FlamingoGT

Is there something that would cause the camber to shift across both sides to one side, ie induce negative camber to one side and positive camber to the other? Or if not a camber issue, cause uneven wear to the tires, one on the inside and the other on the outside, such that the average mechanically inclined person might be inclined to think a camber issue?
I swapped those tires out, and with the tires up front now the car tracks straight and the steering centers up pretty much on its own after a turn. I do have a noise when turning, more of a subdued clunk/metallic squeak. It's not the power steering pump tho... I do know what that sounds like. The car is past time for a lube job, but I wanted to try to find the source of this noise before I did that... but if you think that is the basic cause of the noise I will lube it up first and go from there on the rest of the front end.
Hopefully some day soon I will be able to get that front end replaced with something that is better engineered, but in the meantime I want to try to keep it running somewhat decently with what is there.
Thanks for your help.
(and Jazzer, I did read your suspension sticky, and one day I will make more use of all of that good information.)

PS. car has 70K miles, struts are most likely original. When I was in for something else, Ford did some work on the front end about 40K miles ago in relation to a tech bulletin... I will see if I can find that paperwork to see exactly what that was about.

cliffyk

At 70k miles it's well overdue for struts/shocks and an alignment. Bushings take a set, springs have endured their initial set/sag, and the strut bushings and pistons will have worn altering the slide and shaft alignment of the strut.

There is a TSB regarding the steering rack tube brackets, than can cause creaking in the front-end--read more about that here...

EODMustang

Cliffy K you are a Godsend. I was just reading this post for the hell of it to see if I could help at all and that link that you posted was the solution to the squeaking problem that I have been trying to figure out for awhile now. Thanks man!

devongarver

Yup when i get time to put it up in the air, I will be adressing that as well. Mine squeaks like mad!