creaking front end

Hello, For what it's worth, I thought I would share another data point. I have been hearing this creaking when turning the wheel or hitting the brakes harder than normal. I hear it more on the drivers side so I decided to take off the lower control arm. Turns out the bolt that holds the diagonal cross member was not very tight, like just over hand tight. I torqued it to the 130 ft/lbs and test drove. All good now. When I bought the car the shop fixed cracked axle boots. I am wondering if they didn't torque these bolts down as needed.

Nice find.

Always good to hear of a quick and easy fix that does not require spending extra cash. It's always best to go by specification instead of the old German torque "good and tight."

I have always heard that as "gut und ficken" tight.

Agreed. Sometimes hand tight works for stuff in the 10-36 ft\lb range. Of all the suspension connections, this particular bolt is probably the most stressed joint when under heavy breaking. The ball joint is probably also stressed a good amount, but the ball joint is at least somewhat pressed if you get most of the torque correct. This connection is just free to slip back and forth if it's not torqued. I am not making a case for not getting everything to spec, just saying that if you are hearing noises, I would make sure this one is tight.

I hear creaking in my front end as well. Now that I read this thread I will check to make sure everything is tight, however in the event that isn't the issue what are the other probable causes/fixes? Car is 03 C4.

During braking? Control arm bushings, bad shock, sway arm bushings While turning? Strut mount upper bearings, sway arm bushings

good question. It occurs when I go over speed bumps. It's loud enough for others to hear within 20-30 ft. I haven't noticed it any other time. I was thinking it was the shocks and that I need to replace them as I assume they are probably original to the car (65k miles).

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**Also (most likely) lower control arm (coffin arm) ball joint - replace the arm. You can get them (I'd do both at the same time) for around $100 - $125... Or $150 or so, with a replaceable ball joint (from Vertex/EPS).

Hello, So I finally got around to replacing the lower control arms. Now I don't have to inject grease into the old creaky ball joints. While doing this update, I did notice when I turn the wheels, more squeaking is coming from the strut mount area. Does anyone know if it is possible to remove the strut mount without doing any disassembly of the lower suspension. If I was removing the strut, I know I need to pop the steering tie rod ball joint, remove the brake caliper and remove the 6 hex nuts on the inner axle. But can I just compress the springs enough to make some room at the top of the strut to remove the strut mount? I wanted to also replace the bump stop and the strut bearing. Trying not to take everything apart if possible. thanks

Nope. Having done this job, entire strut needs to come out to install new strut bearings. It is not a difficult job for a DIY'er. With the weight of the car on the strut, loosen (not remove) the top nut first, then lift the car and remove the whole strut assembly. Then compress the spring and take everything apart. Might as well put in new struts while you are in there. I think you would have a very difficult time compressing the spring enough to drop the top part of the strut through the plate to get a new bearing in there. Simpler to just remove the whole strut assembly and work on it. I think there is a good Pelican Parts technical article on how to do it.

Thanks for the feedback. I was kinda thinking that.