TomF

I am experiencing a sudden onset of strange steering issues, and I am wondering if it comes from the failure of my A-arm bushings. I did a search on this in the archives, and found very little.

Here are the symptoms: My steering wheel at times, when driving straight, on a level surface, is sometimes angled significantly to the left. At other times, it is fine. Under hard cornering, it seems that the suspension geometry is not static, ie, it keeps changing. It is worse in a hard right-hander than a left-hander. The car wanders really badly at speed.

Do these seem to be the symptoms of failing bushings? I am going to take a thorough look at it first thing tomorrow AM.

My 993 has 75K miles on it... would a failing shock cause these symptoms? Similarly, I have thought that maybe it has something to do with the steering rack, which is also prone to failure. What about a failing sway bar link?

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
Best regards,
Tom

Glen

First step is to align the car and then see what happens after that. The 964 steering racks used to be prone to moving around, but have not heard of it on 993's. Your car being a 95 does not have the crossbrace that was instaqlled on the later cars and the RS on the steering rack so it is a candidate. Do you notice thast straight = a different sterring wheel set after a hard right hander versus a hard lefthander...these things may indicate a loose rack. If the car feels wallowy and funky for lack of a better term, sort of like a tire going flat, it could be the rear is out of alignment or one of the links could be loose...just a few thoughts to get you started.

Terry Adams

When I did the susp upgrade at 72K due to worn shocks, the shop also found worn A arm bushings. The play was about 1/8", and the symptoms were exactly as you describe. Specifically when you say "the suspension geometry is not static, ie, it keeps changing." I would, however, attribute most of the feeling of changing susp geometry to worn shocks.

TomF

Thanks for the comments. Terry, I have been beginning to think that it may be the shocks. Does anyone know how to check to see if the a-arm bushings are worn? Is it a simple visual inspection, or do I need to disassemble the front suspension? What is the remedy for the bushing problem? I have seen that Gert offers complete a-arm assemblies for sale...

Terry Adams

The check is visual, when it was up on the lift with the suspension already disassembled. I could see the cracks in the rubber and the play. Unfortunately, Porsche does not sell the bushings separately, so it was new A arms at $400 each. I was in the middle of the job, and might have got them cheaper through Gert, but time was worth something too. I am a firm believer in the "while we are in there", so I replaced them. I did not want to get it all together and pay labor again to put A arms in.

Glen

Tom, saw this and thought of your situation. You can also add monoballs to your existing a arm as an alternative.

Glen

Tom, saw this and thought of your situation. <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2401047439&category=33583" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2401047439&category=33583</a>

dwe8922

Another diagnostic tip is to brake in a straight line. If the car wanders, that somewhat indicates worn bushings b/c the front wheels go to a more toed out configuration. You can also jack the car up and wiggle and/or pry the wheel to try and detect movement.

David

James_J

I heard recently that Porsche (some time ago)had a recall on some 993s (I don't know what years were affected) regarding problems with the steering universal joint.

I checked with Porsche via an official centre just in case, but mine was not affected.

I would suggest anyone who is in doubt to check just in case.