https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5wgDOw0xoA

This is my girlfriend's 2008 FWD Ford Fusion. Recently she has been telling me about this creaking she gets when turning her steering wheel. Here are the circumstances:

- Almost always happens. The few times it hasn't has been after the car has sat for a while. (Expansion?)
- Seems worse the slower you are going/turning.
- The wheel must actively be turning to produce the creaking, if the wheel is just held in place (like in the video), it does not happen.
- Suspension must have load on it. Does not happen if car is jacked up and suspension is hanging freely.
- Seems to be a slight creaking when hitting bumps as well but not nearly as pronounced as when turning.
- With wheel off, sound is seemingly coming from lower down, not higher up on the shock or strut tower.
- Vibration feels the strongest on the lower control arm and shock wishbone.

She took it to a repair shop but all they did was poked a couple holes in her lower ball joints, shot some grease in there, and told her to give it a little bit and it should work itself out. It did not. So I took a look at it myself, trying to rule out anything I could. What I did:

- All rubber boots look ok, no cracking.
- Spring insulators seemingly look ok but were not removed for thorough inspection.
- Sprayed all bushings and moving parts with lithium grease - unsuccessful.
- Sprayed strut tower with lithium grease - unsuccessful.
- Unbolted both lower control arms - unsuccessful.
- Unbolted sway bar links - unsuccessful.
- No oil coming from shock.
- Unbolted tie rod - unsuccessful.

I then unbolted the shock-to-lower control arm bolt so the shock was no longer connected, just hanging freely. I jacked the lower control arm back up to simulate load being applied and did not hear a single creak. After reconnecting the shock to the lower control arm, the creak was back immediately. The shock is bolted to the control arm via a wishbone-type arm (for lack of a better term). It is wrapped around the lower part of the shock then splits to go around the control arm, then the bolt goes through everything. What I initially thought was odd was that where the wishbone attaches to the control arm, it is metal-on-metal with the control arm's bushing. I thought well that is the problem, the metal-on-metal is creaking, she needs a new lower control arm bushing. But after searching online, new ones look the same - it seemingly is supposed to be metal-on-metal.

So now I am second guessing myself. I figured it cannot be a coincidence that the creaking goes away as soon as I disconnected the shock from the control arm and immediately comes back when I reconnect it. But if the new one looks just like the old, how can it make a difference? I suppose, being cheap parts, I should just replace it anyway to see? Otherwise I'm not sure exactly what is causing the sound. Maybe it is stemming from higher up, like the strut tower?

 

video would not open for me.


possibly an upper strut bearing. put your hand on the spring when turning the steering wheel and see if you can feel it transfer though the spring...load the suspension first.

do the car exhibit signs of memory steer?


When strut bearings get real bad, the springs wind up when turning and make a "boing" sound.


try spraying a penetrant into the upper strut mount from the top of the strut tower. lithium won't work into the sealed bearing....penetrant may not either but has a better chance.

 

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