Please help diagnose ... suspension? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

clueless1 · 10-20-2010, 02:50 PM

I was driving today, going around a corner in a parking lot (very slowly, thank goodness), and my steering suddenly went out. Meaning the back end is looser than a porn star. Feels like I am driving in snow on summer tires, and I cannot keep the car straight, even when I am driving in a straight line.

I managed to pull it back home (verrrrry slowly), and after I pulled in and parked I noticed that that the left REAR tire/wheel is NOT pointing straight ahead (it is pointing significantly to the left as if it were one of the front tires with the steering wheel turned left). When I had looked at the rear earlier in the parking lot the tires were straight, so I am assuming that one (or more) of the parts that stabilize the position of the left rear wheel went kablooey. Could a wheel bearing do that?

I should also note that both rear cv joints are known to be bad (and I have the complete rear cv axles, which I will be replacing).

Can anybody help diagnose or narrow down?

Thanks.

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 12:56 PM

Ok, I was right. something went kablooey.

I think it is the rear control arm ball joint. It is the connection on the most rearward arm that connects to the hub, sheared off at the top. That is why the wheel is not straight.

Is this part available (is it serviceable)? Any suggestions for how to go about repairing the ball joint only?

Thanks.

blue2000s · 10-21-2010, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clueless1

Ok, I was right. something went kablooey.

I think it is the rear control arm ball joint. It is the connection on the most rearward arm that connects to the hub, sheared off at the top. That is why the wheel is not straight.

Is this part available (is it serviceable)? Any suggestions for how to go about repairing the ball joint only?

Thanks.

Check out http://www.****************************************.com/

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 05:01 PM

I have attached two photos of the part (not the broken side, instead I photographed from the GOOD side). The shear occurred at the ball joint near the hub displayed in the second close-up picture.

I am not familiar with the nomenclature and I don't have a good schematic. There seem to be a number of (different) rear control arms I see listed at parts sites. Can anybody give me the name I am looking for?

Re Vertex ... they do sell the ball joint (which would be all I need) but it says on the vertex site it is only for the UPGRADED control arm. Is there any way to repair the ball joint without buying and installing a new control arm?

Thanks.

blue2000s · 10-21-2010, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clueless1

I have attached two photos of the part (not the broken side, instead I photographed from the GOOD side). The shear occurred at the ball joint near the hub displayed in the second close-up picture.

I am not familiar with the nomenclature and I don't have a good schematic. There seem to be a number of (different) rear control arms I see listed at parts sites. Can anybody give me the name I am looking for?

Re Vertex ... they do sell the ball joint (which would be all I need) but it says on the vertex site it is only for the UPGRADED control arm. Is there any way to repair the ball joint without buying and installing a new control arm?

Thanks.

The ball joint is an integrated part to the control arm. Vertex takes out the ball joint, threads the hole, and installs a new one.

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 05:18 PM

Still not sure about part names. Did I break the "control arm ball joint" (and if so, which rear control arm????) or is it the "rear track rod" or is it the "rear axle strut" ball joint that is shown in the second picture? (or something else???)

blue2000s · 10-21-2010, 05:42 PM

Let's see the broken part.

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 05:45 PM

I cannot get a picture of the broken side because the wheel is turned and the car is not jacked up.

It is the ball joint shown in picture 2050 that is broken. picture 2050 is just a crop of the right side of photo 2049. That is the part that broke.

blue2000s · 10-21-2010, 07:15 PM

If it's the ball joint that's broken, then the name of the part to order is the lower control arm.

wanna986 · 10-21-2010, 07:25 PM

"Control Arm, Rear - Track Rod"

blue2000s · 10-21-2010, 07:44 PM

Careful, the track rod (6) controls the suspension's toe, but the big ball joint that carries the hub is the lower control arm (5). You need to figure out which one it is.

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 08:09 PM

its the track rod. you can see it behind the hub when looking into the wheel. It has come detached from the side bracket on the ?hub carrier?. The ball joint I referred to is the end directly above the number "6" on the track rod in the diagram you provided. On the car's good side it is attached to the ?hub carrier? with a nut on the top. On the bad side the two are not connected at all anymore.

Thanks.

Looks like I won't be able to get my hands on the part for roughly a week (shipping to canada).

I assume this ball joint is not serviceable? Any idea how I could use a screw/nut to temporarily connect so i could at least sloooooowly creep the car to a lift (won't drive it a block the way it is).

wanna986 · 10-21-2010, 08:11 PM

if Clueless is accurate in his diagnosis it is "Control Arm, Rear - Track Rod".

wanna986 · 10-21-2010, 08:19 PM

Beat me to the post, Clueless,
Canada? Have you tried AutoPartsWay. Pretty quick in the GTA.
Not really sure what a bandaid solution would be... drill the ball joint out and go from there? I'd be concerned about the safety of it all.
Here's to the best possible outcome.

*It is an easy repair once you get started. Be careful to mark the alignment so as not to mess it up once you install the new piece.

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 08:19 PM

I believe that is just the full Porsche name for the same part.

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 08:25 PM

APW lists the part, but when I pull up details it is not listed. If APW doesn't have it I figure I'm looking at a week minimum.

I'll call dealers tomorrow but I'd bet they'd be trying to pillage.

There is no alignment any more....

Kind of shocked at this mechanism of failure, I have to say. I was going 5 mph in a parking lot when it happened. I don't usually drive that slow EVEN IN parking lots. Thank goodness. I don't want to imagine how disastrous an outcome could have occurred were it to have happened elsewhere. Wow. I can't find a single mention of this failure on the boards ... is it a known failure mode?

When the leafs were 4-0 I knew it couldn't last....

clueless1 · 10-21-2010, 08:27 PM

I should ask, do the track rods need to be replaced as a pair, ie on the good side too?

wanna986 · 10-21-2010, 08:38 PM

I am no expert, but I do not replace parts that are not broken. It is weird, though. that you should have experienced this type of failure...

yelojkt · 10-22-2010, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clueless1

I should ask, do the track rods need to be replaced as a pair, ie on the good side too?

Ask yourself how long the broken part has been on the car and why it broke. You can tell this by closely examining the cracked area. How much of the cracked area is new and clean like it just broke a few days ago and is there any cracked area that looks like it has been weathered. Is there impact damage to the part and so on. Then ask yourself do you really feel comfortable running a high performance sports car with a critical piece of suspension that you are unsure of. Knowing the potential outcome of losing track rod at speed I would replace both.

clueless1 · 10-22-2010, 11:19 AM

Wise advice indeed.

In researching my options for replacement parts, OEM vs aftermarket, I have come across some more nomenclature difficulties.

Is the Rear Control Arm - Track Rod the same thing as a Toe Control Arm? In which case I will likely buy Che's adjustable toe control arm(s) as replacements.

Thanks again for the help guys!