Squeaking Noise Ranger
 

I have a squeak coming from my driver side wheel.. It only squeaks when I pull out and then stops. I had the ball joints replaced a few months ago. The only thing different is that I sprayed tire shine on the other day and have driven it about 50 miles since then. Everything else seems fine. Brakes have 3000 miles on them and new rotors have 3000 miles on them. Any advice is appreciated thank you.

may in suspension?
 

fawey,

If it's not related to braking or steering, my guess would be suspension. The rubber bushing(where control arms mount to frame) may be dry. Your suspension squats or lists doring speed changes and that may be what you're hearing. My truck gets pretty squeaky in the winter and goes away in the spring. You could try spraying these areas w/ wd40 or something like that.

One more suggestion; put your truck on flat ground, engine off, in neutral. bounce the truck push it, move the steering wheel. See if you can replicate the noise. You may be able t oisolate the problem that way.

If nothing works- TURN THE RADIO UP!!!

good luck, jim- let me know if this helps

What year is your truck?

How about tie rod ends.

it is a 1997 with 55000 miles. Tie rod ends and ball joints, etc. Are about 1000 miles new. The squeak only happens when I start to drive, it last a few seconds and disappears until I stop and start out again. It definitely sounds like a rubber kind of squeak. Thanks

Try wd 40 or silicone lube on control arm bushings ! Worked on my 2001 . Good luck.

Okay, I had the misses ride with me to pinpoint the squeak. It is coming from the back of the truck and does not squeak in reverse. It only squeaks in drive and when the truck is moving. The squeak is always there, you just can't hear very well as the truck accelerates. It is noticeable when pulling out and slowing down. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Does the sound change with speed or change with bumps and road surface variations?

As I speed up, around 15 mph or so it seems to disappear, as I slow down like at a stop sign I hear it again. I think when I am traveling, the sound is there, but it is not audible due to the speed. It does not change with road variations or with bumps. Only squeaks when going forward and when starting out and slowing down. Does not squeak in reverse. Squeak sounds like a rubbery squeak rather than metal. Hope this helps and thanks for your info.

Check your brake pads to see if one has come lose or broke.Also check your calipers to make sure its not sticking.Had a broke pad on my 89 Ranger,it did just what you say yours is doing.It could also be a small stone caught between the pads and rotor.

squeak
 

The sound you here could be a u joint. A u joint will make a squeaking sound at slow speeds when you take off.

Hey Folks, thanks for all your help. The problem was the u-joints. I had them replaced and it cost about 120 all total. I can't thank this forum enough. At least I had an idea of what was wrong when I took it to the garage. And the weird thing is that I only had symptoms of a bad u joint the past 5-6 days. But the one ujoint in the back was ready to break. So I am lucky and again thanks for all of your help.
Sincerely,
Ken

Ken:

Glad to hear that the problem is solved. Good idea to have someone along side the truck to assist in pinpointing the noise.

With a universal joint about "ready to break" there should have been, along with the squeak, a "clunk or thunk" noise when shifting from neutral to drive or neutral to reverse - e.g. adding substantial torque on the joint. Be thankful that the squeak was the precursor to a clunk and ultimately your driveshaft lying on the expressway.

Russ

Thanks Russ I am very thankful to say the least. Thankful to this forum and foremost to God.
Thanks Again,
Ken

u-joint
 

Glad to help Ken. I work in a automotive machine shop and have installed many u-joints in my time. RANDY1

new member but sounds like same problem
 

Hi there guys. This site has a lot of good information. I am new to this forum, but it sounds like I am having this same problem. I do not drive my 2000 Ford Ranger XLT 4X4 that often. I have only put roughly 3,000 miles on it in the past 5 months. Last August I was getting a squeaking sound from what sounded like my front driver's side tire. I found out that it was the brake pads and replaced them and the sound went away.

Just two days ago I was driving my truck to a gas station to fill up and noticed that the squeaking noise has returned. It only happens when I am in forward motion. If the tire isn't moving the noise does not happen. However, the noise continues the entire drive wherever I go. I am a college student and I will be traveling 1500 miles to get back home, leaving in 3 days.

Is there anything else I can check in relative time, as I really don't have a place to live if I need serious mechanic work done. Or does the u-joint take a long time to replace? I do not have a garage so I can really only check stuff out in the parking lot of the college. Thanks for any information.