creeking front end after fully upto temp ep3

[Adriches86]

i have a facelift ep3 and have noticed that after a long journey, or 15+ miles on a motorway as i return to normal roads the car creeks. it seems to be from the front end when there is weight transfer, from front to rear. it is usually from setting off although yesterday i noticed the same noises on braking. i dont have any creeking when driving on short journeys or sticking to slower roads.
this morning i am going to be having the car in the air to see if there is anything that really stands out.
at the minute the main areas i am going to focus on will be the front rubbers &bushes and suspension.
ive been having a read and was wondering could it be the steering rack?
or is there anywhere else to check?

 

[Loxy]

Check the engine mounts while you are at it. but the rest you should definitely check. Rack is only normally noisy on steering but could be push rods, drop links, arb bushes, top mounts etc. etc.

 

[haGGard]

I had this exact thing, after months of head scratching i found it to be the steering rack. Same symptoms as you, creaking sound when pulling away and braking. Its easier to hear when doing a hill start or the engine is under heavier load.

I found a few people bought 'lithium grease' and squirted it into the boot rubbers of the steering rack. Not ideal i know as you shouldn't go puncturing the boot of anything, but a small pin size hole was all it took on the drivers side boot, squirt the stuff in (its like a WD40 can with a helpful straw attachment) and hey presto the creaking sound has been gone for ages now. The boot rubber is firm enough to seal itself back up in a way and as long as the hole is small enough it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Adriches86]

I did mean to update this. Ive found mine is looking like the steering rack im just weighing up the above method or buying the new slider