The front end on the passenger side of my dakota, squeaks real loud on every little bump. It also squeaks when i turn my wheels. The tie rods coming from the rack and pinion had no grease in them. I put grease in but it still squeaks. I also sprayed all the rubber bushings in the area with WD/40, still nothing. Can you help me?

It can be bushings in the front sway rods or the control arms. The tie-rod ends or even ball-joint sockets can make noise if they are dry.

As well, check Stabilizer bar across front from side to side. Those bushings have been known for drying out and causing this sound as well.

check cv joints and wheel bearings

It is probably your wheel bearings. Although, it is possible that your CV Axle could be damaged.

The last thing you should do is blindly throw money at it without a proper diagnosis, to regretfully learn the problem still exists. Squeaks can be as simple as a worn shock mount, belt slippage, weather stripping in need of lubricant. or a myriad of other things that cost far less than a suspension overhaul.

If it is your shocks/struts, look for the outside of the shock cylinder to appear wet/oily. Hydraulic fluid leaks are proof your shocks/struts need replacing (best to replace all 4, but at the very least the front or rears should be replaced in pairs), and putting it off can certainly lead to a domino effect of failed components (fragged ball joints or tie rod ends, shredded bushings, excessive tire wear, etc..)

If you have a reliable mechanic, that's where I would head. However, if you are more of a DIY'er, grab a friend and head out to a vacant lot with some bumps where you can try and reproduce the problem. While one of you drives slowly, CAREFULLY, the other walk along side and try to pinpoint the source of the squeak (front driver side, rear passenger side, engine compartment, trunk, wherever). Note the speed and direction of turn when the squeak(s) appear, forward AND reverse? Does it happen when air temp is cold/hot, all the time? This is valuable info to relay to a mechanic.

The point is, suspension systems can be wildly complex and sensitive (as any BMW owner can testify), or fairly simple (think mid-70's leaf-sprung trucks).

Another factor is how many miles have you logged on your Kia? If you've hit 80k miles or more, this is when you can expect to start replacing many components that have reached the end of their service life.

With a little more info, a more precise diagnosis can be given.

check your rotors

There are several possibilities that could be causing your problem.

• Low on power steering fluid
• Bad steering box
• Bad tie rod end
• Bad ball joints

Assuming the power steering fluid is full, bring the car to any brake shop or repair shop that does front end alignments to diagnose the problem further. I hope you find this points you in the right direction. Thank you for using Fixya! Greg

The sway bar bushings are under the large clamps that hold the bar to the frame. The ends of the sway bar are connected to the struts by the sway bar links. When the links wear out, they clunk--not squeak. The bushings are under the retainer in the pic below.

I had the same problem with my 01 suburban. It was the struts. Replaced them and no more squeaks!!

sounds like the lower ball joint is making noise.