Hello,
I Have a 1997 Honda Accord EX Black F22b1 Engine

my problem is that when i drive only on hot dry days, On the Passenger Side I hear a Creaking sound(pretty much sounds like a Squeeky Floor Board) When i Go over even a slight bump. Its Very annoying. its been happening for bout a month or 2 now. But i am not sure what it could be. But i am Guessing Some Sort Of Brushing.. I have a picture of the Driver side Wheel Well and the Passanger and In the Picture There is A The Joint area at the Top Take a Look.

Please Feel Free To Help. Im Scared to Drive Due to the Fact The internet said the wheel can fall off...

The Pictures Go Driver side..Passenger Side ... passSide.. Pass Side.
Taken Today

 

lower ball joint, somewhat of a problem on these accords, next thing iw that it will fail and have that wheel mess up the fender/door

happened to a buddies 97 LX

 

I have a 95 EX and the same thing was happening, but only in the cold weather. I replaced the upper control arm and it came with the ball joint attached for around 50 bucks from ebay. I would also take a look at the Outer Tie Rod end and see if the ball joint at the end is busted. I purchased those from AutoZone for around 50 for both. Get a alignment after replacing the tie rods. After I replaced that, squeak was gone.

PS they are both easy to replace.

 

Usually its the ball joints. I'd check the lower ball joints for torn boots too. Those are the most known to be creaking when all the grease comes out.

 

Dry ball joints are quite common with these cars. Honda makes no provisions for lubrication and assembles them with grease the consistency of monkey snot and it eventually drys up and cakes. I would have them checked as a matter of course.
Another thing you might want to look at is the inboard sway bar mounting bushings. They are positioned just forward of where both the driver and passenger's feet rest.

P

 

I'm actually having a similar problem in my 97 EX.. when I go over bumps on the road you get a sharp knocking noise off the front left...
I believe that it gets worse once the car has warmed up, but there is no real rhythm to it...

Should I be looking at the ball joints as possible causes or should I focus more on the bushings?
I have taken a look at the entire front suspension to find the problem and havent been able to identify it as yet, so i'm hoping that this is a similar issue.

 

If it sounds 'high' in the engine compartment, only happens when you go over things like speed bumps and uneven driveway approaches and is normally just a single 'knock', you may have upper strut mounts which need attention.

If this doesn't describe it, we may need addition observations........

P

 

ok.. I will have to have Everything Checked.

In my pictures does it look like the ball joint connected to the Upper Arm is out of grese or torn (on the passenger side) (last 2 pics)? it looks different than all the other ones on the other tires.

Can I possinly Die Driving my Car with a Bad Control arm or Ball Joint?
Cause i need my car everyday. and have no other transportaion.
Thank You!

 

yes until this happens:

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/lower...int/index.html

personally i would'nt risk it since it's a $30 part all you need to do is remove w/e control arm you want the old ball joint off of, press it out buy a new one and press it in. if you don't feel you can do it, or you don't have a press and don't want to purchase a harbor freight unit (real cheap **** but non professional use its fine)

have a mechanic do it

if you have a mechanic do it they usally charge 1-2 hours per ball joint so it will be AROUNd a $100-150 fix depending on what the shop charges.

 

OK. This is AWFUL

I wont have the money for anything for at least 2 weeks... I have a gentleman who can do my upper control arm and ball joint for 50 dollars.

and in order to get the money i gotta drive to work... this is no good... looks like im going to have to avoid the highway on my way to work..
'
does anyone know where i can get a diagram of the Ball Joint area so i can determine which (upper or Lower Control and ball joint) to fix?

 

Also.... In the pictures its obvious i need the upper ball joint done.. if you cant tell.... But quick question.... Do i have to replace The Control arms and the Ball joints on both the Upper and lower if i decide to replace the broke ball joints?

 

they will probably last for a little while IE get to work as long as you're not pretending you're colin mcrae on dirt roads in your honda.

w/e the last 2 pics are look to be semi fine for driving at the moment, but check on them and when you have the money def replace them, depending on what types of deals you can get, it might be cheaper to buy the whole upper and LCA's for both sides new with the ball joints already installed, might not be.

take the wheel off and inspect both LCA/ball joints. typically if the uppers go, the lowers are not too far behind.

 

ok guys.... i jacked up my accord today and turned the tires and also crawled everywhere underneath it lol i took some pics of the lower ball joint in my opinion it looks the same as the driver side and it looks fine no cracks or grease on the rubber boot or splatterd around it... look at the pics and lemme know what you think. The last pic is something i took a pic of that looks kinda roughed up.

Thanks For all Your Help

 

Lower ball joint looks fine.

 

How can you tell that the lower ball joint is fine just by looking at it? I can see that the boot looks OK but without pulling on the tire I have no idea what shape these ball joints are in.

Playboybunni07, One way you check to see if your ball joints are worn is the push pull method.

Jack up the car to get the tire off the ground and place jack stands under the car.
To check your upper ball joints you place one hand at the 12 o'clock position and the other @ 6. With a little bit of force, push with the top hand and pull with the bottom hand, do this repeatedly. If you feel a jerking in the tire that is usually a sign of a bad/worn Ball joint.

If you can get a look from the back of the tire as you are pushing/pulling you will be able to see for sure if it is the upper or lower ball joint that is worn. Most stores sell the upper ball joint as a complete, A arm & ball joint, unit. The lower ball joint is replaced as just the ball joint.

To check your tie rod ends you use the same push pull method. Instead of 12 & 6 you place your hands at 3 & 9 o'clock. If you feel a jerk when pushing & pulling this way. It will most often be an inner or outer tie rod. You can visually check to see witch one it is.

*Note Sometimes you may feel a jerk and you will not be able to see any movement in the ball joints or the tie rod ends. If this happens it is more than likely a worn wheel bearing issue.

 

Ok so I jacked the Car up today and did the push pull method on Driver side and passanger side today. I did it bout 6 times on both with a great amonut of force. every time i did it the tire didnt move nor made a noise i ever tried while looking at the ball joints. mostly i could just see the who body of the car rocking wheen i pushed and pulled but the tire didnt budge or squek.

but my car started makeing the noise again tonight mostly only when i would use the breaks and the front of the car had to go down. this is very unusual... im just gonna have to assume that it is the Upper Control arm and ball joint and the Brushings Cause it sounds up high when you hear it in the car...

 

spray white lithium grease at all of the bushings in the front end. Lower control arm bushings, Upper control arm bushings and sway bar & end link bushings. See if that quiets the sound at all.

Most times a ball joint or tie rod won't cause a creaking noise. Most times it will cause a knock when you go over a bump. However you should still replace that upper BJ boot if at all possible.

Also take a look at your brake pads, are they down to the wear bar?

 

OK ill find some of that stuff and apply it and i am prolly gonna get the upper arm and ball done... can i even just get the ball done?. i know that i need to get new breaks and an alignment done. my brakes are low in the back my ebrake barely works its so loose. My brakes Squeel when i apply them at high speeds but slowly quiet as i come to a stop.

 

sorry to dredge this one back up, but I was wondering if playboy was able to find the solution to his issue..
No matter what I take a look at I cant seem to diagnose mine...

thanks

 

I was having the same type of problems (except its a 95 accord EX), when the driving, turning, going over any uneven surfaces theirs a very loud squeaking noise from front drivers side. Used silicon spray, quieted it down for while but now the noise is back and getting louder (ear piercing loud almost), not sure if it’s the control arm bushing or if it could be something else? also when making right turns there is a thud or knocking noise (only does about 1x in the turn), and it only happens once in awhile, seems to be worse when I’m making fast right turns, is it possibly a sign of the right ball joint going bad? The guy I bought the car from obviously never took care of it already had to replace clutch (and had it only 2 weeks), starter, master and slave cylinders, EGR valve, rusted on rotors. Please Help the noise is driving me insane!