Control arms sqeaking...

Patrick

Patrick

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Just a quick little question. My driver side lower control arm is starting to squeak on me, and I'm going to be replacing it this weekend. Would it be advisable to go ahead and change out the uppers on both sides, and the lower on the passenger side while I'm at it? I don't know if this is the kind of part that typically wears out after a certain amount of miles.

It's a 1997 Mark with about 85k on the clock.
 
If you have the money (~$500), go ahead and rebuild the front end. Upper and lower arms, end links, and strut rod bushings.
 
That's what I was planning on, but I just wanted to make sure that it'd be worth my while-- I didn't want to spend all of that money for nothing. Thanks for the quick reply!

Edit: Damn man, good estimate, too. I just added it all up from the Advance website, $495.55. You must've done this a lot. ;)
 
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Patrick said:
That's what I was planning on, but I just wanted to make sure that it'd be worth my while-- I didn't want to spend all of that money for nothing. Thanks for the quick reply!

Edit: Damn man, good estimate, too. I just added it all up from the Advance website, $495.55. You must've done this a lot. ;)
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If you can wait, I would order MOOG arms and SPICER bushings from www.rockauto.com for about the same price ($495+shipping). Then you won't have to do this again in another 80K+ miles.
 
Do it all at once if you have the $$$$....I wish I had. The front end on these cars disintergrates. I did mine piece by piece.
 
Well unfortunately, I only had enough money at the time for the new control arms (lower and upper, both sides), so that'll hopefully be getting accomplished on Saturday. I don't get paid again until next Friday, but that should be enough to get the rest of the components for the front end, so if all goes well, I'll have a practically brand new front end before the end of the month. :)

One of the control arms on the passenger side is just fine mechanically, but it's slightly bent, so I've gotten used to holding the steering wheel slightly crooked to go straight. That's gonna be a hard habit to break! hahahaha
 
Patrick said:
Well unfortunately, I only had enough money at the time for the new control arms (lower and upper, both sides), so that'll hopefully be getting accomplished on Saturday. I don't get paid again until next Friday, but that should be enough to get the rest of the components for the front end, so if all goes well, I'll have a practically brand new front end before the end of the month. :)

One of the control arms on the passenger side is just fine mechanically, but it's slightly bent, so I've gotten used to holding the steering wheel slightly crooked to go straight. That's gonna be a hard habit to break! hahahaha
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If i were you, i would scrape up the money for the strut rod bushings, and replace those while the lower arms are off. If they are as bad as mine were, they will not be reusable. It will be much easier to do it now.
 
Patrick-stop do not tear your front end apart until after you get the control arm bushings. That said you are also going to need a front end alignment after you rebuild it. If you really have a bent control arm it needs to be replaced. Do it all now as you will need to tear it all apart again if you don't (double the fun - not).

Your all new parts front end with proper alignment will straighten your wheels and the car will feel like new again.
 
...and if those lower control arms (ball joints) are groaning, you really don't have a lot of time. You don't want to be sitting on the side of the road with front end on the ground!
 
Oh, I haven't driven it since I heard it squeaking, I've been driving my other Mark.

Well, I guess I won't be getting it done this weekend, then. I don't have the money for the control arm bushings right now, and I don't think I'll have any more free time until March. :( haha
 
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