0Bosxter0

Hoping some others have some thoughts on this...but I am willing to pontificate! ;)

Two Qs...

Does the other rear tire show the same sort of wear?

Does the car track straight?

Does the car track straight all the time or just before or after the clunk sound?

Without seeing the tire, it is hard to know what is causing the wear, but assuming the car tracks straight, I would guess excessive negative camber. If the car crabs, then I would think toe out.

Unfortunately, I don't think it narrows down the problem for us, because a problem with any of the arms or even the strut mount could give you funky camber or toe, giving you ugly wear.

Most alignment shops will to set rear camber the same on both sides unless the customer wants different, so take a look at the other tire and see if it has the same wear. If so, and the car tracks straight, then you porbably have too much neg camber. But it doesn't explain the noise.

I don't want you to forget the possibility of the e-brake in the rotor hat or the possibility of a wheel bearing.

Here's one way to attack it...

1. Lift the suspect corner with a floor jack. Get a buddy and try to move the tire and assembly around. See what moves, if anything. See if the strut moves in the upper mount up and down or side to side - it shouldn't. See if there is any play in the three arms. The control arm should allow up and down movement around the spherical bearing at the base, but there shouldn't be any other movement. Remember that about 25 percent of the car rests on each corner, so these suspension pieces and their bushings take a lot of load before they move.

2. Thinking of the possibility of toe out causing the weird wear, look closely at the toe adjusting arm. If there is something amiss in the arm, maybe it is right sometimes, then clunks and gets out of whack and causes the strange wear or vice versa.

3. Take the tire off, and the caliper off, and grab the brake rotor at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions - try to rock it - do same at 12 and 6 o'clock positions. If it rocks, then you have a bearing problem.

4. Spin the rotor listening for noise in the hat - and in the wheel bearing.

5. I still like the sway bar possibility - be sure the bushings are still surrounding the bar in that U shaped bracket.

Yes, both tires were showing wear on the inside, it was pretty significant, great tread on the outside wire on the inside. (see Picture)

The car tracks straight for the most part, it had a slight drift to the left (drivers side) which is also the side I believe the noise is coming from but im not sure if this is because I sit on the drivers side. Im sure the noise is coming from the rear as well.

The handling doesn't change before after or during the sound. I only notice it over small bumps like tar sealed cracks or cobblestone/brick roads not over large bumps and not at speed.

I will try and check for noise in the bearing and hat tonight provided I don't get stuck at work late again... argghhh...

I'm also going to try and inspect more closely for rubber bushing wear this evening. Would a bad bushing be visible?

Ive put my hands on most of the parts in the rear wheel well and given them a good shake and not heard anything, the car is currently on 4 jack stands so I don't want to jerk it around too much. I also need to grab a few more tools, my set doesn't have the larger metric wrenches needed for some of the bolts on the suspension.

Thanks again for the assistance, you seem to be the resident expert here on this and im just a soldier trying to play mechanic! haha

We take our 98 986 w 88k miles on long trips and have had no issues. I do make a good check list before hand to inspect ALL of the fluids and pressure in the tires. I also take along 1 qrt of oil and a small tool kit (better to be safe than sorry) Other than that except for the the cramped qtrs it's a great experience. We recently upgraded the OEM radio to a new Pioneer head unit w/SIRRUS and it makes a world of difference when we are crusing on longer trips. When you do find some open hwy or a nice road with some twists it's allot of fun to enjoy the performance. Have a great trip.

m2

Can you tell me which radio you have? I'm fed up the the tinny sound of the OEM radio. Thanks

I just bought the JVC KD-AVX77. I wanted a fully functional widescreen touchscreen unit and only have a single-din radio in the car and didnt want to do the double din conversion. This unit has everything that I needed and a lot of things I didnt! I havent installed it yet but am planning to this weekend. Its also very clean looking, when its off its just a blank black screen.

Hey all,

I know this topic has been covered a few times but im getting a little confused on what part is what...

I have a 2000 Boxster with about 62K miles.

Driving between 5-30mph I get a hollow "clunking" sound coming from the rear (sounds like drivers side) of the car. It seems to more audible with the top up but that may just be due to a quieter cabin. Ive seen reference throughout this site and the internet that its likely either the rear sway bar or the rear control arm. I currently have the car on jack stands and I've been feeling around to see if anything is noticeably loose and I cant find anything. I also cant get the bolts on the rear swaybar to budge so I don't think thats the culprit.

Ive included a graphic to note my issue. The item circled in blue (labeled with a 1) is referenced here as the "suspension arm". I've seen the same piece referenced elsewhere as the rear control arm?

Is it this piece circled in blue that is the likely causing my clunk or is is the piece circles in red (labeled with a 2) that is more likely the problem? My initial thought was that it was piece circled in blue, however looking at the diagram the piece circled in red seems more "mechanically" likely as it moves up and down.

Thoughts or suggestions?

-Ben C.

ps. The image came from piperboxster.com

The one circled in red is the lower control arm. It attaches on one end to the suspension subframe and then with the ball joint to the wheel carrier on the other end. In the rear, it adjusts camber via a bolt with a cam shaped face on both ends - as you rotate it, the control arm moves in and out. This adjusting bolt passes through a bushing pressed into the arm.

The one circled in blue is called all sorts of things - track arm and thrust arm seem to be common names. It attaches on one end with a simple bolt through a bushing on the control arm, and the other end attached to the chassis up behind the forward plastic fender liner. You really have to remove the fender liner to see where it attaches and to inspect and determine if it is tightly attached up in there.

The last one on the rear not in the picture is the toe adjusting arm. It attachs to the subframe and to the wheel carrier and uses a similar cam like bolt to adjust toe in and toe out in the rear.

All of these suspension pieces have bushings or spherical bearings that need to be checked; all the nuts and bolts need to checked for tightness. You need to do your best to try and move the assembly up and down to see if you can repeat and isolate the noise.

I would lean to the sway bar like you mention. Even if the bolts are rusty and tight, are the sway bar bushings still in good shape? You should be able to see the edges of them squeezing out of the U shaped pice that attaches to the frame. Are the drop links tight and not hitting the control arm when moving up and down?

And don't forget to check the strut mounts at the top of the coil overs - they to can wear out and allow movement up top.

Hope that helps.

BTW - the image is of the front suspension. The subframe in the rear is quite different.

That info does help. So I suppose the point of failure can be in several areas . I think im going to wait till I get three tires/wheels back on the vehicle and on the ground before I start tugging to hard on things.

Is it possible to replace just the bushings in any of these pieces or does it require an entire new assembly?

All of these seem fairly easy to get to and work on so I think ill try and attack this "clunk" myself. If it were the swaybar would it be pretty loud? The clunk is pretty audible.

Im not sure I really understand why this noise is only present at low-mid speeds (5-30mph), can you shed some light on that? Specifically with the swaybar would cause this noise only at these speeds??

Thanks again!

-Ben

You can press out old bushings and press in new ones - sometimes they are hard to find, but it is quite a bit cheaper than buying a whole new control arm. It is easy with a 20-ton shop press - and if you network with your friends enough, you will find someone that has one.

A swaybar noise would be a clunk, I think. I can see it hitting clunking against the U shaped brakcet for example.

Why you only get it as slow speeds? No clue. Would theorize that under higher speeds the load is too great to allow movement or maybe wind noise is keeping you from hearing it.

Finding noises in the suspension can be hard. Take your time, especially if you are not having any whacky tire wear or out of alignment problems.

You are looking at suspension pieces, but don't forget the e-brake is house in the rear brake hat. SOmetimes the shoes get a little hung up and can make noise, or if your e brake tension was adjusted recently, it might have been adjusted too tight and is causing the shoes to knocked around a little.

Other thing back there that can make noise is a wheel bearing. When I have lost wheel bearings on my 986S, it has never been a clunking sound, rather a roring sound under load - BUT, the guy next to me at a track event recently in his M3 had a bad rear wheel bearing, and it clunked intermittently.

I did a quick once-over last night and the bushings all looked OK. They were all pretty consistent from what I could tell. Im going to try and get a closer look tonight after work.

You mentioned tire wear... I did have extremely bad tire wear. The insides of the tires where worn to the wire, the outsides still looked new! It was almost impossible to see the wear without taking the wheel/tire off the car! The tires dont have many miles on them, a little over 20K and I never drive the car hard. My initial thought was the previous owner just had them set aggressively...

Is there possibly a loose/broken part that would cause this kind of wear?

Respectfully,

-Ben

Hey all,

I know this topic has been covered a few times but im getting a little confused on what part is what...

I have a 2000 Boxster with about 62K miles.

Driving between 5-30mph I get a hollow "clunking" sound coming from the rear (sounds like drivers side) of the car. It seems to more audible with the top up but that may just be due to a quieter cabin. Ive seen reference throughout this site and the internet that its likely either the rear sway bar or the rear control arm. I currently have the car on jack stands and I've been feeling around to see if anything is noticeably loose and I cant find anything. I also cant get the bolts on the rear swaybar to budge so I don't think thats the culprit.

Ive included a graphic to note my issue. The item circled in blue (labeled with a 1) is referenced here as the "suspension arm". I've seen the same piece referenced elsewhere as the rear control arm?

Is it this piece circled in blue that is the likely causing my clunk or is is the piece circles in red (labeled with a 2) that is more likely the problem? My initial thought was that it was piece circled in blue, however looking at the diagram the piece circled in red seems more "mechanically" likely as it moves up and down.

Thoughts or suggestions?

-Ben C.

ps. The image came from piperboxster.com

The one circled in red is the lower control arm. It attaches on one end to the suspension subframe and then with the ball joint to the wheel carrier on the other end. In the rear, it adjusts camber via a bolt with a cam shaped face on both ends - as you rotate it, the control arm moves in and out. This adjusting bolt passes through a bushing pressed into the arm.

The one circled in blue is called all sorts of things - track arm and thrust arm seem to be common names. It attaches on one end with a simple bolt through a bushing on the control arm, and the other end attached to the chassis up behind the forward plastic fender liner. You really have to remove the fender liner to see where it attaches and to inspect and determine if it is tightly attached up in there.

The last one on the rear not in the picture is the toe adjusting arm. It attachs to the subframe and to the wheel carrier and uses a similar cam like bolt to adjust toe in and toe out in the rear.

All of these suspension pieces have bushings or spherical bearings that need to be checked; all the nuts and bolts need to checked for tightness. You need to do your best to try and move the assembly up and down to see if you can repeat and isolate the noise.

I would lean to the sway bar like you mention. Even if the bolts are rusty and tight, are the sway bar bushings still in good shape? You should be able to see the edges of them squeezing out of the U shaped pice that attaches to the frame. Are the drop links tight and not hitting the control arm when moving up and down?

And don't forget to check the strut mounts at the top of the coil overs - they to can wear out and allow movement up top.

Hope that helps.

BTW - the image is of the front suspension. The subframe in the rear is quite different.

That info does help. So I suppose the point of failure can be in several areas . I think im going to wait till I get three tires/wheels back on the vehicle and on the ground before I start tugging to hard on things.

Is it possible to replace just the bushings in any of these pieces or does it require an entire new assembly?

All of these seem fairly easy to get to and work on so I think ill try and attack this "clunk" myself. If it were the swaybar would it be pretty loud? The clunk is pretty audible.

Im not sure I really understand why this noise is only present at low-mid speeds (5-30mph), can you shed some light on that? Specifically with the swaybar would cause this noise only at these speeds??

Thanks again!

-Ben

Hey all,

I know this topic has been covered a few times but im getting a little confused on what part is what...

I have a 2000 Boxster with about 62K miles.

Driving between 5-30mph I get a hollow "clunking" sound coming from the rear (sounds like drivers side) of the car. It seems to more audible with the top up but that may just be due to a quieter cabin. Ive seen reference throughout this site and the internet that its likely either the rear sway bar or the rear control arm. I currently have the car on jack stands and I've been feeling around to see if anything is noticeably loose and I cant find anything. I also cant get the bolts on the rear swaybar to budge so I don't think thats the culprit.

Ive included a graphic to note my issue. The item circled in blue (labeled with a 1) is referenced here as the "suspension arm". I've seen the same piece referenced elsewhere as the rear control arm?

Is it this piece circled in blue that is the likely causing my clunk or is is the piece circles in red (labeled with a 2) that is more likely the problem? My initial thought was that it was piece circled in blue, however looking at the diagram the piece circled in red seems more "mechanically" likely as it moves up and down.

Thoughts or suggestions?

-Ben C.

ps. The image came from piperboxster.com

Just found this while searching the net...

Im not really a big fan...

Agreed. That is what I said in my previous post....

I think the blue is dark enough that he can get away with the look; it would be over the top on a light color. With regard to the red wheels, I've seen a white Cayman S with red highlights, including the same highlighted wheels...reminiscent of the '73 Carrera RS's.

Geez, I post the picture and didn't catch the background action either!

So im taking the wheels in today, i decided to have them sand blasted and powder coated instead of painted. I found a shop in Scottsdale Arizona that guarantees their work. Ill take some before and after shots once its complete!

Ive also decided for the most part "against" getting the interior trim pieces painted. I'm afraid to much will look cheesy and too little will look unfinished. I think I will have the rear bumper pads painted, the gauge cluster ring and the flip up armrests in the doors.

-Ben

ROFL at that picture ... it's worth painting your wheels if it gets you drive-up service to your personal jet and a slender blonde grabbing your a$$!!!

I obviously missed the most important part of that photo! I've got to go get some help!!! :(

Regards, Maurice.

haha, I love the picture!! I missed that as well!

The black rims do look nice, but im thinking if I do blue it will be too much.

The paint looks great on the calipers, I think im going to order some tonight and hopefully it will be here by the time I pull my rims off to have painted.

***Does anyone have any experience with painting/colormatching some of the interior panels? The shop thats painting my rims has agreed to paint any panels free of charge, If I decide to have the interior painted I dont want to under do it and have it look incomplete or over do it and have it look cheesy! haha

Agreed. That is what I said in my previous post....

Of course Black and silver may be the exception (on a black or silver car)

I think I agree for the most part, unless the car is black or silver the color can look a little "ricey".

Although I like the custom look I want to keep the elegance if the car as well.

For now I think im going to stick with the silver.

*** I think I will paint the brake calipers though. I'm thinking ill paint a select few pieces of the interior as well... and suggestions?

When you move your AC. Sunset has the trim piece:

The part number for the trim piece for the lowest DIN is:

996-552-339-00-01C

Item: A\C Panel

Price was $5.23 to Washington State plus shipping. Outside Oregon and Washington there is a %15 mark up from Sunset Porsche in Oregon.

Good info, thanks!

I think im going to start the process this weekend, I have a nice 5 day weekend coming up!

Hi Ben- I have a new double din Pioneer mounting bracket that I did not use as well as some other pieces like a wiring plug for a double din install. I need to check to see all that I have but it will be much less than purchasing a new install kit even if you need some other pieces which are readily available. If you are interested send me a PM cmg

Im planning on doing a double din install on my '00 Boxster, it currently has the single din set up with the ac/heat controls up top.

From reading the forums it seems that moving those controls down isnt too hard. What Im worried about is the mounting bracket for the double din radio up top.

Do most double din radios come with this bracket?

I was looking at a poineer deck and i didnt come with this bracket? Does anyone know where I can purchase this bracket from?

- Ben

cmgleason,

Thanks for the quick reply, Just shot you an email/pm.

Im absolutely interested!

Im planning on doing a double din install on my '00 Boxster, it currently has the single din set up with the ac/heat controls up top.

From reading the forums it seems that moving those controls down isnt too hard. What Im worried about is the mounting bracket for the double din radio up top.

Do most double din radios come with this bracket?

I was looking at a poineer deck and i didnt come with this bracket? Does anyone know where I can purchase this bracket from?

- Ben

Please do not paint your wheels the same color as your car :o . It looks sharp the way it is. The "matchin"g wheel look is very cheap and tacky IMHO. I like the idea of painting some of the interior peices. Just make sure the paint shop does a proper job painting plastic.. If not the paint will soon chip and look like crap.

Good luck with whatever you decide :D

I was thinking along the same lines as you, but locals here keep suggesting that it might look good... Right now im planning on going with the silver. I was hoping that someone else here in the forum may have done it so I could take a look.

I did a quick Google search and it doesn't appear that anyone has ever done it!

Hey everyone, just looking for some input/advice.

I recently bumped a curb and chipped one of the rims on my Boxster pretty bad so Im going to have a local paint shop here strip them down and paint all of them. I will attach a picture of the car but its a dark blue with a blue interior. I already have the mirrors and vents color matched and had the taillights and headlights smoked with a light black and clear coated.

Originally I was just going to get them painted back to the silver color they were originally but a friend mentioned that I should paint them the same color of the car (possibly with a silver lip around the edge).

That would definitely keep them looking cleaner longer! Additionally the paint shop said they were willing to paint some of my interior pieces for no charge (I was thinking the dash peice around the AC controls, the peice around the gauge cluster, the door storage compartment covers... any other suggestions?). Im gonna get the car on jack stands this weekend and start taking her apart to hopefully have the shop paint them up next week.

What do you guy/gals think about the wheels matching the color of the body paint? What about the interior plastic trim pieces?

Im also planning on painting the calipers while i have the wheels off...

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks

- Ben

No :(

It will be another few months before one is released. Right now.. they all drone :(

B

Brad,

I dont suppose bu chance you know anyone in the phoenix area that does these exhaust mods?

- Ben

:welcome:

The most common cause of this type of noise is a loose swaybar mount.

Loren,

Thanks for the quick reply!

I think I saw that mentioned as well, any chance you could direct me to a post that addresses tightening that swaybar?

-Ben

Hey all, I’m kind of new here so ill do my best.

I have a 2000 Boxster with about 62K miles on it. About a month ago I noticed a “clunking” sound when driving over particularly rough roads. I don’t hear it when driving over potholes or large bumps but I do here it over cobblestone roads or roads with a lot of tar patches. It’s kind of a hollow clunking that sounds with each small bump. Also I only hear it when driving between 5 and 25ish miles per hour. I’ve read a few posts on here about it possibly being the rear control arms or maybe the drop links. I’m kind of leaning towards the rear control arms as the culprit.

I was wondering if anyone recently has had any experience with this or has any suggestions on how to diagnose this problem more precisely. Im kind of leaning towards the control arms as being the culprit and I think if I decide this is the problem im going to attempt to replace them myself.

- Ben