Squeaky Ball Joints
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
Squeaky Ball Joints
Hey has anyone had this problem... My rear driver's side ball joint is squeaking like a mo'fo. Is there any easy way to quiet it down with out replacing the whole ball joint? Ive sprayed it down once with a WD40 type of substance in hopes of lubricating the bushing? What yall think?
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From: Boston, MA
'14 ML350, '13 C220 CDI, '07 C280, '98 ML320
Originally Posted by saturnstyl
Sway bar bushings or torsion bars are more likely culprits.
I also agree with Saturnstyl's guess.
Also, rear struts creek like that. But first suspects are (as saturnstyl said)
sway bar bushings. When I bought mine, the truck creeked everytime
I went over a bump. On quite streets, it was very annoying. I replaced
sway bar bushings and struts. No noise after that.
pcy
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00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
well i checked it out with this stethoscope looking thing, and identified the squeak coming from the actual ball joint, by changing the bushings to the sway bar will this get rid of the noise?
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ML
The quick answer is NO. However, I doubt very much it's the ball joint. It's usually filled with grease and if they start making noises, you have a major problem. Besides, i doubt they'll make squeaking noises. My 320 started making this squeaky/cracking noises everytime the vehicle yawed, or as it dived on slight braking or squated on slight take off. It was the torsion bars and their bushings. My guess is that you have a similar problem. It'll be expensive out of warranty. Try lubing the torsion bar bushings first. If the noise goes away you have nailed it. Don't smile yet because it'll be back within a week - lubing them doesn't work. The bushings have to be replaced. I hope you have the much less expensive torsion bar problem. Saturnstyl, can you give us an estimate on labor (time nor $$$) for the ball joints vs the torsion bars? have you guys even ever had a ball joint problem with the ML? It sounds like s rare one!!
Last edited by Darkmann; Jan 5, 2005 at 08:09 PM.
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A ball joint on an ML is rare. I don't know any of those times because I don't do suspension work. We have a guy that does all suspension and tire work, with alignments. I might do a strut or subframe once in a while, and I do remove and reinstall torsion bars, but he handles setting the ride height. Its not hard to r&r the torsion bar, you just need an impact wrench!
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
Labor im not so worried about, its parts really. I would be doing my own work in a garage. Let me rephrase that... Ill be in my family's garage as my truck gets fixed with me watching and being the tool b!tch. I have done brakes, I have done suspension but I think ball joints are more than I can do... Bushings are cheap enough where I think I can try to change them on some saturday... I would like an estimate on parts if possible. Bushing=Cheap? Ball joints= Grab the lube and take it like a man?
PS I already greased/lubed the bushings and pretty much anything else rubber in the area, and it lasted a whole 9days before it came back.
The problem started last winter and then went away when it got warmer out and then end of summer it came back and hasnt gone away
PS I already greased/lubed the bushings and pretty much anything else rubber in the area, and it lasted a whole 9days before it came back.
The problem started last winter and then went away when it got warmer out and then end of summer it came back and hasnt gone away
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
So the most vibration may be coming from the ball joint(what the stethescope thing picks up) but its caused by the bushings? So I should change the bushings and if the problem persists its the ball joint? Would you recomend putting a small opening in the boot around the ball joint and spraying in there before I change out the ball joint or does that become a safety hazard?
So I need to order sway bar bushings and torsion bar bushings?
So I need to order sway bar bushings and torsion bar bushings?
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From: Boston
'05 A4 1.8TQM6
our front end of the ML creaked when going over uneven roads, such as speed bumps, etc. Turned out to be the front lower ball joints at about 62k miles 
Replaced them and also sway bar bushings, which were completely dried out!
Saturnstyl - is it uncommon for balljoints to go on the ML? Or just the rear balljoints?
our rear end now is creaking the same as it was the front before changin the balljoints. Haven't had time to go get them checked out...
Replaced them and also sway bar bushings, which were completely dried out! Saturnstyl - is it uncommon for balljoints to go on the ML? Or just the rear balljoints?
our rear end now is creaking the same as it was the front before changin the balljoints. Haven't had time to go get them checked out...
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ML
Originally Posted by 55fanatic
So the most vibration may be coming from the ball joint(what the stethescope thing picks up) but its caused by the bushings? So I should change the bushings and if the problem persists its the ball joint? Would you recomend putting a small opening in the boot around the ball joint and spraying in there before I change out the ball joint or does that become a safety hazard?
So I need to order sway bar bushings and torsion bar bushings?
So I need to order sway bar bushings and torsion bar bushings?
No, don't puncture the boot. It's a sealed unit and any puncture will force the grease out as you drive and cause more problems than you want. Do the bushings first and if that doesn't do the trick, take it to a pro for the ball joints. As far as parts go, I think these are small inexpensive parts you can get locally. My guess is that you may get them slightly cheaper from any of the sponsors that display above, but with S&H, you'd probably pay more. Good luck and keep us posted.
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
ok Ill change them out soon, which bushings am I getting? just sway bar? anything else. You got a part number? Everytime I call the parts department our garage does business with they are incedibly lazy, I have just been left on hold till I hang up or even just get the pick up and slam routine to hang up on customers... pretty shady for such a large dealership.
Hey Gdawg which bby did you work at? I noticed from another thread you said you once worked there.
Hey Gdawg which bby did you work at? I noticed from another thread you said you once worked there.
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From: Boston
'05 A4 1.8TQM6
Originally Posted by 55fanatic
ok Ill change them out soon, which bushings am I getting? just sway bar? anything else. You got a part number? Everytime I call the parts department our garage does business with they are incedibly lazy, I have just been left on hold till I hang up or even just get the pick up and slam routine to hang up on customers... pretty shady for such a large dealership.
Hey Gdawg which bby did you work at? I noticed from another thread you said you once worked there.
Hey Gdawg which bby did you work at? I noticed from another thread you said you once worked there.
Did I see your ML at NU today? 2nd floor of Columbus near the stairs? I was headin' up and while lookin' to see if other cars were coming, saw a ML55...
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
uuummmm if you saw mine then my car def was stolen out of my coops parking lot. Hmm another 55? Could this be? That would make 3 of them at NU now. Are you sure it was a 55 and not one of the new SE hoods? I know of mine and a black 55 and there is a 500sport that looks a little like mine. Does anyone else feel wierd knowing what cars students drive in a school of like 15k or so?
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From: Boston
'05 A4 1.8TQM6
Originally Posted by 55fanatic
uuummmm if you saw mine then my car def was stolen out of my coops parking lot. Hmm another 55? Could this be? That would make 3 of them at NU now. Are you sure it was a 55 and not one of the new SE hoods? I know of mine and a black 55 and there is a 500sport that looks a little like mine. Does anyone else feel wierd knowing what cars students drive in a school of like 15k or so?
haha, small community of NU students on MBWorld :p
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
Now all the escort 8500's you have makes sense....refering to your signature... sweet little discount on those... havin some problems with mine...I might order the SR71 with shifters on accomidation for the ML and toss the 8500 in the supra or something. Wow so who knew... 3 ML55s...looks like its time for me to upgrade to a car that no one has, lol.
What school are you in at NU, year, blah blah blah....
What school are you in at NU, year, blah blah blah....
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From: Boston
'05 A4 1.8TQM6
Originally Posted by 55fanatic
Now all the escort 8500's you have makes sense....refering to your signature... sweet little discount on those... havin some problems with mine...I might order the SR71 with shifters on accomidation for the ML and toss the 8500 in the supra or something. Wow so who knew... 3 ML55s...looks like its time for me to upgrade to a car that no one has, lol.
What school are you in at NU, year, blah blah blah....
What school are you in at NU, year, blah blah blah....
I'm in SET (School of Engineering Tech) as a Comp Engineering Tech major currently a middler. Just finished my first co-op this past Summer II/Fall '04 semester. How about you?
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00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
on my third and final coop... Jan to june(although I started in december and am gonna try and end in August) I dont go back to classes till september and then I have 2 more semesters to go and I join the real world. Im an MIS/Management major... started off as comp Sci but realized I couldnt pass Calc 2 and 3 so I dumbed it down a little and went into business.
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
hey man i was checkin out some of your pictures from your NU site... are you from L or S? Not naming the towns... And i didnt mention it but I work at 596!!!
Anyways... back to the original post... does someone have some part numbers for me Cause Herb Chambers parts department is really awful and I dont think I can call them again with out having part numbers or some number for them to guess the part
Anyways... back to the original post... does someone have some part numbers for me Cause Herb Chambers parts department is really awful and I dont think I can call them again with out having part numbers or some number for them to guess the part
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From: Boston
'05 A4 1.8TQM6
Originally Posted by 55fanatic
hey man i was checkin out some of your pictures from your NU site... are you from L or S? Not naming the towns... And i didnt mention it but I work at 596!!!
Anyways... back to the original post... does someone have some part numbers for me Cause Herb Chambers parts department is really awful and I dont think I can call them again with out having part numbers or some number for them to guess the part
Anyways... back to the original post... does someone have some part numbers for me Cause Herb Chambers parts department is really awful and I dont think I can call them again with out having part numbers or some number for them to guess the part
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From: Boston
'05 A4 1.8TQM6
Originally Posted by 55fanatic
on my third and final coop... Jan to june(although I started in december and am gonna try and end in August) I dont go back to classes till september and then I have 2 more semesters to go and I join the real world. Im an MIS/Management major... started off as comp Sci but realized I couldnt pass Calc 2 and 3 so I dumbed it down a little and went into business.
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
Yeah I graduate in spring 06, but if I dont coop through to january Im gonna return to classes and overload summer2 and overload in the fall and graduate next december. Great school, a lot of headaches though... It reminds me of a german car, lol.
Im from L, thats why I asked where you were from. And 596 is watertown...
Im from L, thats why I asked where you were from. And 596 is watertown...
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From: Boston
'05 A4 1.8TQM6
ah yes, watertown. I knew that store number was familiar. We had so many managers either come from or go to 596 :p
I assume you attended LS, right? What year were you? '00 or '01? Have you seen the new LS?
I assume you attended LS, right? What year were you? '00 or '01? Have you seen the new LS?
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From: Boston, MA
00 MB ML55, 91 Toyota Supra Turbo(sold), 06 E500(gone), 03 BMW M3
No I didnt, I actually moved to L in 01. I grew up in A-town about 10minutes down rt.2. I actually went to BC High and I graduated in 00
