Awful grinding sound when turning and accelerating

L

lulzyboy

Active user
Sep 19, 2014
68
1
Pärnu, Estonia
Hi,

Having not moved my Cougar for a while as I only have usual UK summer tyres for it at the moment, the weather got better and the snow has melted so I went for a drive. I've not moved the cougar in about 2 months but now there is a horrible grinding sound when I'm turning. When I went for the inspection when I registered it here there was a warning for something that I don't know the word of in English but it's axel related. Could it be related and if not, what could it be?
 
Could just be rusty brake discs if it's been stood for that long? If so, brake a lot and it will eventually clean the surfaces, though you may then find you need some new pads in the near future.
 
I'm not sure if it's the rusty brake discs as they were much worse when I bought it and I didn't have that issue. I've Google Translated the warning I got on the last... MOT? wishbone front axle front bushings are bad. I don't know what they are or how hard it is to change it... nor how expensive or if it's related to the issue I'm having
 
Wishbones are the front suspension arms. You're looking at about £250 for a pair from Ford or about £150 from Euro car parts, (do they have stores in Estonia? I've no idea) but you'll also need a new set of the 6 bolts that hold them in. They cost around £50-£60 for a set and can only be used once (which is why you'll need new ones), as they're designed to stretch when torqued up.
 
Hello Ian; I doubt the grinding is related to the MOT problem as that sounds like you've had a warning about the front wishbones which are well documented on here. They are specific to the Cougar and ST200 Mondeo and, as such, are relatively expensive. I believe they are now available from Eurocarparts for about £80? per side plus the 8 bolts required for fitting.
The grinding could be a wheel bearing or CV joint.
 
If the balljoint rubber is split on the wishbone and the joint has dried up and rusted it can make a horrible sound when turning the wheel.
 
That's actually rather expensive for front suspension arms compared to other ones. Do Mondeo ones not fit? As for the grinding, would rust cause the issue if I turn? It doesnt make any sound when I'm going straight, only turning.
 
Mondeo ones will fit if you swap the front subframe for a Mondeo one. And prepare to swap the wishbones every year as the Mondeo ate them for breakfast.

does it grind only when moving or standing still?
 
There is no alternative to wishbones but bare in mind they will never have been changed for the whole life of the car .Where as modeo ones would be changed every other mot.
 
lulzyboy said:
That's actually rather expensive for front suspension arms compared to other ones. Do Mondeo ones not fit? As for the grinding, would rust cause the issue if I turn? It doesnt make any sound when I'm going straight, only turning.
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Unforunately not. As Andy (Quicksilver) mentioned earlier, the Cougar shares a specific wishbone design with the Mondeo ST200; all other Mk2 Mondeos used a different design. The reason the Cougar/ST200 wishbones are so expensive compared to the others is that many hundreds of thousands more 'regular' Mondeos were produced and sold than the ST200 or Cougar, meaning there is a far greater demand for spares so that design of wishbone is produced and sold in much higher numbers, the knock-on effect being that they can be sold for much less whilst still making profit.
 
Everton said:
Mondeo ones will fit if you swap the front subframe for a Mondeo one. And prepare to swap the wishbones every year as the Mondeo ate them for breakfast.

does it grind only when moving or standing still?
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It only grinds when turning AND accelerating at the same time. If I turn and don't give it petrol then it doesn't make the sound.
 
Before worrying about wishbones do a few checks first.
As Mark says above: check PS fluid.
Turn steering wheel with engne running and stationary, Does it make a noise?
Raise front of car and turn steering wheel, listen for noise and try and identify the source.
Could be suspension top mounts, track rod end, bottom ball joint or siezed / sticky drop link ball joint.

If none of the above and / or the noise is only when the car is moving then suspect CV joint, wishbones, loose hub nut or knackered wheel bearing.
 
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