Weird front end squeak when turning

[John V]

Probably too vauge for anyone to know what this is, but I wanted to see if anyone had ever heard of the same problem.

I get a weird ringing squeak from the front end when I turn the wheel off center. I can be stopped or moving slowly. Usually happens when backing out of a parking spot. It sort of sounds like a big piece of metal "singing" or resonating.

I changed out the tie rod assemblies with new ones, didn't cure it. I cannot pinpoint the noise. I used a stethoscope to listen to the rack, the tie rods, the ball joints - it doesn't seem to be any of those things. It will do it with the car on or off, so I don't think it's the power steering.

The noise does NOT appear to travel through the column into the passenger compartment. It's loudest outside the car, not inside. For this reason I don't think it's the steering shaft bearings.

Outer ball joint? Steering shaft? Rack? I have no idea... any suggestions are welcome

[Scotth]

Same problem with my car! I will be interested to see if anyone has solved it....

[John V]

If it helps, this has been a problem since I bought the car. It's a 1995 that had 28,500 miles on it. So I don't think it's a mileage problem.

Only thing I can think of is a ball joint has dried up. Maybe I can get a syringe and inject some grease in there.

[GreekM3]

john i have plenty of syringes if you need to borrow one.

[mazur]

Bringing this one back to life because I now have the same problem.

It almost sounds like the sound that a metal-chained swing at the park would make...if that helps diagnosis.

[Inv3ctiv3]

I too have this problem, its wierd we all have 1995's.......

[GotBHP?]

Have you ever checked out the power steering pump? Perhaps it could be somthing making noise in there?? I guess it would be pretty easy to rule that out if you tried to replicate the noise with the engine off.

[John V]

Have you ever checked out the power steering pump? Perhaps it could be somthing making noise in there?? I guess it would be pretty easy to rule that out if you tried to replicate the noise with the engine off.
You know what it was? The brake dust sheilds resonating. I ended up slapping a couple pieces of dynamat on there, problem solved. Sorry I didn't post sooner, but it was such a simple fix.

John V

[sardil]

I had a similar noise few weeks ago. It turned out to be low power steering fluid.

[GotBHP?]

You know what it was? The brake dust sheilds resonating. I ended up slapping a couple pieces of dynamat on there, problem solved. Sorry I didn't post sooner, but it was such a simple fix.

John V

Weird. I didnt see that this was an older thread haha.

[jorgeuva]

Interesting. I just heard this for the first time on my car today. It's not the high-pitched, thin squeak you get with brake squeal, but a lower-pitch, more metallic squeal. It has only happened 3 times now, all at parking lot speed and all while turning left and braking. mazur is right on, it sounds like a swingset or some other piece of rusty playground equipment.

I had a problem with my front driver side dust shield last time I swapped in new brakes. I guess I'll be looking at those again.

[ollie, ollie M3]

Count me in -- I've got it too. Coming out of the garage or driveway, slow speed turns, especially first thing in the morning. The "park swing" description is good.

[John V]

Interesting. I just heard this for the first time on my car today. It's not the high-pitched, thin squeak you get with brake squeal, but a lower-pitch, more metallic squeal. It has only happened 3 times now, all at parking lot speed and all while turning left and braking. mazur is right on, it sounds like a swingset or some other piece of rusty playground equipment.

I had a problem with my front driver side dust shield last time I swapped in new brakes. I guess I'll be looking at those again.

That sounds like it. A quick check is to just bend your dust shields. That made it go away for me. It's not that it was hitting something, it's just that bending it changed the frequency it resonated enough that it didn't get excited by normal driving anymore.

The dynamat was a permanent elegant solution.

JV