Front End "Creaking"

mergner26

mergner26

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I've already searched the problem and have found a few possibilities such as ball joints or sway bar, but i'm wondering if anybody has any other opinions. I have a 2001 LS with 72,000 and my front end is starting to "creak." Whenever i start or come to a stop, it sounds as if im walking on wooden floors. This happened for one afternoon last summer, but is now consistent as of the other night. It does not do it all the time and it varies on how much or how loud, but i want to bring it in to get it checked out. I have an appointment on Friday and im hoping to have an idea of what to expect before i drop it off. It also makes the noise when i get in and out of the car as well as open my driver door. Along with the noise, my steering is definitely not correct. It is hard to explain what it does but it almost feels as if im on ice for a split second before it catches. Any and all help is appreciated.

P.S. Two weeks ago i hit a bump pretty hard at an intersection on a back road. I didn't notice anything until the other night though.
 
Me too... Mine is most noticeable when going over speed bumps or off miami-gutter style curbs (v-shaped) for drainage.

This sometimes results in the front end bottoming out if your not going slow enough... I wanna say stuts in the front is the problem based on what I feel/hear with mine.


Bozz
 
i don't know why i didn't think of this before but i went out and pushed on my front end and it was only the left side. its more annoying that it comes and goes rather than a constant noise
 
It maybe 1 of or a combination of these 3 things:
Bushing (sway bar)
Links
Shocks.

I had the creaking and the noise. I replaced all 3 things.
I did the links first. Worked for a bit but then creaking and noise came back. Replace the shocks. Boy did I need to do that because the were worn out but that didn't solve the creaking. Turns out the bushing went bad but the are only sold through dealer the SWAY BAR. A little pricy but ALL noises gone.
 
im hoping its the shocks. i bought the car at 60,000 so i have no idea whether or not the shocks have ever been replaced
 
any other info? i don't think the steering has any affect on the noise and it does feel like my car "bounces" a little extra. any idea if this narrows it down?
 
Easy general Shock/Strut Test.

Push down on the car (front then rear, and make sure you don't put a big dent in the sheetmetal). If the car bounces, your shocks/struts are bad. If the car comes back up and stays put, shocks/struts are good.
 
I am assuming that the shocks are not something that one can do in his driveway so has anyone priced out replacing the shocks on all four corners?
 
Creaking Front End

My 2000 LS did the same thing with the creaking. It seemed to be more one side than the other. Did it mostly over bumps, the whole nine yards. It was the something (sway?) arm. It was a kit assembly and had the balljoints and all attached. The only thing it didn't come with were the screws, I had to order them separately. I had to replace both sides because the mechanic said it wouldn't drive right if I only replaced one side. :confused: It has fixed my problem so I guess he was right although sometimes I think they see us coming...
 
I'd bet sway arms or shocks.... gonna get to the bottom of mine soon enough, I can tell ya that.

One of the sponsors of this site, www.lskoncepts.com has the shocks for the LS's -- they have a variety for different rides.

Bozz
 
im hoping its the shocks.
Click to expand...
Shocks should not be bad at 72k. At least I would hope not.

Spray some wd40 on the sway bar bushings. That will shut them up temporarily. They tend to make a creaky sound when they go bad.
If that isnt the cause then its probaly a balljoint. You have to replace the entire control arm if thats the case.
 
I had a problem with my 2001 LS6 and it sounded like there was a puppy underneath my engine at about 96K miles. I took it to the dealership and they said it was my sway bar bushings. At about 98K miles, the noise just topped...wtf
 
I ended up getting charged 410 to do one side. The mechanic checked the other and said there was no reaon to replace it now, but im bringing my car back to him in August to see if it needs to be replaced before I bring my car down to FL for school
 
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