04 mountaineer squeaks

[explorer9471]

My 04 mountaineer AWD v6 sounds like an old squeeky mattress when going over bumps. Anyone have this issue with theirs?

[shorod]

In the future, please use a descriptive title on your threads like you agreed to do when signing up for the forum (reference AF Guidelines). A couple of us moderators have edited your thread titles to add some detail.

Over the years Ford has had some issues with ball joints and outer tie rod ends going dry and causing squeaks when turning and/or going over bumps. I haven't heard about this happening much since probably 1998 model year, but like so many other things, it takes a few years for items to start to wear out.

You could try to narrow down which side of the Mountaineer the noise seems to be coming from. Then, using a can of spray white lithium grease and a small pick, poke a small hole in one of the dust boots for, say, a lower ball joint. Insert the straw of the grease into the hole created by the pick and give a quick shot of grease. If the squeak changes or goes away, you've found the culprit. If not, move to the next joint.

This would just be a troubleshooting aid and not a long term fix. The long term fix will be to replace the joint with a new part and having the vehicle realigned.

-Rod