Greetings fellow Boxster Owners! I'm more of a lurker here than a poster but I NEED YOUR HELP and so I'm posting this thread!
The Issue:
I'm getting an odd sounding noise from the right rear of my 2003 986 2.7L w/ Tip Trans (US Car) with about 165k miles on the odometer. The sound seems linked to the speed of the car's wheel and is completely independent of both the engine's speed and auto transmission's gear. It becomes audible to me at around 10-15mph and goes away (most likely the wind noise is too loud) at around 50mph. When the car is at rest with the engine on - the sound is not there. The sound only appears when the vehicle is in motion (it's even there when I coast in Neutral or drive in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th gear). The speed of the noise increases with the speed of the car. The below video was shot with the car moving at around 15-20mph.
https://youtu.be/7Tn2U3KzVv4
What I've Tried So Far:
It's been about a year since I checked the diff. fluid level (dealership maint. records show the diff fluid being changed about 66k miles ago) and yesterday I looked for leaks. Couldn't get a good angle to break the diff plug loose. Will do this if I end up having to drop the exhaust. It was hard to see the bottom of the diff cover (aluminum trans protection plate was a little in the way) but all appears dry (no puddles/leaks/drips in garage). About 25,000 miles ago I replaced all transaxle boots and repacked all four CV joints with LubroMoly CV Joint grease. I did a lot of research before tackling that job. Felt like I used enough grease when I repacked them. The boots still look clean; no cracks and no grease getting flung around anywhere. Jacked up the rear end and searched for play in the wheel bearings by trying to "steer" the wheel left and right (toe in and toe out). Also tried to check the wheel bearings by spinning wheel with one hand and grabbing on to the suspension spring - feeling for any rumble. It sounded/felt ok to me with no slop noted there. I did notice some play in the differential but that's not really a new discovery. It's always had a little slack. It seems ok (no noises/issues) and it doesn't seem like it's been anything getting progressively worse. I’d guess there is about maybe 10 degrees of play when I spin the wheel so maybe at the edge of the brake rotor I could turn it about .5” before the differential would engage the other transaxle... Anyway, last but not least, I also drove the Box with the spare tire on to eliminate the possibility of it being my tire causing the issue.
The Plea for Help:
Anyone hear this noise before? If so, what ended up being the issue? Any other "simple" tests I can do before I start dropping the exhaust and pulling the axles out again?
Thank you in advance!
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