I've been experiencing a rather unusual problem with my 1998 Neon (which durrently has
78,000 miles on the odometer) for the past few months. There seems to be an odd creaking noise near the left front wheel, and I can't figure out what's been causing it.
The creaking sound usually occurs when I hit bumps or dips in the road regardless of speed. When I stop the car and bounce the left front corner up and down, I can hear the creak. But when I try the same for the other three corners, I hear nothing.
Another unusual aspect of this problem it that it appears to be related to the ambient temperature -- when I drive the car or perform the jostle test in cool weather, nothing happens. But when the weather warms up -- whether I drive the car or not -- I can replicate the creaking.
The creaking also seems to be more pronounced when I make right-hand turns, whether forwards or backwards. I've also noticed that the car's nose will tend to dip slightly when I make a right turn, and that there's some slight noise when I turn the wheel (it can't be steering fluid loss -- the fluid level is OK).
I've had two mechanics look at this problem since May, and neither of them could find anything wrong. Both of them said that the suspension components seem to be tight and in good order.
I'm stumped as to what may be causing this noise. I'd like to know -- is this normal for the car's old age, or is it a sign of a major failure waiting to happen?
Comments and recommendations are welcomed.
TIA,