Ugh! The most bothersome squeal
 

Hey guys, so Ive noticed lately that I've got such a squeal coming from my front passenger side tire and/or suspension. Whenever I'm driving at slow speeds and I turn the wheel either direction you can hear it, but it is distinctly coming from the passenger side.

Ive done some investigating a bit and when the cars just sitting there I've sat on the side of the hood causing it to lower a bit, and yes the squeal is there, I've also just put it in neutral and turned the wheel and once again there.

Dont really know where to go from here though, some assistance is much appreciated.

Darryl

1st, I'd check the front end for any play (ball joints, tie-rod ends...etc.) and go from there.

possibly seized ball joints or tie rods is my first guess. If any of the dust boots have been split open dirt and road splash can easily enter and cause this scenario.

I would jack the front end up and remove the wheel and have someone turn the steering wheel. You may have to unload the ball joint by jacking up the lower control arm ( simulating ride height ).

Thanks, I'm pretty sure its my ball joints... the sounds comes from there from what I can determine. Is there a temporary fix for the mean time prior to getting the part and changing it.

PS. Where to buy them for a good price?

Darryl

You can drill holes into the BJ's, install grease fittings and throw some grease in there. But if the BJ is already squeeking, there has been some friction damage to the cup and ball, so it's best to replace it.

Had this problem happen on my civic, solution was replacing the lower ball joint

Ya I'm thinking the exact same thing. Figured I might as well do the upper while I'm at it.

Any one know of any places with good prices?

If you feel like traveling to Oakville, zeeman and myself can easily do this job for you.

honda

Thanks for the offer, I don't mind doing the work myself, I was just wondering where to get the parts for a good price.

I noticed the guy above suggested Honda, though OEM... I can imagine they've got the most expensive prices?

No problem. For parts, go to NAPA. Decent prices and they carry some good quality parts.

Chris just put some NAPA uppers on my dads car. They are pretty easy to change out on ek's.

Id spend the extra cash and go with OEM honda ball joints ive had bad experiences with ALL aftermarket ball joints.

You can not go wrong with oem parts however this is nothing wrong with aftermarket parts. Some things you need to steer away from when going cheap but usually suspension components are not bad.

My Skunk2 Ball Joints lasted < 1 years... Now non Junk2 Supporter...

Where do you think Honda goes for their balljoints? They all come from aftermarket companies. If you go with a good quality aftermarket part, you can't go wrong.

+1

Moog and TRW are pretty good when it comes to OEM replacement, 1st line suspension parts.

Im sure there outsourced but they are still an OEM part which is usually a quality peice. I spend half my days at Honda Ive yet to see a new replacement OEM balljoint fail, I cant say the same for aftermarket economy joints. When you get aftermarket joints (depending on which joint obviously) They usually dont last as long as OEM anyway. There's also many things that come into play such as suspension mods etc but thats a whole other discussion.

Well... here's what I've found and think Im confident in purchasing. Just wondering which one you guys would suggest, obviously the cheaper one caught my eye and well it does say OEM, so I dont know, you tell me.

2000 Honda Civic DX 1.6 L4 4-door - Ball Joint Front Lower - BUY 2000 Honda Civic DX 1.6 L4 4-door - Ball Joint Front Lower

Of course, but what Chris was saying is that Honda outsources to a reputable manufacturer for the ball-joints.

Let me give you an example...

If Honda ball-joints are made by MOOG, than whats the difference in going to Honda for the ball-joint versus going to Part Source or even online and ordering MOOG ball-joints for your car? And by difference, I mean beside the minimum 15% mark-up you will get from Honda's parts counter? All because the plastic bag has the Honda logo on it? It's the same ball-joint.

I'm not saying Honda ball-joints are made by MOOG, it's just an example and an extremely valid one.