Squeaking from Performance Elite 2.5 Fox Shocks

[NVRANUF]

I have a horrible squeaking sound coming from only the front driver side of my truck (21' EB Lariat). I have Performance Elite 2.5 Fox Shocks all the way around and a BDS lift kit with OEM control arms. My local dealership took 2 days to diagnose and says it's coming from the bottom of the shock, and not from a control arm bushing or ball joint. I can't find it, and I'm not able to take the shock out for a few months because I need to be able to drive the truck as my DD.

I've emailed Fox Shocks Customer Service, and they were not helpful at all. Took them a week to respond and they just told me that the only authorized re-builder is their facility in MN (no rebuild price, no other instructions, did not say whether or not they were willing to listen to the videos I made of the sound, etc.).

I found another person's video from some forum somewhere... maybe this forum... where a guy with a similar set up had a problem with the spring not being seated correctly, and it was rubbing on the shock body. I've checked mine and my spring is not touching the shock body anywhere. I've listened to the suspension components with a mechanic's stethoscope and still can't pinpoint it, but the noise is very loud through the stethoscope when touching the upper and lower ball joint areas.

Here's a couple of videos.... can anyone who has had similar experience tell me what this could be:
Video 1
Video 2

Thanks for any help.

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[SALEEN961]

Based on the 2nd video I would think that it's a ball joint or tie rod making the noise as the front shocks wouldn't move much at all as you turn the wheel back and forth while sitting still. If you have someone wiggle the steering wheel back and forth a little to reproduce the noise, a stethoscope can normally pinpoint which joint is binding, but sometimes it's easier to feel the source on the noise with your hand.

 

[VRFlyer]

It doesn't seem like a shock to me rather seems like a spring, UCA, perch issue, or a combo of any of those.

 

[NVRANUF]

Thanks for everyone's input so far. A couple of people, including myself, and even the Dealership service advisor, also thought it was the front bushing on the upper control arm... but the tech who worked on it (who wouldn't talk to me in-person) advised that the UCA was fine, and that the noise was "somewhere" in the lower part of the shock. I would take it somewhere to get a second opinion, but I don't want to pay even more. I do almost all my own work on my vehicles. The only reason I took the truck in to a dealer is because I have the Ford ESP warranty, and I thought it was the OEM UCA. Once the weather gets warmer here, I might be able to remove the whole shock assembly and check everything out. I also agree that the fact that it makes the noise while stationary and just rocking the steering wheel makes it seem like it's a ball joint or tie-rod end. The problem is that none of the ball joints are grease-able, unless I use a needle-type injector and poke a hole in the ball-joint boots, which I'm not super-keen on doing... but maybe it's an incremental step I can take before throwing the parts cannon at this, or doing the harder work of removing the whole shock.

 

[FORDoneFITTY]

I have a similar noise coming from my front passenger side after installing a Fox 2.0 kit on my 21 Lariat. I think mine is due to a poorly assembled coilover from the factory. The shocks inside the coilovers I received were way off-center inside of the spring and the top hat looked super crooked. I reached out to the company I bought them from and they told me this was normal and that they would settle and straighten out once under the weight of the truck. After taking their word and installing them the drivers side looks ok now but the passenger side is still way off and is now making a similar noise. They did send me another set of coilovers and this time one looks ok while the other is even worse than the first two. This weekend I'm going to replace the squeaking one with the one good one I received in the second shipment and I'm hoping I'll be good to go after that.

 

[Aonarch]

Thanks for everyone's input so far. A couple of people, including myself, and even the Dealership service advisor, also thought it was the front bushing on the upper control arm... but the tech who worked on it (who wouldn't talk to me in-person) advised that the UCA was fine, and that the noise was "somewhere" in the lower part of the shock. I would take it somewhere to get a second opinion, but I don't want to pay even more. I do almost all my own work on my vehicles. The only reason I took the truck in to a dealer is because I have the Ford ESP warranty, and I thought it was the OEM UCA. Once the weather gets warmer here, I might be able to remove the whole shock assembly and check everything out. I also agree that the fact that it makes the noise while stationary and just rocking the steering wheel makes it seem like it's a ball joint or tie-rod end. The problem is that none of the ball joints are grease-able, unless I use a needle-type injector and poke a hole in the ball-joint boots, which I'm not super-keen on doing... but maybe it's an incremental step I can take before throwing the parts cannon at this, or doing the harder work of removing the whole shock.

Ford would probably deny the warranty on the UCA since you have a lift. I would.

A dealer tech doesn't want to mess with aftermarket parts. So I am not surprised they didn't want to talk to you. Who knows how much they even inspected it.

In Denver there are a ton of good 4x4 shops, I suggest taking it to one of them.

Or disassemble that coilover, inspect, then reassemble.

Or throw some parts on it. New UCA and outer tie rod. See if that fixes it.

 

[VRFlyer]

I have a similar noise coming from my front passenger side after installing a Fox 2.0 kit on my 21 Lariat. I think mine is due to a poorly assembled coilover from the factory. The shocks inside the coilovers I received were way off-center inside of the spring and the top hat looked super crooked. I reached out to the company I bought them from and they told me this was normal and that they would settle and straighten out once under the weight of the truck. After taking their word and installing them the drivers side looks ok now but the passenger side is still way off and is now making a similar noise. They did send me another set of coilovers and this time one looks ok while the other is even worse than the first two. This weekend I'm going to replace the squeaking one with the one good one I received in the second shipment and I'm hoping I'll be good to go after that.

MADE IN THE U.S.A. they said ...... ?

FK that noise, man! Tell them to shove that piece of crappy QC Boo-Sheet for some other dummy.

 

[NVRANUF]

Took some pictures today. My spring looks nice and straight and sitting on the perch as it should.

I noticed that the sound is persistent when I turn the steering wheel all the way from lock to lock. I am going with my instinct that it's a ball joint or tie rod end. I think I'll seek out a second opinion at a different dealership.

Regarding the other poster who said my warranty should /would be denied due to the lift kit... I already checked with the Ford ESP plan and as long as it's an OEM part, not one of the aftermarket parts, they would cover it... So my ball joints should be covered.

 

[NVRANUF]

Got a second opinion on this noise, and re-checked myself using a mechanics stethoscope. I am feeling more and more confident that the noise is the lower ball joint, and mechanic friend (independent shop, not a dealer) giving me the second opinion agrees. Now I just have to see if my Ford ESP warranty will cover a new lower ball joint, or potentially a lower A-arm.

 

[NVRANUF]

My Ford Dealership agreed to take a second look at the lower ball joint. They said they used "wireless chassis ears" and confirmed the noise was in fact the lower ball joint. They covered it under my Ford ESP and now everything is silent and smooth.

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