Chris Hansen

My rear is noisy. Anyone have any quick fixes?

Support pistons are new.

Thanks,

Chris Hansen
1981 928
2007 Mini Cooper S
1968 Mustang (son's)- restored- sort of
2006 Suzuki Aerio (daughter's)
2003 Honda Pilot

Bill Ball

Use silicone grease on ALL the rubber surfaces. Lightly applied and rubbed in well so that it essentially disappears, it is not messy at all. One widely available brand name is Super Lube synthetic grease. Take the support pistons off and grease the posts. Put a little grease on the latch mechanism where the upper latch makes contact with the lower. We just did all of this on Nicole's car and it got rid of the squeaks.

In later models there are pieces of teflon tape opposite the rubber guide wedges. You can buy the teflon tape pieces from our favorite 928 part vendors.

Check the rubber bumpers at each rear corner of the hatch. Twist them out a bit to raise the hatch relative to the body and see if that quiets the rattle. If the rattle goes away and the hatch is still level with the body, great. If the hatch now rests above the level of the body, remove the Allen bolts from the lower hatch latch (the receiver) and see if there is a plate/spacer underneath the top flange area. If found, remove it and readjust the rubber bumpers. If the hatch is now level with the body and doesn't rattle, great.

If you can eliminate the rattle only with the rubber bumpers set so the hatch is jacked up above the body, then consider replacing the plastic tongue in the upper latch mechanism. It tends to wear either externally or in its pivot hole, necessitating the jacking up of the hatch to stop the latch from rattling. It is held by a pin that must be drilled out. The upper latch should be removed from the hatch first so it can be disassembled. The end of the new pin will need to be peened so it doesn't come out.

It can help to have somebody drive your car down the street while you lie in the back so that you can pinpoint the noise source. That's how I found that my rattle was from the latch. Replacing the tongue fixed it. Another source of rattle that just happened to me is a loose top nut on one of the rear shocks.

Chris Hansen

Great advice. Thanks.

RyanPerrella

Bill,

Doesn't the silicon in the long run accelerate drying out the rubber?

jpitman2

Mine drove me nuts. I tried all the above, but it only fixed when I fitted a liner to the rear receiver.

You do have the liner in place DONT you???? softish flexible off-white lining. Makes all the difference.

No, they are NOT available separately!!! You have to buy a complete receiver...

jp 83 Euro S AT 51k

Bill Ball

Oh, maybe you are getting this from the stuff about Armor All, which contains silicates (not silicone) or did a one time.

Silicone grease is used to safely lubricate rubber without deteriorating it like pertroleum based grease.

Bill Ball

Good point. I assume too much sometimes, like that things are basically intact but the hatch still rattles and squeaks.

Chuck Schreiber

Chris,

You have an 81 and I'm assuming your hatch seal is original?? Does it leak into the rear seats while you are washing the car or after you open the hatch after washing? You probably need a new hatch seal. I replaced the teflon hatch pieces, then adjusted the rubber bumpers on my 79 and nothing seemed to work. Got a new hatch seal because it was leaking-no more rattles!!

Chuck Schreiber

Oh yeah,

Could also be your rear wiper. Get that damn thing off!!!

Chris Hansen

The hatch seal looks new, and it doesn't leak. I'm going to try out Bill's suggestions today and see if that does the trick!

bigmac

Tighten the upper part, my 90 was loose and eventually fell out after a lot of rattling and grief. Mac

Chris Hansen

Thanks for the tip. I ended up working on the '68 Mustang today, but tomorrow that hatch is quieting down! Had to get a Mustang project finished, or my son would be driving the 928 to school. That's motivation!

With all the tips, I'm sure I'll defeat the squeaks.

bd0nalds0n

The rubber bumpers are key. Focus there first.

Nine2Eight

I suffered with a noisy/rattley/squeeky hatch for years. Tried every fix under the sun with no permanent results. I finally bit the bullet and replaced the entire tongue and receiver assemblies. Problem solved. The key to the whole thing is that the hatch must shut and latch down with extreme tightness which prevents any unwanted movements of the hatch in all dimensions.

Nine2Eight
87 S4 Diamante Blau
Tampa Bay, FL

Bill Ball

If the plastic insert on the receiver is broken and the upper latch housing is cracked, you may have to replace the whole expensive thing as you did. I got away with just the upper plastic tongue. I will add this comment to your statement that "hatch must shut and latch down with extreme tightness which prevents any unwanted movements". If things are in order and the latch parts are lubed and the seals are lightly lubed, I have found I do not need the hatch to close with a lot of pressure on the rubber bumpers. My latch does not even make a pop sound when I release it, the pressure is so low. Others that I have worked on have ended up like that as well, with no rattles. I use the least pressure from the bumpers that keeps the hatch from rattling/squeaking. And I don't slam the hatch as I see others do. I close it slowly and press it to latch it. I think this and occasional lube helps the mechanism last longer.