steering wheel is firmly tied so it cannot move at all. But that tie rod looks awful anyway. You could squirt some lubricant in the joint to see if the squeak is reduced. At least that would help you determine if it is responsible. The tie rod should be replaced.

You appear to have ruled out the wheel bearing at least.

jon928se

Hi Shawn


As Bill has said, doing the wiggle test with and without brakes making no difference proves that the wheel bearing is OK (Putting the brakes on clamps the hub/wheel rigidly to the hub carrier eliminates any movement that is due to bearing play if there is play in the bearing) Which kinda eliminates things that would rub against the wheel if the wheel could rotate less than perfectly.

This has me perplexed a little and I wonder if me and the rest of Rennlist is interpreting your "turning the wheel" as rotating the tyre as if the car was going along the road, when you mean turning the steering wheel ?

If the squeak happens without the tyres turning then it is likely in the ball joints at the tie rod ends - if they all look like the one in the pic then it is time to change them. Similarly if the ball joints which support the hub at 12 and 6 oclock are in a similar shape then it's time to change those also.

If however i've guessed wrong and you mean the tyre is going round then the issue is either brake pads binding or the brake backing plate rubbing against the rotor. There isn't anything else I can think of that would rub that is not obvious.

sjfarbs

Thanks Jon and Bill..............looks like we are getting closer to diagnosing the issue.

1. Bill............do I lube at that tie rod joint under the boot as pictured on the first page of this post? Anywhere else? Suggestions on what type of lube.

2. Jon..............the squeak happens while driving the car and while the car is at a stand still, so if the tire is in motion or stationary it will squeak either way.

Once again, thanks for the help it is much appreciated.

Shawn

Bill Ball

Shawn:

Squirt any kind of oil in there - this is just a test to see if that joint is the source of the squeak. Not a permanent fix, so the type of oil doesn't matter. That joint is bad.

So, it looks like Jon was right - some of of us understood the noise to be related to tire rotation in a turn, not steering wheel turning itself.

If it is just from turning the steering wheel, then the tie rod becomes even more likely. With that photo of a nasty looking joint, it's a safe bet that's it. I'd just replace both tie rod/ball joint assemblies, which only cost $90 per side (including the boot), and be done with it. Sure, if the boot on the other side is intact, you could argue to just do the bad side. You could also argue to leave the ball joint alone and just do the passenger inner tie rods at $45 plus the boot. BUT, you would have to assure yourself that the rest of the joints are fine. If they are grossly worn out, they will click, and the 3-9 test will expose them. You will need somebody helping you to really be sure none of the joints are grossly loose. The 3-9 wiggle with the steering wheel firmly anchored can help to rule out significant wear in those joints, but it can be a close call. The tie rods and ball joints should have ZERO play and be SOLID and hold a position (not flop when detached). The 3-9 test is hard to perform unless you have a helper or two to watch carefully for motion at the joints as you move the wheel.

sjfarbs

Got it, thanks Bill...................
Just poking around at the big 3, if the part describes Tie Rod assembly (about $75) , does include the ball joint?

Once again sorry for newbie q's.............is the ball joint that part that leads into the tire, traveling away from the motor? Then is the tie rod end what I have pictured? Travels away from the tire towards the motor?

Thanks again, just trying to be as educated as possible in this task!

Shawn