squeaking when making turns

This is a 2000 Windstar that has been stored since Nov 2002 with 37600km on it. It now has 39000 km on it, the squeak started not long after I started to drive it. Now has gotten noisier somewhat , steering is fine,same hot or cold

The squeak sounds the same turning it left or right on the hoist, something dried
out. Is there away to get grease in that area and what due you think needs it?

Thanks

Bruce

This is fairly common on Windstars: The lower ball joints and stabilizer bar link ends dry out and get squeaky. I - and others on this board - have had good results using a grease gun needle fitting to inject grease into them. Here's a discussion on this topic:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=883230

Just as an addition inserting a needle is a good measure but IS NOT A FIX; it will get rid of the noise for some time (perhaps a week, perhaps a year...).

Dry parts mean old and the rubber approaches the end of it's life. If the boot on the balljoints is torn it will expose the metal to the elements and will accelerate it's damage. A damaged balljoint can cause the tire to separate from the control arm (nobody wants that).

Rotted control arm bushings will start to come apart and will cause a wandering sensation on the vehicle. The control arm banging directly on the bolts holding it can weaking them and cause them to break, again the wheel WILL come off.

Damaged stabilizer/sway bar links aren't that bad, they will cause the vehicle to lean too much during turns or some bumps.

Any damaged suspension part will cause a clunking noise since you have metal on metal contact, the squeaking noise is the rubber going out first, as said before, and the clunking starts after.

The only real fix is to replace any worn parts.

Oscar.

Just as an addition inserting a needle is a good measure but IS NOT A FIX; it will get rid of the noise for some time (perhaps a week, perhaps a year...).

Dry parts mean old and the rubber approaches the end of it's life. If the boot on the balljoints is torn it will expose the metal to the elements and will accelerate it's damage. A damaged balljoint can cause the tire to separate from the control arm (nobody wants that).

Rotted control arm bushings will start to come apart and will cause a wandering sensation on the vehicle. The control arm banging directly on the bolts holding it can weaking them and cause them to break, again the wheel WILL come off.

Damaged stabilizer/sway bar links aren't that bad, they will cause the vehicle to lean too much during turns or some bumps.

Any damaged suspension part will cause a clunking noise since you have metal on metal contact, the squeaking noise is the rubber going out first, as said before, and the clunking starts after.

The only real fix is to replace any worn parts.

Oscar.

"The only real fix is to replace any worn parts". Less than 24.000 miles is not worn parts.My wife says it not a squeak more of a grind sound the best i can describe is like low power steering fluid ( not low)

Steering box would it be the source . Since i have very little knowledge here and this feels like one of those jobs that we could get screwed on. Big Time

That's why also mentioned dry and old parts; even stored the rubber will start to rot and reach the end of it's life. Low mileage not necessarily means a good condition; in fact storing a vehicle for extended periods of time can cause more long term damage if not done correctly.

I remember the is a TSB about the high pressure steering hose making a moaning sound while turning the wheels and the fix is to replace that hose with a newer design one. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Oscar.

That said, it seems that Windstar fittings are noted for drying out far before they're worn out.

For example, I first started getting front end squeaking in my '00 Windstar at about 39K miles. For a supposedly "lifetime lubricated" item, I found that to be ridiculous. I ended up using the grease gun needle method on both front ball joints, which took care of the squeaking. The ball joints are still in service, now at about 145K miles. I've added more grease to the ball joints over the years, probably about 3 or 4 times since the initial episode. Even the last time I added grease, the rubber fitting were still flexible; no signs of cracking or other failure.

As I noted earlier, the joints on my van still seem to be tight - but I plan to replace them anyway. Based on past experience, I will probably use the needle fitting method to keep fresh grease in them on a regular basis.

That said, it seems that Windstar fittings are noted for drying out far before they're worn out.


Yeah, I agree with that; my Windstar and Lincoln Town Car both have the same
front end squeaking even when front end parts are still OK; the boots on the stabilizer links on the windstar were rotted and after removing them and taking a closer look you could see the inside; replacement took care of a noticeable part of the noise.

I might give a try to the needle fitting method but still KEEP a close look on the parts :wink:.

Oscar.

My 2000 windstar had a similar problem back at around 2002, same grinding sound that you described and it turned out to be the outer tie rod ends. The dealer replaced them and the mechanic I spoke to at the dealership told me that the original ones were defective, he even showed me the new ones compared to the original ones; the new ones were a little longer than the old ones. Could be the same issue you're having since your van has been stored for a long time and probably never had the tie rods changed. Good Luck.