Last thing I can think of...could your battery be loose in the tray?

 

CLACK.

My car made that noise only once...

Right after SITM '02, I drove back to Florida. 450 miles at 80 mph, I made good time. As I approached the offramp in Orlando...I applied the brakes and heard that ugly sound. Huh, I remarked to myself...It's never made that sound before! Well, it kept doing it as I drove down the city streets. I finally got smart and pulled into a Winn Dixie to see if I could see anything- it was coming from the front end. I pulled my LED flashlight out and looked everywhere for 5 minutes- couldn't see anything. I decided to reach around the front tire and feel the bolts for the caliper...since I had just had some work done on the front end. Guess what? Normy nearly died that night. My front left caliper's upper bolt was gone and the lower was about three threads from falling out...

[flash back 5 minutes: Me passing a truck on the rainy Florida turnpike: I probably reached 95 mph~]

So now what happens when a caliper falls off? It locks the wheel that's what! Off the road you go, in a big ****ing hurry, and not by just a few degrees either. Not even Schumacher could keep that situation under control.

DUDE: GET your *** out into that garage right now and check your caliper bolts! I lost one completely. I managed to screw, with my fingers, my remaining bolt finger tight. I drove a block, didn't hear anything, and then drove home on the back streets of Orlando to my house.

The next day I took the car to the guy who did the work, and told him my story: He turned white. I cannot recommend him, despite the fact that he has a mint '84 928 as his personal ride.

N!

PS: OK. An 80 mph power slide into the 250ft/80m wide median on the Florida turnpike? It's grass about 67% of the time, otherwise its woods. It was a typically rainy night, which means the sod was soft. Would the coupe have flipped, if the brake would have locked? Or would it have simply spun into the opposite lane? These cars are built like Soviet main battle tanks.....but I still think that this would be a violent crash, even on soft grass.

 

Normy, I certainly appreciate the concern. Like I said the noise has been there since I bought the car and the rotors up front are brand new and on less then three weeks ago and I double check every bolt I touch when replacing. I will check them again for that just in case. Thanks for sharing man. Glad your here to share it.

 

Thanx Joe. I can't think of any other clack that my monster has made, but suspension parts are always musical in one shape or form when they want to die.... best of luck!

N!

 

Dave, The battery would make more of a deep balump sound. My clunk is definitely a deep sharp metal to metal sound. The best way to decsribe it is like a hand held sludge hammer hitting a big *** anvil. That is a pretty close depiction.

Steve, Yours close to that?

 

Joe, it's that 3yo tasty's burger you have rolling around the rear footwell

 

Joe, did this noise start after the front brake job? If so, it may be the new pads moving within the calipers & especially so if you didn't use any goo on the back of the pads before you installed them. See if this happens when you go forward sightly & then in reverse slightly. If it's the pads, you'll hear the clunk.

 

Another thing about my clunk - After going clunk when taking off, it's like something has made contact with the crankshaft. The sound changes very subtly. After whatever metal to metal makes contact, I can hear/feel the rotation of the engine (not the wheels or drive train). The clunk has existed before and after I loosened the pinch collar releasing tension on the front flex plate. The pinch collar has not moved since. The clunk is reset by braking or backing up.

 

I bet you the sound is from the torque tube and is from the vibration damper sliding around! See this tread. In my case I had the "hammer hitting metal" sound under breaking, it can easily be the opposite ie under acceleration if the damper has come loose from its front rubber seal. The damper is a 1.5 kg heavy metal piece and can cause serious sound if loose.
Just verify that your AT car indeed has the damper - not all models have. But since it's a 87 like mine, it possibly could have it. You could try and hit on the tube with the plastic hammer or your fist, if the damper has come loose then you should be able to hear it as it is likely to be in contact with the inner tube wall and will vibrate when you hit on it.

 

K2S - good suggestion! - noise like a slide hammer.
Joe - the closest noise I've had to this was a 'graunch' sound of heavy metal releasing under tension: it would happen as does yours, and going over certain bumps at low speed. It turned out to be the drop link bolts - noise gone when lubed and retorqued.

 

Kol, That is a very good suggestion you have made because 1) it is a heavy sound 2) It is definite to appear to be a slide hammer sound. I can not feel it in the pedal or holding the shifter. No real easy access to the tube so I never hit that direct.

Bill, Been there since owning the car.
Heinrich, Impossible because I favor and frequent IN n OUT Burger hense my girlish figure.

Now this was the god dambest thing. Got my coworker and we went out to copy the noise. Back out of the space hammer it down - NOTHING. Go in reverse hammer it down - NOTHING. after the fourth time and my buddy thinking I'm nuts it finally made the noise. So hopefully we got it.

Kol, What can be expect as far as damage? Will it just smack around until the cows come home Or will there be an eventual failure? Of course if this is the problem.

I will post the sound on the renn webpage later.

 

had the same exact issue on my old gal for over 18mos... alledgedly had everything retorqued, ck'd etc... new ball joints, suspension OH, brakes, MM's, $2800 in "this could be it" R&R expenses...

finally pulled trans for OH (1st gear slipping), had to tell trans guy 3x to pull TT even though he and everyone else swore it was just fine... inner bearings were dust... you could beat on it all day, not have any symptoms, but once it was out - things were quite clear... it's a bugger cause you can't inspect the inner bearings w/out pulling the tube...

928 has rebuilts at a pretty good price, but pulling it is a PITA for sure...

 

Have no idea on the noise, but I can attest that the TT bearings are not long range items. My 75k ones on my 5psd were shot to hell. 40k of that was my driving.

 

Just a wild shot..

Have you guys checked for play/wear in bushings on the weissach axle? My guess is that it could make that "clunk" noise.

Just a wild guess..

 

I had the suspension down not long ago to change to the Eibach. Made noise before and after and bushing were solid.

Keep them coming.