Hey guys, I've got a couple of things I'm hearing from my front driver's side wheel area. Yesterday I was driving in a residential area with the windows down, going about 10mph, the street was paved w/ concrete, and over every joint I heard a light metal clanking. I had never heard it before till today, but with the windows up, I was not able to hear it. It sounded like a thin piece of metal which was loose and needed to be screwed in. Any ideas?

Now today I had my window half way down and while turning into my parking space at home, I heard a squeaking sound coming from the driver wheel area. It's a very similar sound to anyone with a Ford truck turning the steering wheel at low speeds. Couple of threads here have mentioned the ball joint needing replaced? It did rain last night, and this is the first I've ever noticed the sound, could that have anything to do with it?

 

I'd start by jacking up the car and removing the tire and looking around. If you don't find anything, put the tire back on and give it a shake vertically and horizontally to check bearings and misc steering components. The guys on this site are really knowledgable about the "quirks" these cars seem to have, so if you do your research in the search area of the site, i'm sure you'll find something.

Good Luck.

 

I had the tires off a couple days ago, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I pushed up and down on the driver's side fender and it made that same squeaking sound I was hearing earlier today, as well on the way home I was driving with the window down and going about 20mph and heard the same faint metal clanking sound. I'll try and jack up the car tomorrow and have a look see. Any ideas of what I should be looking for though?

 

So the more I read about lower ball joint and symptoms of them going bad, the more it convinces me what's going on with my front driver's side area. Since it's spring, the weather really can't make up its mind if it wants to rain or shine, and changes every minute. Now if I'm able to get the car up on a jack and get the wheel off, where exactly should I be looking? I've read you can put some lube on the ball joint and it'll temporarily fix the problem. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Check your power steering fluid after the car is completely cold. Like overnight. I had some weird noises & noticed my power steering fluid was low. I added some & the noises went away.

 

Will do. Can't seem to get a break in the weather. I get home from lunch, and it's not raining. Five minutes later and I go outside, and it's pouring.

 

It was sunny an 80 degrees today, and much of everything has dried out. I now don't hear a squeak coming from the driver's side wheel when turning nor do I hear it when pushing down on the fender. Got the car up on jack stands this evening and didn't notice anything unsual. Nothing looked like it was leaking oil or was worn. Will check the power steering fluid in the morning to let it cool overnight.