Front end squeak??

[Mike_viii]

On a recent road trip I noticed a squeak coming from the front end while traveling on rough or bumpy roads. I only noticed it because I had the sunroof open and the radio off (thus, I am not sure how long it has been going on).

Also, while getting my new tires re-balanced again (long story) I looked at the car while it was on the lift and noticed that the upper arm bushing on the passenger side appears to have a tear in it.

Questions:
(1) Am I correct to assume that this could be the source of the squeak (or at least part of it);
(2) Is this a difficult part to replace for someone with little experience working on cars (me...although I did buy the Ford service binders for this car, and managed to identify the suspect part as the upper arm bushing--LOL!) The directions in the manual seem straight forward but so do a lot things "on paper"!;
(3) Does this make the car unsafe (this car is my daily commuter, less than 10 miles a day, but I doubt that I can get to it myself for a couple of weeks);
(4) If this could not cause a squeak any other suggestions as to what may be the problem?

Many thanks,

MG

 

[driller]

RE: Front end squeak??

Mike, I just recently dropped $800 plus in eliminating the squeak from the front end of my '93. Basically ended up with new front end. Both upper control arms and lower ball joints and bushings except the strut arm bushings which were replaced 2 years ago. This was done at a local Meineke shop that does top notch work, including 4 wheel alignment. The owner of the shop said the lower ball joint was most likely the source of the squeak even if it did not look THAT bad.

BTW, you can save a lot of money with parts from RockAuto.com and your own sweat if you have the proper tools and work location.

 

[Mike_viii]

RE: Front end squeak??

Thanks JP,
I am still debating whether I am going to try to tackle this one myself or not. I am going to get a quote from a "professional" to see the damage and go from there. It appears that to change the bushing myself I will need some specialty tools (e.g. bushing removal tools) that may not be used very often. Any idea where these tools can be purchased/ordered at a good price? I'll need to see how much the tools and parts will cost and compare it to the shop's price. Of course, I'll need to add in the "I screwed this up royally...better take it to the shop" factor!
MG