Front strut tower bearing lube

[flybird]

Good day, I believe my upper strut tower bearing is creaking when I turn the steering wheel. It is not very loud but is happening all the time now. My question is can I some how lube this thing since it is a sealed bearing and if so what type of lube would be best ? Thanks

[wvicary]

Are you sure it's not a dry ball joint or tie rod end? I have never lubed a strut brng but maybe someone else can comment.

[Q-Ship986]

I had a noise that I would call "creaking," too. At first, I thought it was coming from under the dash somewhere along the steering column. Ultimately, I had my wife turn the steering wheel left/right while I hunted around for the origin of the sound-- with an ear a few inches from the top of one shock tower or the other, there was no doubt it was coming from there. One was noisier than the other.

The bearings are relatively inexpensive, but require removing and disassembling the strut. In a nutshell, you have to remove the caliper, disconnect the tie rod and lower control arm from the knuckle, and remove the fasteners that clamp/hold the strut assemble. Pulling the strut out after everything is disconnected requires some technique. As for special tools, you'll need a spring compressor, a certain kind of ball joint removal tool, and a special socket to properly torque one of the nuts when you put it all back together. Some of the bolts are to be replaced, rather than reused. Even though I carefully marked everything, I performed an alignment afterwards and found some tweaks were needed.

After I replaced the bearings, the noise was gone. I highly doubt you can lube them in place and achieve a lasting improvement. --Brian

[flybird]

Thanks for input guys, looks like a project in the making.