msiumng

Hello everyone,

I've been hearing some squeaking and clanking noises coming from the front end on the driver side of my 2015 G550. The noise has progressively worsened over time. Now, I can hear the squeaking from inside the car while driving straight at any speed, especially when the road is uneven. If I go over bumps or potholes with the windows open, I also hear a small clanking noise.

Additionally, I can feel a slight sensation in the steering wheel whenever the squeaking or clanking occurs. I'm wondering if this issue might be related to the springs or shocks, or if it's more likely a driveshaft problem. It seems to only be affecting the driver side.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike

Texas E63

A few options on this - I chased a few similar....

• Swaybar bushings...
• Slop or slack in steering box
• low fluid or bad Steering stab.
• wheel bearings / axle halfshafts
• shock bushing ( my case at 92 on OEM shocks)

Let us know what it turns out to be....

msiumng

Thanks for the suggestion! I've already done the following, but the problem still persists:

• Replaced all 6 sway bar bushings
• Checked the steering fluid—it's clean and full
• Installed a new steering stabilizer, which fixed the death wobble but not the squeaking/clanking

I’m not familiar with the steering box, but as for the shocks, the passenger side shock is new and OEM Bilstein, while the driver side is original. The squeak and clanking sound are coming from the driver side, so I suspect that shock might be the issue, even though there’s no visible oil leakage.

I haven't checked the axle halfshafts and bearings. The sound isn’t consistent—if the road is flat enough, there’s no noise. However, on roads with bumps and depressions, the noise occurs depending on how severe the bumps or depressions are.

I'm planning a 10-hour round road trip this week. I don't mind the noise—I’ve been living with it for a few months already, and the car drives fine otherwise. Besides, the G-Wagon already has many other noises. I just hope nothing serious will go wrong during the trip.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated!

xxaarraa

I would also try pumping fresh grease into the spherical joints. Its an easy job and don't be shy, it can take as much as a full 14 Oz cartridge of grease per side.....

shiann

I have also had a similar kind of squeak for a long time.

Mine sounds almost like the hood squeak, but only happens over sharp bumps, both when going straight or turning. I've noticed that it is really isolated to when the left and right wheels (front) are moving at different rates/oscillating. So it doesn't happen over things like expansion joints and even bumps. Also, my steering system does get quite a shake over the rough roads and that vibration does work its way into the cabin, sometimes worse than others depending on the road conditions.

I've gone through everything, like literally everything, and haven't been able to figure it out. The last things to do now for me is to replace my shocks (3/4 of my Fox 2.0's are leaking) and to regrease my front offset caster poly bushings.

When I do replace my shocks, I'll be doing some more digging as I'll have lots of things apart.

msiumng

I got the car used a few months ago. The dealer replaced the right front shock with a Bilstein, but the left front one is still original. Now, I only hear the sound from my left front wheel. If only the right side goes over a bump, there’s no squeak, which leads me to suspect that the left shock might be the issue. I guess my next step is to replace the left front shock?

msiumng

Maybe I should do that also, I have watched a few youtube videos it looks like an easy DIY, what kind of grease I should get for it?

msiumng

Just an update:

I filled the ball swivel with new grease, but it didn't seem to fix the squeak. Today, I took it to my mechanic, and we checked all the visible moving joints at the front axle, but none of them made any noise. We didn't check the CV since it's inside the swivel. He suggested trying a new shock, as the side with the old shock is the one making the squeak now. Hopefully, a new shock will fix the problem. I guess I have no choice but to tackle this one step at a time.