Ford Repair: Front end groaning, ball joints, adjustment nut

Question
I have a 2001 Ford Ranger with 63,000 miles on it.  The truck runs great, but the front end groans when turning or going over bumps. It's not the power steering unit.  The tires wear pretty well, as long as I rotate them, and I've had it aligned.  The problem is much more prevalent in the summer months and becomes worse with the increases in ambient temperature. During the winter, at temperatures under about 70 degrees, it's tight and quiet.  There is no abnormal play in the ball joints (minimal wheel movement top to bottom on front wheels).  Is this just the result of sealed bushings and suspension points that cannot be lubricated?  Any suggestions, short of replacing tie rod ends, etc?

Thanks

Answer
The outer tie rod ends are notorious for drying out and causing noise. You can check them with a wrench on the adjustment nut, if they are hard to turn or feel very stiff then they are bad. Sometimes you can even hear the noise when moving them manually.

Yes, to answer your question if they are stiff or noisey they should be replaced. Ford, like many OEMs, did not provide for lubrication. By "dry" I am referring to the lack of lube, which causes the ball socket to wear and eventually cause noise, which is usually the first sign you might notice. I'm surprised that an alignment tech didn't check this, unless he was unaware of the noise.

Tie rods are the first thing I would check, but not necessarily the only possible choice for the source of your noise.