I own a 20,000km old AU3 Forte which has been suffering from a problem ever since I bought it. It's still under warranty but the service dept hasnt been able to figure out what the cause is.
After starting the car after it has been sitting for a while, or especially, each morning, the engine purrs and the car seems generally healthy.
But I get this horrible creaking noise around the first few left hand turns from my place onto the way to work. As soon as I turn into the corner a creaking noise comes from under the car and its cyclical so it sounds like it is happening with wheel revolutions.
After the first few left hand turns it goes away. Its quite embarassing how loud it is.
The service dept havent been able to replicate it (I think I need to leave my car there overnight) and have been unable to find the problem.
Has anyone heard of anything similar? I also notice my power steering is pretty shitty (it occasionally makes a cracking noise, like bad CVs on a FWD car) and it gets heavy sometimes at certain spots in the turn.
My car makes some crazy creaking sounds, im pretty sure my steering rack is buggered. I go through quite a bit of power steering fluid too.
Could it be steering rack bushes or something??
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Simple Simon met a Pieman, going to the fair. Said Simple Simon to the Pieman, What have you got there? Said the Pieman unto Simon, Pies, you dickhead
Check: 1. sounds like the rack is coming loose... the thread in the aluminium sub frame is not upto the job.. you can put a nut on the bolt after it goes thru the sub frame to fix it permantly... although 20k is only a baby ..
2. the spring saddle on the LHF.. is the tyre catching on the inner lip at all?.. i found all my AU2's and 3's catch on the passenger side,, run your hand inside the wheel arch and make sure the lip is at 90' and not kinked or rippled
3. Although on 20k i guess it is possible the lower ball joint is starting to fail.. Does it sometimes sound like its almost out of pads? I have replaced them on cars with 50k but not 20k..
I am guessing the main noise you talk of is the left rear wheel, my dads AU doesnt creak, but squeeks, he had new disc's put in and it went away, but is now back, I reckon it's disc warping, but anyway, hope you get it fixed, it is anoying, and Ford cant seem to find anything either.
Jason
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I did put something here, but it vanshied, I think
I am guessing the main noise you talk of is the left rear wheel, my dads AU doesnt creak, but squeeks, he had new disc's put in and it went away, but is now back, I reckon it's disc warping, but anyway, hope you get it fixed, it is anoying, and Ford cant seem to find anything either.
Jason
Our AUII squeeks and makes a really strange kinda bell squeek. It used to be when it was cold...now its basically all the time... the only way i've been able to fix the noise is by turning the stereo up :/
Steering rack sounds likely. I can't believe how bad the power steering is (my dad's EF power steering is far better). There must be something wrong with it. Either way, I might ask to borrow another AU while I leave it there overnight to see if it suffers from the same piss-poor steering problems.
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