Suspension and Maintenance Question
 

I am working on replacing a bad wheel bearing and discovered some torn ball joint boots while in there doing the repair. I believe I need to replace parts 9 and 17 from the attached photo to address the torn boot issues.

My question is two-fold. If I am replacing both parts 9 and 17 should I also be replacing part 8 so that all the bushings are new at the same time? Is there a way to check part 8 to determine if it needs replacement? Second, I think this could get very expensive if I use all Porsche parts. I see options for different manufacturers of these parts. Does anyone have any experience with other brands such as OCAP, Meyle, etc.?

I am not trying to spend too much on the repair but also want to make things right. I appreciate any advice people on this forum would have for me.

Thanks.....

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1461087916.gif

TRW is very good and are the OEM manufacturer for many of those parts. When you buy a TRW part you get the Porsche part with the little triangle that designates Porsche ground off. Meyle is very good as well.

• For #8, you can get TRW, either the 986 (JTC1186) or the 987 (JTC1316) part for around $100 each from Amazon.
• For #9, Meyle, I just got 2 of them for under $200 from FCPEuro, I think the price may have gone up very slightly since then.
• For #17, I have aftermarket rennline links, but either TRW or Meyle (!$77) would be good.

If #8 is bad you probably are hearing some knocking and certain noise coming from the back, seer this thread for more details: http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/53590-rear-suspension-noise-over-tar-strips.html

If it was me (and it is since I am actually replacing all these components front and rear right now as part of a wheel bearing and new suspension project I am about 3/4 of the way through) I would do them. Then you will have all new joints and bushings, etc...

Edit: note that I am not endorsing any vendor, your results may vary, etc... Pelican is very good about having things in stock instead of having to wait extra days so for speedy results they are often the best choice.

Thanks for the fast feedback!! I will look into these options tonight and try to get some stuff on order.

If you haven't replaced the #8's yet, you probably will want to... they are probably creating a rattling sound when you go over tar strips or brick roadways. I've replaced 2 of my #9's. I bought a #17 by mistake (sitting on the shelf now in case I need it in the future).

I will echo everything steved0x said - TRW are the oem suppliers for these parts, if you buy them as TRW branded they will be identical to the Porsche ones except the little Porsche triangle logo will be dremeled off.

When I replaced the #8's I went with the 987 parts - they look identical except for the cast part number starts with 987. The bushings are supposed to hold up better.

Pay attention to the orientation of the #12 and #18 bolts and try to get them oriented the same way when you put in the new parts. You'll need to get an alignment, but this will get it close until you can get that done.

Thanks steved0x and BirdDog. I decided I will replace part number 8 as well. I removed one and it really seems pretty good but I figure as long as I am doing all this, might as well. I was going to get the 987 part but it is out of stock right now so will probably end up with the 986 one - who knows, maybe it will be in stock again by the time I get my order in. I have my list of parts but held off until I did a bit more dis-assembly. I'm glad I did as I keep finding more and more things wrong the deeper I get. Tonight I got the hub pulled off and the bearing removed. I was puzzled as the wheel hub seems to be "tapered" as it enters the inside half of the bearing. That didn't seem right to me so I got online and started searching for pictures. Sure enough it is not supposed to be that way so now I will need a new wheel hub as well. I can actually push the hub half way into the bearing without using a press!!!

I'm starting this repair, but am puzzled. What is the difference between the 986 and 987 part? If one starts with a 986 and replaces the rear control arm with a 987 arm will the car handle differently? Should these be done in pairs? I only have one side that is "clunking".

Remember when replacing item # 8 that the suspension needs to be in compression ( car weight on suspension ) .

Do you have a picture? That seems odd. My fronts were easier to pull and press the hub than the back, but not like what you describe.

Woody can hook.you up with a hub... New they are freakishly expensive.

They are shaped a little differently but I don't know what other differences might be in the bushing end. I have the 987 parts installed. I would replace both if changing to the 987 part, but would feel safe replacing only 1 side with a lil part if only 1 was broken.

As a rule, the 987 parts are for 2005-2012 cars. SOME 987 parts fit 986's (motor mount comes to mind). I have not read anything about suspension parts being backward compatible. Not saying they aren't, just don't remember them being an option on our cars.

I think the rear trailing arm might be the one 987 piece that can be used on 986, see this post for some pictures comparing the 986 and 987 parts.

http://986forum.com/forums/476883-post106.html

I just read a thread somewhere about this (from a different forum) - sometimes on the fronts the inner race can spin on the hub and gradually machine it away until the hub fails. The consensus on the thread was that this was mostly caused by inadequate torque on the stub axle. This same thread was talking about the need to repack sealed wheel bearings, like shown in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A5kf5pXl4w

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-A5kf5pXl4w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I just replaced all 4 of my wheel bearings and did not do this... Ugggg. I was able to torque all my axle nuts to 300 ft pounds plus an additional pull, since the torque wrench I had access to only went up to 300#.

Phew. That looks like an original wheel bearing from FAG, Print says Schaeffler USA. Question is if it's a china fake or an original Porsche OEM part. Can't see that from the video.

If it's not a fake bearing this looks like planned obsolescence. :(

Regards, Markus

Something that's not been mentioned here is that if you replace your suspension parts with aftermarket versions, go into it knowing that if they're using poly bushings they'll last longer but make a lot of noise (squeaks, rattles, clunks).

I've gone to buying low mileage salvage suspension parts from Woody instead of rebuilt or new control arms because they seem to wear out so fast on my car. Might be the nasty Houston roads, or the nasty Houston heat and humidity... not sure. But I know I'm replacing at least one control arm piece on the front or back every 2 years with very little driving (6k a year max).

The rubber being used for German suspension parts (Porsche, BMW, Audi, MB) is really crap now. It used to be quite good in the 80s from what I'm told.