werid Squeaking noise from left front

[alboy86]

ive noticed that when i take bumps or if i push the left front end of the car down there is this squeaking noise coming from the wheel well it sounds like its coming from right behind the brake. its only that side too any ideas what it could be just sounds funny when your going over a speed bump and ya hear squeak it reminds me of GTA when ya have a hooker in your car and the car moves up and down LOL

[MessyHonda]

i had the same prob...it was the ball joint....you might as well replace all the ball joints so you dont have to take it apart again. later down the road.

[alboy86]

thats what i was thinking it was how hard is it to replace

[w261w261]

I'd guess the bushing on the upper control arm. Unfortunately, the only way to fix it is to take it out, get a new bushing kit, grease the new bushing with silicone grease, and reinstall. You can temporarily take a shot with some silicone spray...take off the wheel, and spray the shit out of where the upper arm is attached. There's no real good way to get in there, but you might get lucky.

[alboy86]

ill give that a try it still works fine just squeaks ill clean all the parts around there and spray some grease and see what happens

[alboy86]

one more question how hard it it to change them and is it better to take them in to get changed after i take them out or just do it myself it has to be easier then changing the dam water pump lol

[Oldblueaccord]

The lower ball joint need to be pressed in its very hard to do it with the knuckle on the car. The upper is pretty easy the whole arm is changed out.

If either boot is ripped or missing then the joint is most likely bad.


wp

[alboy86]

cool thanks seems pretty easyif the only hard part is getting the joint back in ill give it a try anythings better then that evil water pump my hands are still recovering from that lol

[Oldblueaccord]

If its the lower BJ the only hang up is the large nut that hold the hub to the CV shaft can be next to impossible to take off with basic hand tools. A good impact gun maybe needed. Just a word of warning.


wp

[alboy86]

hmmm well ill give it a try with a breaker bar ill take it apart first before i go out and buy anything

[alboy86]

well the front left lower ball joint is bad got a tiny hole in the boot and its got oil coming out theres also a little movement on both the upper ball joints as well not alot but enough for me to wanna change them havent checked the rears yet im kinda scaried to see how bad they are lol

[alboy86]

im gunna try to change all the front ones at the same time and redo the brakes at the same time

[MessyHonda]

im gunna try to change all the front ones at the same time and redo the brakes at the same time


yeah that is what im doing...im buying everything slowlly and then take the hole front end apart a weekend and replace everthing with OEM or better.

[86AccordLxi]

Could be the sway bar bushing as well.

Alex

[alboy86]

the sway bar bushings are pretty much dust theyre craked down to the center ill replace those first its gunna be more then a one day project i might just try and do it all in one day thats a better idea

[alboy86]

the front upper arms are expensive dam 80 bucks each im gunna buy those seperate

[MessyHonda]

the front upper arms are expensive dam 80 bucks each im gunna buy those seperate

i got prelude arms....they were 35 bucks but they need new bushings. another 40 bucks tops..

[alboy86]

those work with a stock setup?

[MessyHonda]

yeah they are bolt in you just got to put some washers...you will have to research it because i forgot how many washers you need...but they are bolt in for sure...it will come in handy when you lower your car.

[alboy86]

sounds good and the price is right lol thanks

[alboy86]

would you guys buy suspnsion parts off ebay or a store like autozone i found some accord upper control arms for 50 bucks on ebay for the pair its a good deal i was wondering if anybody baught some of these parts and how theyre holding up only reason im asking is cause these parts do help hold the car up and i wanna feel good about the parts im putting in the old girl.

[2drSE-i]

i thought my balljoints were bad too, and my alternator went out yesterday. took it into the shop told them to check out the balljoints, same noise you described. turned out my front left axle was bad, balljoints were fine.

[MessyHonda]

i thought my balljoints were bad too, and my alternator went out yesterday. took it into the shop told them to check out the balljoints, same noise you described. turned out my front left axle was bad, balljoints were fine.


im sure my balljoints are gone since i just replaced both my axels.

[alboy86]

well ill just take her apart and see what needs a fixing now both front squeak lol i was favoring the right side now it makes noise too lol

[MessyHonda]

time to fix it maing

[Oldblueaccord]

Standard front end check,

1: jack up one side of the car until one tire is off the ground. The other side tire must be on the ground still. I use the jacking point under the doors.

2: grab the tire in the air at the 3 and 9 o clock postion and shake/rock back and forth. slow at first. You might need someone to help look underneath. This checks tie-rods,steering rack etc. start kinda slow and work your way up a little harder. Your looking for loosness in the joints. Use common sense of course the steering wheel will move or the other tire may move if you shake the shit outta it.

3: Grab the tire 12 and 6 o clock. Rock back and fourth.This checks the wheel bearing and ball joints and upper links. There should be no play in the wheel bearings.

4: this check might show ball joints/upper link a little better. Use a pry bar under the tire at the 6 o clock pos. pry up look for slop ,looseness while prying. The upper link ball joint and bushings near the body are what your looking at.


This is your basic "front end check" any good mechanic should know. It works for all makes and models of cars.


wp

[njpeter]

yeah..ball joint, I ignored it for a little too long and it dropped, tore out my nearly new driveshaft AND cost me $150 for the tow..happened just as I pulled into a parking lot. Screwed up the fender also. Get it looked at or take it apart soon. A bad strut can make a lower b/j cry "tow me" clue-funny tie wear

[MessyHonda]

damn i should get mine fixed like asap.

[POS carb]

the GTA fuck creak (as it will from now on be known) 99.9% likely it is just your front upper balljoints. Rears fail also and their replacement is just like the front, only a tiny bit easier. Expect to spend around $120 for a new PAIR. Installation is a 4 on a scale of 1-10 10 being engine/trans overhaul 1 being spark plug change
Tools:
Ratchet (1/2" drive Craftsman is better)
17 mm socket to remove 1 castle nut on the balljoint and the 2 a-arm nuts on each side
A large hammer.
A balljoint separator may help but honestly 10-20 good whacks with the hammer will set it free. Don't hit the balljoint, hit the metal arm that it is stuck on.

On the accord the balljoint and A-arm are one piece, the replacement will bring a new arm
On the driver's side you will need to move the wiper motor out of the way to access the a-arm nut (complete removal is not necessary, just rotate it out of the way), on the pax side the emmissions box will be in your way (again, just move it out of the way, don't disconnect any hoses). you need a 10mm socket to remove these items.

[teck]

i bought my full suspension set up on ebay....you have to be careful though they can screw yah

[alboy86]

well tax returns are almost here so im gunna get new shocks and springs new bushings on the sway bar plus what i need done with the BJs she'll be just like new once im done

[w261w261]

<the GTA fuck creak (as it will from now on be known) 99.9% likely it is just your front upper balljoints>

I disagree. With me, it's been the front upper arm bushings. Temp solution is to drown them with silicone spray, but it won't last long. Only real fix is a new bushing kit with silicone grease before install.

[njpeter]

yeah, I'll disagree also, but I think it's a bad strut, I'm just afraid of getting killed taking the spring off :-) I've poked a small hole into what I thought was a dry b/j boot and shot some white grease in there..the joint had no play..still squeaks like a mad dog, but only when cold. Now that I have a new daily driver, I can finally pull the strut and take it over to the machine shop to have them change the cartridge ( I bought a pair of em on ebay a few years ago) and I'll get some real grease into he upper arm bushing. Had to change it during a cold snap a few years ago and perhaps did not give it enough. My old gray ghost has seen it's share of craters, the body bushing are likely shot also. Now it just sits and waits, it's shiny 2008 inspection sticker proudly displayed to spook off the building inspector ( who like to write me up for having unregistered/inspected cars) on my property)

if you get a squeak when you turn the wheel, don't make my mistake, deal with the lower ball joint now, or pay the big price when you least expect it. upper arms have really dropped in price the last few years..so it pays to play it safe and keep some stock on hand..which remionds me..Have to check the rar control arms on my blue bertha...

[MessyHonda]

ok...thats it...ima call in sick next sat so i can fix all my balljoints...my front one make alot of noise and it bugs the hell out of me...i dont want to lose my car over a 30 buck part.

[w261w261]

...i dont want to lose my car over a 30 buck part.

If you totally blow out a ball joint at speed you might lose more than your car.

[MessyHonda]

If you totally blow out a ball joint at speed you might lose more than your car.



yeah...no more going 115mph....