[jaycapz]

Hello All,

So, apparently the mazda6 has poor life expectancy on the ball joints (specifically lower front ball joints). So 2 weeks ago i first got squeeking on turns below 20 mph, and very small creeking on 10mph rolling.

This really pisses me off given its only got about 70K and all highway, not to mention i am a very cautious driver. "Life time expectancy grease" .. umm right.

Common wear item and shops making a nice dime. I'm not bothering to do this myself and i dont got the cash to bring it to a shop right now.

So this just started 2 weeks ago, only creeks and squeeks. How long do i have? Until i hear grinding? I need about a month before i can afford it. I dont want to put myself in danger over a car though...

 

[MonoxideChild]

im at 76k without any issues. and over 50K of that has been extremely lowered. ive been pretty lucky i guess.

 

[NismoZ]

Ok, so what is this squeek? This winter, my 2003 6i just started to sqeek and creek over bumps. The farther into winter I get, the more sqeeks happen. Tonight I just realized it also happens when I am parked and just turning the wheel left and right.

What is the problem, and how much is it to take in and get fixed?

 

[Egierda]

Could be that your upper strut mounts and/or sway bar bushings need to be lubed.

 

[NismoZ]

Could be that your upper strut mounts and/or sway bar bushings need to be lubed.

Thats what I thought too, but how can I tell if it's the ball joints or bushings that need lubing? Any tests I can do that would tell me for sure, one way or another?

 

[Egierda]

If a ball joint is gone there will be play.


If there's no obvious damage to the ball joint and there's no play associated with it then it should be fine. To check your mounts and bushing, just take a look at them and see if they look dry. If you're going to lube them, use white lithium grease.

 

[chilimax21]

If your bushings are gone, the rubber will be torn and/or overstretched. Use a large screwdriver to pry slightly against the control arm near the bushing.

 

[jaycapz]

NismoZ you figure yours out? Thats what i have. Very low speeds i can hear squeeks from the right tire, when i turn sitting still side to side i hear the squeeking/squeeling.

I just replaced the secondary ball joint for no reason. It was coming from there and it seems that that was a waste of time. Noise is still there.

 

[thanh]

A loose bushing caused my car to creek at low speeds. I tightened em up to over 80lbs and all is fine.

 

[NorseMan92]

A loose bushing caused my car to creek at low speeds. I tightened em up to over 80lbs and all is fine.

What bolts did you tighten up? I need to do the same thing. Thx!

 

[flipper66]

I would imagine the mounting bolts.