driver side front squeaking/ control arm bushing?

[z1ng]

the front side on the driver side seems to squeak like shit when i turn left or go over bumps, after searching on the forums it seems like the control arm bushing would be the problem? would the control arm need to be replaced as well or just the bushing? any help is greatly appreciated!

[992drjimmy]

You can just replce the bushings. I had a problem similiar to yours. I figured had to be bushings since itd only been like a month since id greased. Well i greased everything and the squeak is gone. If you havent greased may try that.

[SH-60B]

If they are replacement urathane bushings they could be the source of the squeak. The factory rubber ones don't squeak because the rubber twists inside the bushings, there is no sliding like the urathane. I would also lube the front end before looking further.

[00s104.3]

When I replaced my control arms bushings with polyurethane bushings a few weeks ago I greased the crap out of them but I still hear a little squeaking sometimes.

[mostizzle]

my poly's squeak like a mofo too but i sprayed the hell out of em with wd the other day no more squeak

[txgoat]

Quote: Originally Posted by mostizzle

my poly's squeak like a mofo too but i sprayed the hell out of em with wd the other day no more squeak

Dude, wtf. In a thread 5 threads above this one you say "mine dont squeak and i love em", and here you say they do "squeak like a mofo". Which one is it?

http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f178/bushings-416525/

[snookaholic26]

Quote: Originally Posted by SH-60B

If they are replacement urathane bushings they could be the source of the squeak. The factory rubber ones don't squeak because the rubber twists inside the bushings, there is no sliding like the urathane. I would also lube the front end before looking further.

not true at all. I have stock rubber bushings and mine squeak like a mother****er. im gonna replace with polys

[s10pimpin209]

polys. nuff said

[SH-60B]

Quote: Originally Posted by snookaholic26

not true at all. I have stock rubber bushings and mine squeak like a mother****er. im gonna replace with polys

I should have specified undamaged ones don't squeak.

[mostizzle]

Quote: Originally Posted by txgoat

Dude, wtf. In a thread 5 threads above this one you say "mine dont squeak and i love em", and here you say they do "squeak like a mofo". Which one is it?

i have two trucks and a car ya ass the daily's squeaky and i'm in the process of drilling the control arms for zerk fittings so that should solve the problem cuz the wd-40 only worked until i drove it in the rain...water displacing my ass

[txgoat]

Quote: Originally Posted by mostizzle

i have two trucks and a car ya ass the daily's squeaky and i'm in the process of drilling the control arms for zerk fittings so that should solve the problem cuz the wd-40 only worked until i drove it in the rain...water displacing my ass

Thats funny because usually when it rains here the water makes mine stop squeaking for a while...

You got any pictures of grease fittings on control arms? Im thinking about doing that to mine. Either that or going back to stock because squeaking is getting old.

Polys are good for the first year while the grease is still fresh. But after about a year or 2 they are a nightmare. I would have never bought them if I knew I was gonna have to deal with so much squeaking.

[mostizzle]

yeah the day after driving in the rain they get loud but my other truck doesn't squeak at all and as far as pics go all i got is a crappy camera phone but i'm workin on the means to post sum pics so i can post and have everyone make fun of my stuff i went out and got the zerk fittings n stuff but i got 3 other projects goin so getting to my own has been a p.i.t.a. all year but i figure if i drill a hole thru the c.a. and thru the sleeve and bushing and stop at the cross shafts on the uppers and the bolts on the lowers one for each bushing it should put an end to the squeak.....i hope,but if not i'll just turn the radio up and continue to ignore the strange looks of people walkin down the street as i drive by cuz i love the stiffness of the poly's

[z1ng]

i was only able to get to 6 grease points and lube the front end, seemed to make a little difference but can still hear it.

I now notice a light rubbing metal on metal sound when driving at slower speeds, seems to dissapear when i increase with speed. would that be the wheel bearing?

[z1ng]

never mind on that its still creaking. when i take my foot off the brakes it squeaks, get out of the car it squeaks, still sound like the control arm bushing?

[snookaholic26]

its gotta be control arm bushing. im in the same boat is you. its extremely annoying. cant wait to change mine. but i have every problem you are describing.

[z1ng]

the light grinding of metal on metal sound while driving at slower speeds seems to be getting worse. hopefully all these sounds are the control arm bushing and not some other problem.

[S10dude]

i'd check wheel bearing on side thats making noise

[z1ng]

is there anyway the control arm bushing can be greased to get rid of the squeaking or atleast reduce it? i just got a quote for having the control arm bushing replaced for $300 on the one side and im a little low of funds.

anyone know if there is a how-to thread on how to replace the bushing

[Rhotpursuit]

If you're dropped, make sure the dustshield isn't rubbing on the lca.

[z1ng]

nope not dropped.

[z1ng]

the metal on metal sound isnt the wheel bearing apparently its coming from the rear right wheel brakes, and only when im not braking.. sound goes away when i brake.

[Rhotpursuit]

Did you open it up and take a look??

[DADSTRK]

Quote: Originally Posted by z1ng

is there anyway the control arm bushing can be greased to get rid of the squeaking or atleast reduce it? i just got a quote for having the control arm bushing replaced for $300 on the one side and im a little low of funds.

anyone know if there is a how-to thread on how to replace the bushing

I replaced my control arm bushings about 6 months ago. What you need to do first is make sure they need to be replaced. You can do this by jacking up the front end. You can do each side separate. When you jack the vehicle up make sure that you use a point on the frame that will relieve all pressure on the wheel. After the wheel is off the ground grab the tire at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position and push and pull. If the wheel is stable your bushings are fine. If the wheel wiggles back and forth your bushings are shot. You have to make sure the wheel has no weight on it. If there is pressure on the wheel it will not reveal the looseness of the bushings. I am emphasizing this because I did it wrong the first time and thought my bushings were fine and they were really shot.

I found that the control arm bushings are known for wearing out on the 2nd gen S10's after a lot of miles. Mine had 125K on it when I changed them out. I used rubber factory equivalent replacements from O'Reilly's and they have worked fine. They do not squeak either.

I had never done this type of repair before and found it to be fairly difficult. It was very time consuming, but mostly because you are working in a tight area without much room to manuever your tools and things. I was not able to press the old bushings out and press the new ones in. I have a friend who is a mechanic and he did this for me. Not counting the time it took to drive to my friends shop for the bushing removal and install, I spent about 8 hours tearing it down and then putting it back together. I did it all myself with no assistance. If you have someone to help you that would save time. I chose to do the work myself because I've got more time than money. I was quoted $450 to do both sides and that was a deal. The bushings only cost me about $25 total for both sides and the rest was my time, so I opted to do the work myself. Once the repair was complete I had to get the front end aligned and that was a few more dollars, but better than ruining my tires.

If you choose to do this yourself I have quite a few pictures of the tear down. I thought I would put together a "How to" for the forum, but never got around to it. Good luck, maybe you'll just have to lube them and be done with it. I wasn't that lucky.

[z1ng]

hmmm ill have to try that. i only have 90,000 KMS on mine so hopefully theres another option other than replacing it

[z1ng]

just did the test with pushing and pulling the wheel at the 3/9 position it doesnt move forward or back but will wiggle a little bit from side to side.

as for the metal on metal sound coming from the brakes, that is now fixed i just changed my brake pads on the rear and now my e-brake light is staying on... anyone know why that is

[DADSTRK]

Quote: Originally Posted by z1ng

just did the test with pushing and pulling the wheel at the 3/9 position it doesnt move forward or back but will wiggle a little bit from side to side.

as for the metal on metal sound coming from the brakes, that is now fixed i just changed my brake pads on the rear and now my e-brake light is staying on... anyone know why that is

Looks like your control arm bushings are in good shape. If they were worn out there would be no question when you moved the wheel that there was something wrong. Sounds like yours are in pretty good shape. As for the ebrake light problem, you may need to readjust your ebrake cable. With the new pads in place it may need to be adjusted out. I am assuming you have drums on the back. If you have drums this would be correct if you have discs then I'm not sure what the problem could be. The ebrake switch is under the dash near the ebrake lever. You may check it also to make sure it's not stuck on or something.

[z1ng]

since my bushing are fine, how would i get rid of the squeak just grease it? i have 4 wheel disc, brake fluid levels are fine guess ill have to check out that switch tomorrow

[ls1s10onair]

sorry to barge in, but shaking the front end for looseness is not a telltale sign of a worn bushing..... for one, a lot of inexperienced people could find slack from the idler/pitman arms, and assume the bushings are shot.... plus, a wrecked bushing isnt always loose.... if you really wanna find your squeak, and you suspect its the c/a bushings, pop the upper ball joint out of the spindle, and THEN move the control arm back and forth, and up and down. if its squeaks, there ya go.... also, the upper control arm is gonna be the hardest thing to move with the weight of the suspension on it, so even if it is loose, it may not move. Im not trying to be a dick, im just trying to help

[z1ng]

bled the brakes and the light is now gone. as for the control arm bushing, as of late the sound has sort of dissapeared...

[contact420]

Quote: Originally Posted by DADSTRK

I replaced my control arm bushings about 6 months ago. What you need to do first is make sure they need to be replaced. You can do this by jacking up the front end. You can do each side separate. When you jack the vehicle up make sure that you use a point on the frame that will relieve all pressure on the wheel. After the wheel is off the ground grab the tire at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position and push and pull. If the wheel is stable your bushings are fine. If the wheel wiggles back and forth your bushings are shot. You have to make sure the wheel has no weight on it. If there is pressure on the wheel it will not reveal the looseness of the bushings. I am emphasizing this because I did it wrong the first time and thought my bushings were fine and they were really shot.

I found that the control arm bushings are known for wearing out on the 2nd gen S10's after a lot of miles. Mine had 125K on it when I changed them out. I used rubber factory equivalent replacements from O'Reilly's and they have worked fine. They do not squeak either.

I had never done this type of repair before and found it to be fairly difficult. It was very time consuming, but mostly because you are working in a tight area without much room to manuever your tools and things. I was not able to press the old bushings out and press the new ones in. I have a friend who is a mechanic and he did this for me. Not counting the time it took to drive to my friends shop for the bushing removal and install, I spent about 8 hours tearing it down and then putting it back together. I did it all myself with no assistance. If you have someone to help you that would save time. I chose to do the work myself because I've got more time than money. I was quoted $450 to do both sides and that was a deal. The bushings only cost me about $25 total for both sides and the rest was my time, so I opted to do the work myself. Once the repair was complete I had to get the front end aligned and that was a few more dollars, but better than ruining my tires.

If you choose to do this yourself I have quite a few pictures of the tear down. I thought I would put together a "How to" for the forum, but never got around to it. Good luck, maybe you'll just have to lube them and be done with it. I wasn't that lucky.

ya thats gonna check the tie rod, wheel bearings and many other things. Then you do that look for the part that is moving like the tie-rod or pitman arms. if your brakes are wearing uneven it might be a wheel bearing. since it does have some play then take the tire off and inspect it further.

[contact420]

s10onair has the right idea didn't read his post until after i typed the first post.

[CT-ZQ8]

That sounds the same as what's going on with mine, and it's definitely the UCA bushings on mine. Not that yours is necessarily that, but it's a good possibility.

I've had to replace these on every S-truck my family has had (5) and I'm still not a fan of the job, though I have gotten pretty good at it! Easiest way for me to tell is to either look at them through the hood, the passenger side is especially easy to see, or take the wheels off and look. If it's bad enough for metal on metal you can usually see where it's touching and see that some of the bushing is missing or protruding.

I'm in the middle of replacing mine now...for the second time on this truck (usually once does it; not sure what happened here).

Just felt like chiming in; good luck!

[drnkbeerkildeeer]

mine is doing the same exact shit and its loud as hell! I greased all the bj's, so it's got to be the c/a bushings. Hopefully this white lithium will make it quit.

[SpiderDallas]

I put polys in mine a little bit ago while I was redoing the whole suspension. Might be switching to aftermarket control arms don't really like the stock ones kinda flemsy.