01RedCLS

I have a 2001 CL-S (42K miles) and about 3-4 months ago, I began hearing a creaking and/or squeaking sound coming from the front, right tire/wheel well. After a freak midwest snowstorm and absolutely treacherous roads, it's getting more pronounced.

It only seems to occur when I take off from a stop, almost like it's the torque of the engine causing it.

Any ideas? And whatever you think it would be, is it a "weak" area of the CL-S that fails/has trouble alot?

Help, it's driving me crazy!

pits200

Does it happen when you turn the wheel?
Are there any additional vibrations in the steering wheel or while accelerating?
Does your car bounce more than usual?
Does the steering wheel feel floaty when making a turn?

Answer those questions and people will be able to deduce it more.

01RedCLS

Sorry, I should have been a bit more specific.

There are no additional vibrations in the steering wheel or while accelerating.
The car doesn't seem more bouncy than usual.. I'll double check this tonight on my drive home from work.
The steering wheel does not feel floaty when making a turn.

I really hope it isn't the struts .. the car only has 42k miles on it!

I'll listen for the "bounciness" tonight but let's just assume it's not more bouncy than usual.

Lord Helmet

Mine did the "sqeak" on the right front until I put in the new springs. Never made a peep after that.

01RedCLS

Do the motor mounts make a creaking/squeak sound when taking off from a stop or a sudden acceleration when it's slowing down?

JadeFox

Does it happen when you turn the wheel?

i had a creek in my front right sounded like a suspension bushing or suspension related because when i would push the car causing the suspension to move i could hear CREEK CREEK...but huh it went away...

Lord Helmet

Never heard of that happening.

01RedCLS

Nope

JadeFox

motor mounts give you the jerking motion going through gears, almost feels like gears are slipping but not so prominant...well depending on how bad your mounts are I guess..

GreenMonster

43K miles ?? It's still covered under warranty then, so off to the dealer

Might be alot of things... Squeaking swaybar mounts, etc etc...

I don't like noises coming from the suspension. Streering, Braking, etc are kinda important to me...

o1s

yeah, let the dealer mess with it.

Lord Helmet

If it's got an early service date, maybe he is out of warranty. Mine was. I lost my warranty due to time rather than miles.

velocityboy50

I had this on a one of my old integra's and on my legend coup.
In both cases it ended up being that the ruber cover for U joint in the lower A arm had cracked and allowed the grease out and gunk to get in. As such it started to corrode and would creak when taking off from a complete stop or on a really bad bump. It was more pronounced when it got cold, as the metal in the joint would contract and have less of a gap between the peices. The ruber cover is a $12 part, unfortunately once it starts to creak you need ot replace the joint, which is built into the lower A arm. Depending on where you take it, it could be a $200-$300 to fix. : - (

01RedCLS

It's not under warranty any longer since it's older..

It doesn't seem more bouncy than usual..

What you described sounds very close to what is happening. I wondered if it was the control arm.

I'll look at it this weekend since it's supposed to be nice. If I can't find it, I may post for some help in this thread or PM you!

Regardless, I'll pass an update along by Monday.

aclura

Could be a wheel bearing, usually creaks while turning, and that wheel area will be hotter...

Buckeye1

Probably lower ball joint. Does it make noise if you press down on the front of the car??

col4bin79

i have squeaking from my front driver side on my 01CL. when i press down on the front driver side over the wheel, the squeaking occurs. what is that? ball joint? no noise when i press on front passenger side

01RedCLS

Well .. 3 months later I was finally able to take off the passenger, front wheel and to my amazement, I didn't see any problems. There wasn't any goop, obvious signs of tear, loose bolts, etc.

Oddly enough, the car hasn't made that noies in the last few weeks...

01RedCLS

Well, the noise is back. It seems the colder weather makes it more pronounced. It's not really any louder (volume wise), I just hear it constantly now! Taking off from a stop, sudden acceleration, slight bumps.

It just sounds like a rocking chair squeak lol! And it's ONLY from the passenger, front wheel well area.

If I press down on the car above the passenger, front wheel, I do not hear the noise. Even if I slam my weight on it!

Could it be a wheel bearing? There isn't any clicking, clanking, or metal-on-metal sounds. It literally is a "squeak, squeak" sound like a rocking chair..

aclura

My 01 cl is also squeaking from the front. I haven't checked it out, but it sounds like the rubber seal on a shock/strut bushing or some of the moving front end parts rubber bushings. Probably needs some silicone lubricant.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

I have the same exact problem. except its not weather realted, and instead squeak,squeak, mine is creak, creak. but the slightest movement of the suspension when accel,break or going over any bumps makes the noise. and like yours, it cannot be reproduced pushing down on the car and visually, everything likes fine. I was told it could be the shocks since mine is lowered with stock shocks.

o1s

get some lithium grease or some other lubricant and spray it into the bushings. it might be the upper control arm bushings making the squeak. or it might be where the spring meets the hat?

HondaVtec21

I've been getting a squeek/creaking sound when I turn ever since the day I installed my Sway Bars. It only occurs when I make turns, but It's been noticeably louder ever since it got cold outt. Is there anything I could do to make it stop? (i.e. grease the bushings or wrap the bar in teflon tape)???

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

OK guys, i need some help identifying this part. Mods please feel free to chime in. It the part thats covered in white lithium grease. Its how I found out what made the creaking sound.

smokendsm

iTrader: (1)

my bet is that its the swaybar bushing..

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

although the sway bar isnt connected to that. in the 3rd pic you can see the sway bar bracket right below this part.

aclura

The large rubber piece is an isolator between the body and frame. The smaller one around the bar is the swaybar bushing. Either could squeak, but was probably the small one. You can wipe off the excess now.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

yea, im gonna try to tighten it to see if the noise goes away when it comes back. but right now im not touchin it since its not makin noise. I'll blast the excess off with my hose when it starts creakin again

01RedCLS

Yep, five years later I still have the squeak, though I'd classify it as a creaking . azboi2424, did your lithium grease solution solve the issue? I'm going to get the car up on ramps in the next couple of weeks and begin to do the same, including tightening bolts down.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

The only thing the grease did was help me narrow down what was making the noise. It goes away for a month or so then it will come back. I tried having a shop tighten it with a air gun but that didn't do anything.
I just ride with the creak and radio up or I could spray some more grease on there if I feel like it.

THUBB

Does the noise happen when you turn the wheel at a stand still? When you go over a small bump with the wheel turned?

kappachino

Hey guys, I recebtly had extensive suspension work done on my 2007 TL Type S, due to me running over a curb.
My dealership/insurance replaced almost every suspension component imaginable on the driver front. It's all brand new now.
However, after a week or so i started hearing a loud squeak/creak every time id run over a speedbump, pull in a drive way, accelerate from a stop sign, even getting in the car my body weight would make it squeak. And it got louder with colder weather. Very very annoying.
I took it back to dealer and they couldnt hear it (yeah right). So i took it to a reputable mechanic here in Houston, and they solved it.......it was my CONTROL ARM. The NUT wasn't tight enough. After tightening it even more, all the squeaks went away!
Hope this helps, and at least it can be added to your checklist when troubleshooting.

THUBB

kappachino, from what I have seen on some S2000s I have worked on, that is pretty common. All it takes is to tighten it just a little more and its done. The noise makes it sound like its a big deal, but the upper control arm gets loose sometimes.

01RedCLS

Turn wheel at standstill: no noise
Go over small bump with wheel turned: yep and it's VERY noticeable the colder the outside temperature is.

DJF

Acura and Honda's are notorious for having the ball joints go out, and the tell-tale sign is that you get a creaking/groaning/squeak when going over bumps, like low speed bumps. Not saying that this is 100% your problem, but why not just take your car to a tire/suspension shop to get it checked? A bad ball joint can go for years but one day it will crack and pop off and that could spell disaster.

Tundra9024

I am new to Acurazine. I, too, am having the same situation. Let me explain..

When I am accelerating and coming to a stop, the vertical motion of the body causes my car to creak. Almost like a crack. Very loud and repulsive. However, I work for a Nissan dealership and have my boys in the Service Department take a look at it. Unfortunately, they can not give me a set answer. Is this the same problem that you guys are encountering? If so, are the solutions something that will be absolute for fixing that obnoxious noise?

Thank you.

DJF

If the mechanics at Nissan had no idea, this explains why my son's Altima never got properly fixed at the Nissan dealer. The usual suspects are motor/transmission mounts or suspension bushings (ball joints, sway bar links, tie rod ends) and in rare cases could be a broken spring. Any mechanic should be able to isolate the issue with the car up on a lift.

SkitsophrenicPsycho

my car is quiet when turning at all but loud like a mix between scraping/screeching/whining sound when I am going straight. It is a 2000 mitsubishi mirage. I have alreAdy changed the bearing so I know it isnt that. It is on the drivers side in the front.

01RedCLS

Turns out I think it was the side motor mount. Replaced a little over a year ago and the sound is gone!