My 1998 2WD F150 XLT has started to squeak when going over bumps and it creeks/groans as I turn the wheel. I am trying to figure out where the noise is coming from but it is proving difficult.

Would I hear a creak/groan when I turn the wheel if a ball joint was gone? Or could it be a tie Rod?

At first I thought the noise was emanating from the 2 bushings on the upper A arm. That would explain the squeaking over bumps. Can this cause the creak/groan while turning the wheel?

I am at a loss! Any advice? Should I replace the A arms and see if that helps or should I do both the upper A arms and lower ball joints at once?

Because of the “Separation” issue related to the stock tie rods, should I replace these while I am working on the suspension? I assume when I replace the upper A arms and/or lower ball joints, I will have to take it in for an alignment anyways.

Sorry for so many questions! One last one… Where can I get Moog parts in Ontario Canada? I am having a hard time finding Moog tie rod ends global4autoparts.com don’t have them listed.

Thanks for any info or advice you can provide.

TyeRant

 

i have a similar situation in my 1995 F-150 2wd. I have changed out the shocks (not a culprit but still), the upper and lower ball joints on both sides with some Moog joints and also changed out the outer tie rod end on the passenger side as the rubber shroud that keeps the grease in was swollen on one side and felt thin... didnt like it so i changed it!

Meanwhile, the creaking, just as you have described, still exists along with a slight clunking sound that I hear, primarily on my drivers side. I started to change out the axle pivot bushings (my 95 has a twin Ibeam suspension with the bushings in each Ibeam... not sure if the 98's have that or not) and only got one done today b/c they were a royal PITA to do. In fact, ive made a post tonight about it, looking for a special tool that i can get to make the job easier. In any event, the creaking is still there but I still have one more bushing to change. that may or may not fix it.

If it doesn't, im more or less at a loss as there arent many other things left to change that I am aware of. I havent heard of the springs causing this kind of problem but I leave that question open to someone who may know: will coil springs cause this?

I hope this sheds just a tiny bit of light and that we can find the answer to our creaks!

 

dont know if this will help because i am definitly no professional but...

i had a squeak before too on my 97 2wd F150 and after searching around in the forums, and then taking into the shop, found out that it was the pitman arm. The grease inside of some rubber boot i belive had dried up or something, so all that had to be done was to poke a hole in the rubber and insert more grease. thats what they told me at pep boys, and thats what alot of people have said here too.

dont know if that could be the problem, or something related to it, but thats what i thought of for the squeak, dont know anything for the creaks/groans though, unless its the same thing. search for pitman arm and see if what other people wrote are what your experiencing.

good luck i hope this may help!

 

rent c-clamp tool at checkers just have to put down $99 but you get it back. Also at harbor freight tools for $29.

 

I had forgotten about this post until today. I found out what the problems was: i had small pieces of gravel lodged in different places in the frame so as the truck moved, took a turn, or did something to move the body on the frame, these rocks would rub and creak/squeak. The worse place was on the transmission support beam, on each side where it bolts to the frame. I jacked the the tail of the trans up, pulled the beam out, and washed down the frame with a water hose. Once back together and tightened, everything was quiet.