Creaking front end on 03 Lincoln TC Exec L

Question is to general. Could be so many things. Take it to couple mechanics to look it over and get a few ideas. Ask if they will do it for free. Generally if they want or business they will

I have the same problem as most of you & have put alot of blood (literally) and sweat into diagnosing my car creaking issue I can tell you now, it probably isnt/wasnt your ball joints. I have an 03 TC Exec L & have the EXACT same thing going on w/ mine. I have gonna as far as putting new balljoints/ upper control arms, new lower control arms, steering knuckles, new struts, etc. I even went as far as putting new struts in, put it back together, still had the noise, ripped it all apart for a 2nd time, traded/swapped stuts (pass-driver swap), put it all back together & I STILL have that damn noise. I'm really starting to notice that it happens when turning slow, usually left, and/or if I tap the brakes. Next, in my process of elimination, I'm getting ready to yank the sway bar out and make sure it isn't untrue, god I hope that fixes it. If that doesnt work, I was going to adjust my strut tower-to-frame mounts. It's the part that mounts to the frame & it connects the upper control arms and seats the struts. I figure maybe those arent aligned properly ( since the car was involved with a front end collision), and that MAYBE, my tow in/out is off on one side. One thing I did notice while tearing and rebuilding the front end, is that I have a pit mark on my lower control arm (driver side) caused by the sway arm, and I know that the sway bar should not hit the control arm for any reason; & that's why I stated earlier that I was going to yank the sway bar off and double check its trueness. I will try to post anything that I may find, if I do in fact find anything, since this seems to be a problem for a good number of us. I suppose that the moral of this post, is dont get swindled by mechanics randomly replacing stuff at your cost. I have a brand new front end, & I STILL HAVE THAT DAMN CREAKING. Wish I new this $1,500 + ago. I'd still have my money and my skin on my knuckles, & maybe less frustration. Like I stated before, I have a brand freakin new front end (which is kool and all, but. . .) and I STILL have that same noise. I am, on the other hand, going to check my latches, even though I'm fairly certain that the "deep" clunking I hear & FEEL is not caused by hood latches; but, -$1,500 +, and I'm still no closer to figuring out this problem, so, what can it hurt to at least look, ya know?

One or many of your suspension components is worn, especially if they are original to the car. Like Mikbek says, get the car looked at by a mechanic.

I may not be ASE certified, but if I have all the equipment and ability, I fixing my car, myself. Anyway, this is an update. 1st off, I did pull the sway bar out and it was true and my bushings were all fine. The I thought that i could adjust my strut tower to frame mounts and didnt realize that the strut towers are connected as one entire piece from one side of the frame, to the other side. And it is the support for the steering unit, and lower control arm pivot point. So, after going through and updating all the ball joints and bushings, etc, there is not a single piece of the suspension that has not been redone; and I still have that noise. The only other thing that I can think of is something I need more info from the Lincoln ppl for. I noticed on the aftermarket OEM "approved" parts, is that the coils on the struts are coiled in the same direction. It's not rocket science. If you put coils wound in the same direction on opposite sides of the car, and though the cradles may be level. The springs are going to react very differently from each other. Try to take a small spring from a pen, and bend it slightly, the bend it from the exact opposite side, & you will notice a difference. Either way, I wanted to know from the ppl with the problem is, are the coils on your lincoln struts wound in the same direction or are they counter wound (opposing directions)? I think this is why i hear the noise only during left turns and slow ones. Well, the slow part only because higher speeds generate more noise which dampens all other noises. I wish i had spent the extra few dollars and bought the "preformance" struts, maybe. Like I said, I need a little more feedback to test my theory on the springs needing to be counter wound, & that uni-directional struts are just cheap ass parts even if it comes from a known supplier. After doing all this work myself & spending a grip of cash, & a ton of time, this seems to be the most logical and simplest explanation I can come up with. Tell me to take it to a mechanic, I'll tell ya to "come over", I got somethin in my pocket for ya. Just kidding. -Peace.

I kinda explained my spring theory wrong. No matter how messed up I explained it, I think I'm on the right path. I realize that to properly explain it and for most of you to be able to understand it, it would require sooo much more of an explanation & diagrams on the forces of spring tension & and angulation. Not to mention the forces on the suspension; & how angles on the suspension make a difference on how it rides & noises it makes, etc. Sorry for any confusion. I know that someone can decipher my ramblings & draw the same conclusion. I hope anyway