My Dad is having a weird problem with his '99 Escort wagon. First off, it's a Ford. If you're driving around in it, an odd squalling sound is coming from somewhere in the vicinity of the passenger front wheel. It's not constant Usually, but not always, the noise occurs when you hit a bump. Sometimes you can hit a bump that's bad, and no noise. Other times, a slight dip in the road will cause it. But it will also happen if you're taking a turn, and there are no bumps. If someone is in the passenger seat, the noise is more pronounced I can make this noise occur at will. If I am stopped in the car, turn the wheel all the way to the side, and goose the gas a little, a similar type of noise is heard. If I am going at say 10 mph and I yank the wheel hard to the side, I can make exactly the same odd noise as is heard sometimes when you hit a bump I have bounced this car on it's front passenger side by pushing up and down on the fender/front end so much that the tire almost came off the ground. Not a squeak came out of the suspension There are apparently no grease fittings for the front end anyhow The noise is not rpm dependant. It's not a brake noise. It doesn't happen on shifts. It's definitely a mechanical noise as opposed to loose sheet metal. It's not a good noise Does anyone have any ideas as to what this is? It started up about 14 days ago. My first thought was the outer CV joint is making noises when it's under load and traversing it's range of travel, like when the weight of the car loads that side in a sustained turn, or when you hit a bump the right way
My 99 Escort wagon had a noise from worn outer tie rod ends @ about 100K. I went with Moog replacements which have grease fittings. You might also check the rear springs for breaks--you won't hear any noises or even notice they are broken until you load it up and see the rear dragging! At 100K replace the timing belt and serpentine belt and expect the alternator to fail soon if it hasn't already. I'm at 164K on my 99 and these are the only problems I have experienced. I put 210K on my 93 Escort wagon--these are great cars even if they are the 4 letter word starting with F! John
