Hi all,


I bought a 98 Grand Marquis a while back and recently discovered that my suspension and/or steering is quite noisy (I can only hear it when the windows are down). I was wondering if some of you could give me an idea what I would need to have replaced and how urgent I have to do that. I assume it's some kind of suspension part that is worn out. It seems to come from the front (both sides) and I can hear a squeaky noise even if I move the steering wheel only slightly in either direction. I would just like to get a general idea of what it could be so I won'tbe ripped off with unecessary repair suggestions. Thanks in advance

My '97 had a noisy (and clunky) front end at about 97K miles. I replaced the tie-rods and that helped some. I then replaced the upper ball joints and that helped a lot. The noise can also be from the stabilizer bar end links.

Tie rods are easy enough to do yourself. See here...

http://www.autoclinix.com/Mercury/TieRods.html

The upper ball joints are similarly easy as they are a bolt-on design. Since you'll need to get a front end alignment after you replace either you might do them both at the same time. The new tie rods and ball joints should have grease fittings as well (unlike the factory parts) so being able to regularly lube them will help them last longer (and keep your front end quieter).

Be sure and buy good, brand-name parts. Moog and TRW are generally better quality than store-brand parts. NAPA generally has better quality parts as well when compared to some of the other low-end auto parts places. You can also buy genuine Ford parts on-line pretty reasonably priced. Factory parts are high-quality but they most likely won't have grease fittings.