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+--- Thread: Creaking Sound in Front-End (/showthread.php?tid=19562)
Creaking Sound in Front-End - moon111 - 10-10-2011
Didn't notice any problems driving home on Friday. (2hrs highway)
Went to go pick up some oil, and the front end was creaking pretty loud turning left and right. Seemed to becoming from right side, but I've been known to misdiagnose where a sound is coming from before. Visually I noticed the engine mount on passenger side has fluid on it. Took it on my street, creaking both left and right. Didn't seem to a problem in reverse. After my little experiment, drove off to get gas and the noises all disappeared. When I got home, hard to left caused noise, but nothing going right. Car has 138,000kms, SVT struts and shocks installed, SVT front brakes installed, both sway bar links replaced, and stock drum rear brakes replaced within the last 24,000kms. Don't know why the sound would go away from driving.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - Scorcher000 - 10-10-2011
Just had this prob....
I found that it was my sway bar link on my driver side. I turned the nut and then put some silicone spray on it. All better now!
Good luck
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - moon111 - 11-12-2011
Well just for the fun of it, drove the car into a curb. Looks like I bent one of the arms on the steering rack.
Anyone know if the arms are replaceable?
If the whole rack does have to be replaced, what's involved. At some time I've got to replace the 18mm swaybar also.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - ZTWsquared - 11-13-2011
(11-12-2011, 11:18 PM)moon111 Wrote: Well just for the fun of it, drove the car into a curb. Looks like I bent one of the arms on the steering rack.
Anyone know if the arms are replaceable?
If the whole rack does have to be replaced, what's involved. At some time I've got to replace the 18mm swaybar also.
The inner and outer tie rods are individually replaceable ... replacing the steering rack is a considerable job for DIY ... I've watched my mechanic do mine and even in my prime I wouldn't want to try it.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - moon111 - 11-19-2011
Anyone have a clue how to remove the 'inner' rod. I went to the scrapyard and pulled the boot off only to find a ball-in-socket. But I couldn't see any way that comes apart. Just looking at what it'll take to remove the rack has me wanting to scrap the car.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - hardk0re - 11-20-2011
There is some tool to remove the innter tierod.
As for steering rack you need to drop the front subframe. Even with the motor out of the car and me standing in the engine bay it was a #$#$#$# to remove with the subframe still attached. I snapped 4 sockets trying to remove the subframe in the partout cars...
Odds are you'll need new PS lines and a new rack, those old lines for the life of me I couldn't remove them without busting them.
I'm definetly no mechanic tho, I am sure there's a trick to it.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - moon111 - 11-21-2011
I did some heavy googling and such. One site stated you can unscrew the end, but there's no nut/hex to hold on to. Pipe wrenches are the key. Thinking about cutting an end off in the scrapyard then taking it apart in my vise. At home, I can jack the car up all I want to get access that I can't in the scrap yard.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - moon111 - 02-21-2012
There's a couple of SVT steering racks on Kijiji. Seems like a lot of confusion on what the differences are between SVT and non-SVT.
Some say no difference, other's say steering ratio, other's say the stops on the SVT unit are terrible so the turning radius is terrible.
Other's saying the lines are different, other's that the pump is different to.
Anyone know for sure what's up? I know it would be a real PITA, but if doing the front sway bar at the same time... might be worth doing it.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - ZTWsquared - 02-21-2012
(02-21-2012, 02:05 AM)moon111 Wrote: There's a couple of SVT steering racks on Kijiji. Seems like a lot of confusion on what the differences are between SVT and non-SVT.
Some say no difference, other's say steering ratio, other's say the stops on the SVT unit are terrible so the turning radius is terrible.
Other's saying the lines are different, other's that the pump is different to.
Anyone know for sure what's up? I know it would be a real PITA, but if doing the front sway bar at the same time... might be worth doing it.
The high pressure line is for sure different - but only to clear the headers on the SVT ... the fittings at both ends are the same as non-svt.
But having said that, there is definitely a different listing for SVT vs non-SVT rack and pinion unit ... STG-94-RM for SVT and STG-269 for non-SVT. Unfortunately my listings don't explain the difference.
Ford only lists one pump for all DOHC applications - STP-115.
RE: Creaking Sound in Front-End - moon111 - 04-29-2012
Started getting noise from passenger side front. Tire was clearly being worn pretty extremely on the inside.
Replaced front wheel bearing. Really sleezed the alignment after working 10 hours outside with a pretty bad cold.
Today, I took both front wheels off and in their place, bolted on my old standard rotors on backwards. Wanted to use this as a square surface.
Checking for plumb with my level, the passenger side 'rotor' was 1/4" leaning in at the top and the driver's side was the exact opposite.
Then I adjusted my jack and I was able to plumb both rotors, however the car was noticeably out of level.
There's no adjustment that I can see. I could of bent something, but would it of messed up both sides?
It almost feels to me as the front sub-frame isn't centered to the strut towers.