clanking driving me nuts
 

hey folks,

im trying to track down a "clanking" sound from the rear .. which is driving me nuts.

i've checked the cat heat shields .... no issues
suspension components ... all seem to be solid

nothing seems to be loose! but i still get the clanking sound .. when i go over bumps!!

any ideas?

From rear? Describe? Metallic sound? Rattle? Only on big bumps?

Nothing in the trunk?

sorry .... more details.

its definitely from the rear.

metallic clanking ...... it pretty much sounds like a cat heat shield that is loose ... and hitting something.

only on bumps ... doesnt have to be big .. but needs to be abrupt .... so maybe driving over a pothole .. or a sudden bump on the road

there is nothing in the trunk!

thanks for reading!

Still think heat shields. I pushed on the muffler heat shield and just changed its shape slightly and fixed a rattle. If you whack the exhaust / pipes with your palm, no rattle? Do the same with the trunk bottom. See if HS is touching trunk bottom.

If the cat shields are loose they will rattle pretty much the whole time.
Your problem sounds more like something to do with the suspension.

i just changed to a fabspeed exhaust .. and took the opportunity to wiggle & wack everything i can see .... using a wrench ... tried to clank on this to replicate the sound .... the cat heat shield solid as a rock .. not fouling anything.

..... really drives me nuts

yeah thanks!..... thats what i suspect too .. but cant figure it out...

any ideas about what suspension component? there are like 8 things that relate to the suspension.

Does sound like my problem a while back. When going over things like speed humps, especially when a bit fast so that it was a sudden bump, I would get a loud rattle which I thought might be the roof frame (top usually down). Turned out it was the rear control arms, which I had replaced and the noise is gone.

Wow great! Was it the upper Or lower rear control arms?

where did u buy the replacement? EBay Or pelican?

thanks!!!

There are only lower control arms on the Boxsters.
The control arms are expensive relative to other suspension components.
What's the year/mileage of your car?

You might want to check out your drop links and sway bar bushings first, as new drop links are about $50 each and bushings are cheap.

Rebuilt track arms available for $150/ea from another vendor. Worn track arms make noise over small imperfections in the road or parking lot and are most annoying at low speeds.

Clunking can be a result of a worn strut bearing or mount. The bearing is about $50/side but you have to remove the entire strut assembly to replace, hence it may be time to replace the strut as well (~$250each).

Suspension stuff gets expensive fast!

2001 and 70K kms

im thinking ... i'll probably do a refresh with the suspension components (except the springs probably, im quite happy with the height and spring rate) ... and be done with it.

the cars handling is a bit wiggly over bumps ... so i suspect all the items you mentioned below have probably aged.

As dghii says, was the 'lower' arms. I had the job done under warranty from the dealer so I guess they used OEM parts. This was almost 3 years ago, on my 2004 Boxster with 70k km at the time. They said the job would have cost me a couple of grand ($A), so a fair bit of money if that's true. Included alignment.

ok .. ive decided to start planning for my suspension overhaul project.

Thinking about the list of things I need to buy ....according to the boxster 101 project book - these are items needed. Anything else you can think of?

- Control Arm Links (Front & Rear)
- Tie Rods (Inner & Outer)
- Tie Rod Boots
- Sway Bar Droplinks (Front & Rear)
- Sway Bar Bushings (Front & Rear)
- for the struts, im going to use Bilstein dampers ... & retain my stock springs as the height and spring rates are pretty good now.

Strut mounts, strut bearings, bump stops, track arms, control arms, sway bar bushings all come to mind.

thanks ... would you order from pelican? ebay? or other online retailer?

i've ordered some stuff from pelican before ... but ive found their prices vary depending on items ... and can be quite expensive.

Suspension Overhaul project parts list
 

OK folks ... itd be great if someone can sanity check this (make sure I have the right parts & the right quantity - as some parts are labeled for 996)... i've built a quote in pelican for the parts I need for my suspension overhaul project.

I have EXCLUDED the struts as I will be sourcing the bilstein struts separately & i am re-using my original springs to maintain my current ride height.

============================

Part Number / Description
996-347-322-03-M80 Inner Tie Rod (sold per each, 2 per car), Brand: TRW
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$48.25 / $96.50

Part Number / Description
996-347-131-04-M80 Outer Tie Rod End (sold per each, 2 per car), Brand: TRW
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$45.75 $91.50

Part Number / Description
996-343-070-04-M80 Kit 101P-986-P059C: Sway Bar Droplink (sold per each), right front 996 (1999-2005), right rear or right front Boxster/Boxster S (1997-2004), Brand: TRW
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$36.50 $73.00

Part Number / Description
996-343-069-04-M80 Sway Bar Droplink, Left front or Left rear: Boxster/Boxster S (1997-04), Each, Brand: TRW
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$35.25 $70.50

Part Number / Description
996-343-792-14-M100 Front Sway Bar Bushing, Stock Rubber (sold per each, 2 required), Brand: Genuine PORSCHE
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$16.50 $33.00

Part Number / Description
986-331-043-07-M80 Control Arm Link (Track Arm), Rear Suspension, Left and Right, each, Brand: TRW
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$203.25 $203.25

Part Number / Description
997-331-045-04-M80 Control Arm Link, Rear Suspension - Rear Lower, Left and Right, each, Brand: TRW
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$105.75 $211.50

Part Number / Description
996-341-043-06-M80 Control Arm Link, Front/Rear Suspension - Front, Boxster/Boxster S (1997-04), Brand: TRW
Price Each / Total (x qty required)
$126.25 $252.50

GRAND TOTAL:
$1031.75