Doug944s2

Hey guys,

I've got a grinding noise coming from the rear of my '89 944S2 when I take left-handers, that almost sounds like a tire rubbing on a fender lip or innner liner (I've taken the rear tires off several times, and there's no evidence of contact anywhere, on both the tire and the wheel).

The rear bearings seem to check out okay. A reputable mechanic said it might be the inner CV joint going bad. Does this sound plausible? It doesn't make noise under any other circumstance...only under side load when I'm cornering. Thanks!!

AutoXdriver

Sorry I can't help more but from what I've heard the CV joints typically click when they're going bad.

Hans

[quote] only under side load when I'm cornering. <hr></blockquote>
Re-check bearings.
If in doubd visit the dealer shop.
CV joints will also click in straight line.
TakeCare

Michael Stephenson

This seems to be a fairly common S2 problem, as it has come up several times before.

My car used to do this occasionally when cornering hard, especially when there was a passenger in the car. It sounded just like a tire rubbing and like yourself, I could not find any signs of it doing so.

I changed my rear shocks and the problem has gone away. (This may not be your problem, though)

Many S2 owners have complained that the stock rear shocks and torsion bars are way to soft for the cars power. I now have Koni adjustables on the rear – they made a world of difference in how the car handles.

TaboII

One other thing to check is the wheel bearing itself. about $40 dollars each this may be the noise your discribing. The CV joints make a clicking or rattling sound not a rubbing tire sound.

Just my .02

Doug944s2

Thanks for your input, everyone. My mechanic checked the wheel bearings, said they were fine and refused to replace them! Well, he's been wrong before (but mostly right!).

Peckster

I notice that from time to time. Turns out it was my teeth!

Skip

The wheel bearing usually won't grind unless it's really out of shape - this should be easily checked by your mech. The CV's will click and clack when going bad, but they grind when gone completely. The design dictates this, as the ***** will gaul in the carriers - you can really see this once you've popped a bad one apart.

Start with the CV's if your mech is so sure the bearings are okay - if not, you know you've got a good 60-75k miles until you do them again. If it is the CV's, you probably won't get away with repacking - you can choose from CV kits or complete axle sets, according to your budget. Don't bother reusing the CV bolts - they're relatively inexpensive and offer great piece of mind.

Good Luck!

Bones944

my 86 n/a has developed a roaring from the rear of the car (more to the right maybe?) that starts at about 20mph and gets loudest at about 60mph and has a slight "whoomp whoomp" associated with it. Sounds like out of round tires, however the tires are only a couple of months old and look fine (Kumhos). Also it is worse when in a sweeping turn to the left, and eases up some when sweeping right. I assume it is rear wheel bearings. It seems to be getting worse. Any other ideas?

Skip

Could be the wheel bearings, but they usually only *sing* at higher speeds. When was the last time the CV's were serviced? If never, start there... they need it anyway.

A cheap and relatively quick way to diagnose is to swap axles, then chase the sound again. Do not flip_and_swap the axles... this is a trick used to lengthen the service interval, but the problem may come back to haunt you if it was a lack of good grease in the CV joints to begin with.

FWIW, the reason to start with CV's as the culprit is that they are magnitudes easier to replace than the pressed in rear wheel bearings of the later models - requires special tools... or, Mo' Money.

Skip

Doug944s2

Thanks for the responses, Skip...you truly are the Guru! BTW, the Paragon stuff I bought--coil-over kit, torsion bars, Konis--is working great. Jason set me up with nearly ideal spring/bar rates, and the car's balance is just right.

Again, the grinding noise only happens with side load...sounds like it's coming from the right rear when I take left-hand corners.

I'll try swapping joints side to side, with cleaning and repacking. When you say "swap but don't flip" I interpret that as the right inside CV joint becoming the left outside joint. Do I have that right??? Thanks a ton in advance.

Skip

[quote]Originally posted by Doug944s2:
<strong>When you say "swap but don't flip" I interpret that as the right inside CV joint becoming the left outside joint. Do I have that right???</strong><hr></blockquote>

Yup

Doug944s2

THX!

Bones944

Just took the wheels off the car and looked closely, and yes, the rear tires (about 2 months old) definitely are worn and cupped on the inner 2 inches or so of the footprint, more so on the right side. Is this indicative of alignment (only?) or suspension? Could a bad bearing be causing some of this? I've noticed that the 86 n/a has a much harsher ride than the 87 951 ( with the sport suspension option), it seems to transmit every bump in the road as a pretty hard "hit". Also, the wheels on this car are 16X7 phonedials, look to be front wheels from a 86 turbo ( all 4). Offset looks correct though. Rear shocks were replaced by the PO about 2 years ago. Any ideas here?

Doug944s2

Sounds like a classic case of too much negative rear camber. I'd take it to an alignment shop, and make sure they have the correct Porsche tools to set the camber and rear toe.