clunking noise front end
04-21-2012, 08:24 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
clunking noise front end
Also listed on Pelican:
After the car has sat for a few days and I drive out of the drive way I get a big clunkiing noise that sounds like a wheel is unbolted and falling off. Now, I replaced the tie rod ends when I did the oil pan gasket, put new steering rack boots on at the same time. Replaced the inside right sway bar bushing and noticed erosion of the sway bar where the bushing was but I didn't do anything about it other than sanding it down and putting the new bushing in. I made sure everything was tight and had the wheels front and rear aligned at Porsche and the car tracks fine. This started after I put the front end back together.
Here's the weird part: it goes away after a few blocks. There's no shimmy at any speed, the steering's tight and the car basically rides good. Am I looking at a bad sway bar installation? I wondered about the shocks because when I pushed down on the front end (drivers side) I heard a clunk, too. How do you test shocks on these things if there's no evidence of fluid leak? I'm worried that something in the front end might break and cause an accident but with the sound going away after a couple of blocks I just don't know.
After the car has sat for a few days and I drive out of the drive way I get a big clunkiing noise that sounds like a wheel is unbolted and falling off. Now, I replaced the tie rod ends when I did the oil pan gasket, put new steering rack boots on at the same time. Replaced the inside right sway bar bushing and noticed erosion of the sway bar where the bushing was but I didn't do anything about it other than sanding it down and putting the new bushing in. I made sure everything was tight and had the wheels front and rear aligned at Porsche and the car tracks fine. This started after I put the front end back together.
Here's the weird part: it goes away after a few blocks. There's no shimmy at any speed, the steering's tight and the car basically rides good. Am I looking at a bad sway bar installation? I wondered about the shocks because when I pushed down on the front end (drivers side) I heard a clunk, too. How do you test shocks on these things if there's no evidence of fluid leak? I'm worried that something in the front end might break and cause an accident but with the sound going away after a couple of blocks I just don't know.
04-22-2012, 10:43 PM
#5
Drifting
Thread Starter
Thing is, this all started when I put the new tie rod ends in and new sway bar bushings. I'm thinking something is not right with the installation of the sway bar. I'll take it off and see if the noise is still there.
04-23-2012, 05:40 PM
#6
Drifting
Thread Starter
Guess what? It was frozen left front strut! I couldn't push down more than an inch on the left fender but a rebound test on the right, the car went down and then came back up like it should. I had the Porsche techs verify my findings. Yep, bad strut. Now time for a new thread. Which mfr's shocks should I avoid?
04-23-2012, 06:57 PM
#7
WRONGLY ACCUSED!
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04-25-2012, 08:21 PM
#9
Drifting
Thread Starter
Bought a set of Sachs/Boge struts since Koni's would be wasted here in Florida where the roads are straight and flat. They're dramaticall cheaper too. Waiting for a pair of replacement bump-stops to come in and then in I go.
04-25-2012, 08:33 PM
#10
Glad it worked out. I bought the Sachs etc. precisely because the roads here suck! If they were better I would have got the Konis. I am sure you will be happy with the ones you bought.
