Front Suspension Creaking

My 2000 has a front end creaking noise if I hit a road or speed bump. It will make same noise if I bounce it up and down while parked. It drives and steers perfectly. Has 4 new ball joints, alignment and recent front struts. Seems like noise is from both sides. Any ideas, suggestions, etc will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Probably bushings... Upper control arm, lower control arm, lower shock mounts is where I'd look.

 

How can I lube the bushings? I think thats where the noise is coming from.

 

Buy a can of white lithium grease (sprayable version). That stuff sticks good and creeps a little bit into tight nooks and crannies. I'd start with spraying it on your upper control arm bushings, as I'm guessing it's those specifically that are making the noise.

 

I had similar squawking noises on my 2003 about a year and a half ago. Mine turned out to be the LCA bushings. Replacing those eliminated the creaking noises going over bumps.

 

Typically you hear that a few hundred miles before this happens…

 

Thanks for the replies. I’ll try the lithium grease first. When I had the ball joints replaced by a trusted mechanic he indicated everything else looked ok. But I’ve downsized with a smaller garage and getting too old and lazy plus I’ve never changed bushing. Any idea what that might cost?

 

There are no bushings to grease, they twist when they flex, they don’t rotate. Squeaking is almost always ball joints.

Bushing replacement is a big project, I bet shop time is pretty high, I’ve always done mine myself.

 

Yea replacing your lower control arm bushings is a big job for sure:

https://youtu.be/kmaZNBp1gZM?si=r1ivaZcOmOxxKgKb

https://youtu.be/6FzEHygizoI?si=LyD-DYe_oAslFmmH

These two videos will give you an idea of just how involved it is. I'd guess it'd run you $350 in parts (for OEM bushings), and another $400-700 in labor. That's assuming your mechanic is fair and doesn't upcharge like crazy on parts cost.

 

I'd avoid lithium grease, it is petroleum based which accelerates deterioration of rubber.

OEM or aftermarket? As commented above, creaking from the ball joints is not good.

 

Bad recommendation on the grease part; poly bushings need greasing not rubber and your vehicle is equipped with rubber bushings from the factory.

Replace them as they're most likely all original.

Steering rack, upper control arm, lower control arm, sway bar, etc.

 

I had a squeak/creak in the front of my 2000 Tacoma for a while and surprisingly it was coming from the skid plate. Some of the bolt holes in the frame were stripped out, so the bolt wasn't holding tight in them. I drilled/tapped them and put in new larger bolts and tightened everything up pretty tight--noise went away.

 

Haha, see my pics, I have a gull wing truck box and every few months I'm driving with no stereo and my gut sinks when I hear this vibrational squeak coming from the rear. Truck box lid LOL

 

In my experience bushings with metal sleeves in the middle that fit around a metal bolt (i.e. upper/lower control arm bushings) benefit from the white lithium grease when they get squeaky. And to reply to @rocknbil, I doubt a couple squirts to shut that kind of squeak up is going to do anything significant to degrade the rubber in the bushing.

 

Hopefully it’s not my new ball joints making the noise. They were the best available from NAPA. It seems to be the control arms. I’m trying the lithium grease first. Thanks for all the replies.

 

Before you try lithium grease.

Use silicone spray instead. The lithium grease can compromise the bushings.

have someone bounce the vehicle and spray a bushing at a time then bounce a bit to see if the noise changes. Don't forget the sway bar bushings. If you find which one it is and it's an upper then you can try loosening the mounting bolts an few spins, jounce the vehicle a few times then retorque it. If it's a lower control arm bushing you need to mark the cams and put them back exactly where they were or you'll need another alignment. That'll work if the bushings where torqued in the air and not at ride height. If it doesn't fix it you can try smearing dielectric grease near the metal sleeve and drive for a bit for it to creep in. If that doesn't work you're better off replacing the whole arm than just bushings. If it's from the ball joints then either warranty them or inject standard grease to them with a syringe. If it's sway bar bushings then just replace them

 

That’s literally not possible with Toyota bushings unless they have failed.

The metal sleeves have teeth that bite into the bracket that doesn’t allow them to spin. The bushings are installed dry.

The only things that really squeak/ creek are the ball joints. I’ve seen Moog ball joints fail in 15k miles.

 

If one bought Moog UCAs with Moog bushings preinstalled would that still be the case?

All I know is mine squeaked like mad, I sprayed them with white lithium and they've been quiet for months since. No other issues with the front end and the bushings appear fine

 

Not true. My squeak/creak was the oem LCA bushings. Replacing those solved the noise.

 

That’s what I meant, unless they failed.

The Sleeves have teeth that bite the brackets. The rubber part twists as the suspension travels, they don’t rotate.