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Front passenger side squeak

16K views 27 replies 11 participants last post by  ram1hemi 
#1 · (Edited)
Just got my truck a few days ago and I've noticed an annoying squeak coming from the front passenger side when a passenger is getting in and out and when I hit bumps, etc. It's a strong creak noise and someone mentioned that it may be a squeaky A-arm? Any input? Anyone else ever have this?

Thanks!

Edit: Another helpful piece of info would be that the truck has about 87,000 miles.
 
#3 ·
Ahhhh, yes, the old Dodge squeaky ball joints....

- Cajun :pepper:
 
#5 ·
Alright, I'll give that a shot when it dries up outside and see if it helps. If not, bad ball joints would be the problem?
 
#6 ·
I would say so, you should be able to look and see if they are standing straight up center, when mine went they kinda fell to one side,, if they are factory joints they wont have grease fitting but you may be able to get some grease into the boot and see if that helps, only try one thing at a time tho cause if you grease everything you wont be able to isolate the problem.. Hope that helps
 
#7 ·
Thanks! I'm not real excited to add yet another thing to the list of things that need done to the truck I just bought, but oh well. If it needs done, I guess I need to prioritize. Again, when it dries, I'll crawl underneath and see if I can tell if there's an angle or not to the ball joints. Should I suspect upper or lower or both? I hope these aren't the factory ones, but I'm having a feeling they wouldn't be squeaking if they were fairly new. And I had to replace my ball joints on my Dodge Neon at 75,000 miles so I guess this would be about the time they go bad on the truck, huh? Dangit.
 
#9 ·
Is there a way to pin-point which ball joint (if any) are really making the noise? Both upper and lower ball joints look fairly healthy (the boots), but of course, they're not greaseable...
 
#14 ·
Update: I haven't done anything yet with this issue mainly because of time and lack of funds, but I did discover that my truck's doing the same creaking (only from the passenger side) when I turn the wheels as well. Does this point more toward a ball joint than before or maybe something else? I was also told that it could be the sway bar end links (from a mechanic).

Any additional input now with the steering also making it creak?

Thanks!
 
#17 ·
mine creaks like crazy...when turning the wheels, hitting a bump, getting in and out of the truck...anything that causes the front suspension to move.

But...when it creaks, thats not a big deal, just letting you know its time to change them out.

Its when they stop creaking/squeaking, that you should worry.

But, mine started squeaking on the driver's side, then stopped...then, the passenger's side started...
so...I'm doing them soon...as, my steering has about 3" of play in it now :p

Though...to make it less embarrasing, I have found that if you hold the steering taunt when hitting a bump...it doesn't squeak...lol
 
#18 ·
Thanks! It's actually "comforting" hearing that someone else has the same exact issue that I'm having.... Although, mine creaks regardless if I'm holding the steering wheel taunt, though. :shy: You are referring to replacing your lower ball joints, right?

Are there any how-to write-ups (or similar) on the site for replacing ball joints? I've done them before on other cars, but it's fairly helpful to have pictures and knowledge about the same vehicle.

I really need to get a Haynes Manual. :thk:
 
#20 ·
I have an 07 4x4 quadcab with the same annoying squeek / knocking noise from the front suspension when turning slow, or hitting bumps at any speed. I have squirted lube on every bushing underneath that I can see front to rear. The truck has rack/pinion steering...not sure if this affects the issue. I read through the previous posts, and found both ball joints at the control arms sitting at an angle. The truck has only 13,500 miles, so still under warrenty and being looked at today....will post back with hopefully positive results.
 
#21 ·
Follow up on the suspension noise:
Replacing tie-rod ends fixed part of the problem. Still have slight rattle, or knocking noise from underneath....must be ball joint or control arm bushing. Will write back when all rattles, squeeks, or otherwise unacceptable suspension noises are gone.
 
#22 · (Edited)
...years ago i was getting squeaks that I swear was coming from front suspension...I could hear it going up and down driveways, driving slow over speed bumps. Someone told me if it sounded like "2 squirrels humpin"..yea I know, lol, to check the bumpstops under the hood and screw them upwards so that there was less play in the hood when shut. And dang if that wasn't it...may not pertain to what a lot of you are talking about but it's a free an easy thing to check..
 
#25 ·
My 05 Dodge Ram 4x4 SLT Quad cab makes a squeaking noise too. I only hear it after I have bin driving for an hour or more. From inside the truck it sounds like the noise is coming from somewhere in the dash, but it's the passenger side suspension. Must be the upper part somewhere, that's why I hear it in the dash. I don't hear it while driving on paved roads. when I pull onto a bumpy road or my driveway I can hear it. I'll try spraying some WD around and see if that helps and if I can isolate where the noise is coming from. My truck has been making this noise since after the first winter. They use lots of road salt around here in the winter.
 
#26 ·
Sounds like a wild goose chase. lol

I'll probably just start replacing my whole front suspension piece by piece starting in the Spring. I think I'm going to start with end links, then ball joints....
 
#27 ·
Definitely a goose chase with the dealership! I have finally convinced them that the problem lies in the front end, but have been waiting on front struts forever....on backorder unitl mid-feb.. Want to level the front end anyway, so decided not to wait and have ordered Bilstein 5100's. You can see the shock, and whole lower control arm assy oscilate, or vibrate almost, from underneath when pushing the truck up and down. So, even if the shock, or shock mount/bearing plate, is not the source of the knocking....it is a good spot to start ruling out parts. Hope it is the shocks though, because I've read previous posts that resulted in rack n pinion replacement to resolve the issue, and I dread that battle with the dealership.
 
#28 ·
Knocking noise NO MORE !!!!!
Front strut and bearing plate replaced. Bad strut was causing front end floating and slight vibration, and the bearing plate was causing all the racket. If you refer to the beginning of this post, or other related posts, you will see that this sound appears to come from behind the cab at times....do not let the dealer try to tell you "bed flex"...bunch O' crap! I think they forget the frames are boxed now, and will resonate more.
 
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