Kokopelli

Hi,
a couple of day ago I get this rattling noise from the rear. First I thought it was the hatch, but that was one tight. Next I checked the spare tire and the jack. he tire was loose, but tightening it hasn't solved the noise issue. The battery is held firmly.

Then I decided to bounce the suspension, as the rattle is only there when I go over rough surfaces. I could replicate the noise a little bit, but it doesn't sound nearly as harsh as from inside the car.

I've got the car up on jack stands and checked everything that might make a noise. I found that I could get a bit of noise by moving the left rear axle from sise to side (not along the length of the axle). There seems to be no play in the rotational direction of the axle, just the fact that there is the slightest movement laterally.

I never got any of the clicking sound, and it only happens over bumbs, from inside the car it sound like a loose hatch, but seems to come from around the shock area. The shock is not loose.

Any suggestion? I've overspent my maintenace budget, as my next job was going to be the motor mounts and heat shields.

Baron009

I think I have something similiar. Could it be the cv joints?

Porschefile

I'm experiencing this as well. It sounded to me like one of the shocks was loose, but all bolts were torqued to spec. My CV's were "clicking" for awhile, but have since stopped. It's my guess that it's CV's.

John D.

Ummm - check both the CVs and the muffler/exhaust hangers. On the 944, the heat from the exhaust dries out the CVs (left side) due to heat traveling from the exhaust and up the axle shaft and drying out the grease. However - when the CVs go - they typically "click" and/or "whine" under load - and may come and go - until it's persistient (and NOT a good thing)... You may also hear them on the highway "whining" when you change lanes and load that side of the suspension...

Just my $0.000002

John

SoCal Driver

Cargo cover. The rewind spring and pawl will rattle.

Check the stub axle bolts too. Should be about 350 foot pounds.

__________________
83 944 = It's NOT a 'real' Porsche -- Its Better!!!!
When was the last time you changed your timing and balance belts
and/or cam chain and tensioner?

Kokopelli

I checked just before taking the car off the stands I crawled back under it again. On a whim I decided to have a go at tightening the top of the shock. The nut, also not loose was easily tightened a bit more. Went for a test drive and the noise was gone. Knock on wood. I have no idea what the torque value for the shocks is, but now it's firmly tight.

I suspect the evil speed bumps they have recently installed at my work. Never seen worse. The car just manages to crawl over them.

This car has got me paranoid about repairs now. I even went and had a look at a Suzuki Swift :-).

badass951

The axle is supposed to have a certain amount of lateral play. Definitely does not sound like the CV joints to me..

Steve PH

Two other possible causes of your rattle.

One is the shock absorber bolts. I ended up replacing the bolts a couple of weeks after doing the shocks. The originals all though torqued up to the right settings but had stretched or something and were rattling like mad.

Another, is one of the clamps for the rear arb/sway bar coming loose ?

Kokopelli

Thanks for the replies.

I am relieved to read that the lateral play in the axle is normal. The CV joints are only a few years old. They do get a light misting of oil/grease on the outside, but not too much.

I guess it must have been the shock bolts, the shocks are only a year old and I guess the bolts should have been replaced at the same time. Next time the rattling starts up again they'll get replaced.

Now I've got the motor mounts to look forward to. Does anyone know the size of the heat shield bolts?

Baron009

I think I posted this a long time ago... I crawled under and gave the left rear axle a good pull. It rotated back and forth about 15-20 degrees or so. The right one didn't budge any noticeable amount. Is that a sign of cv?