[tfret]

Have an 02 we bought recently. There is a raddle and squeaky sound that comes and goes while driving. It sounds like something is just loose and needs secured. But I’ve been all over the thing and can’t find anything loose. All the bushings look fine. I can only guess it’s the strut. However I can’t reproduce the noise by push up or down on the bumper while parked. Anyone dealt with this before?

 

[Carbuff2]

Did you take a close look at the front bushing on the lower control arm? Even if the rubber is OK, the center of it can loosen on the through-bolt.

EricTheCarGuy has a video on replacing them (same part on an Element). SEARCH on YouTube.

 

[tfret]

I found and watched his video. He says he discovered it by accident while doing something else. So I guess it wasn’t really give any symptoms or indication of a problem. I’ll check this, and soak it with penetration oil to see if it stops the squeak.

 

[tfret]

This problem turned out to be a bad strut. I replaced both front struts(about 165K miles on them) and it made a huge difference in the steering and ride of the car. And the sqeaking and knocking are now gone.