nsully

Are the plastic wheel well liners secure?

jscott82

Ive got $5 on wheel bearing.

mgianzero

My bad. I was assuming you had a C4 as well.

If you can jack your car by front lift point to get front wheel fully off the ground to freely spin, you may be able to reproduce the sound if it's something that doesn't need to be under load. Brake dust covers, etc. can cause this.

Load dependent and terrain dependent noises tend to come from suspension components.

A wheel bearing usually producing a higher pitched whining sound that is speed dependent.

But noises can sometimes be difficult to decipher. So, until you find it, you really can't rule anything out.

OverBoosted28

First thing is to make sure nothing is stuck in between an ribs on any tires (gravel/rocks/bolts), then try and move wheel while parked (grasping with your hands) in lateral/vertical direction and see if it "clicks"/moves. Jack it up and do that again. Get it up and go lock to lock and watch what's going on. You'll need a friend or patient (not one in the same) woman to help with this. Nothing up front. Go to the rear and do same thing. Good luck.

pp000830

Park the car get the wheel on that side off the ground. Grasp it by the sides and jerk it from side to side as in steering left and right, any play will be very telling.
Andy

911LeeN

Thanks guys, I'll perform the various inspections/tests suggested tonight and report back!

AOW -- I have about 45k miles.

963K993

Could be a damaged / broken drop link or sway bar mount causing the sway bar to bang something.

Box on Wheels

Did you check the torque on the lug nuts?

911LeeN

So I did the various tests and inspections and eliminated the tie rod and wheel bearing. There is no play on the wheel or on the tie rod at all.

But, once I took the wheels off, I at least found something that could be the culprit. The front sway bar drop link was shot. Great deal of play and visually...well, you can see what it looks like....

It looks like the sway bar is hitting the control arm, but I can't tell if that's the case because the car is jacked up (i.e., no load), but there is definitely some visual signs on at least the control arm that they are banging somewhat. Does this convince folks that that is the root of my "thunking" sound?

Needing to change the links anyways, what are my aftermarket options and are they worth it? The OE part number right now is 993.343.069.000. I've seen Tarret links for about $100 more on the bird, but I'm not really tracking the car, but do enjoy some very spirited canyon driving.

Thanks all!

I think this means 963K993 wins the prize . . . ?

bcameron59

looks to me like that adjustable anti roll bar may not be set up right, it looks verrrrrry close to the control arm so there might be interference. Can't see any marks in pix so it's hard to tell for sure.

Is the ARB held securely by the brackets further in? They have a big rubber grommet around the ARB held in place with a metal clamp, the bolts holding the clamp to the chassis should be tight. If they are loose this would allow the ARB to move around and not function right.

Either way the drop links boots are toast and look like they have been that way for a while so I'd replace the drop links if I were you. If dirt has got in there it will wreck the ball joint. If the boots were just cracked, you might get away with repacking them and putting on new boots but I wouldn't chance it with these as bad as they are.

The Taretts are nice gear but stock ones are fine, check pricing at Sonnen and Sunset etc. for OEM. I had to use stock on the front as the c4 links have a big C bend for axle clearance and last I looked Tarett didn't have a fit for the fronts. With those ARBs you will have lots of adjustability anyway.

911LeeN

Hey Brian --

Yes, I double checked the metal bracket/collar holding the sway bar in place -- it is very tight, at least to the touch and human force. I agree it is close, but I wonder if that's because of the lack of load sagging everything down perhaps? Either way, I will check it when it is on the ground again for adequate clearance.

The price for the Taretts, if for two links, is actually cheaper than buying two OE drop links, so I may go that route if that's the case. The right side appears shot as well, though not as bad as the left...

AOW162435

You're also missing the clip that holds the brake hard line union to the strut. Not only could that 'click' as the soft line flexes in turns, it could also cause the hard line to fail...


Andreas

Mark Harris

Refreshing to read through an "old school" thread. One that is based on the mechanical need of a member and the guidance and support from others.

Don't get me wrong. I have no issue with the recent appreciation of our cars values and I read those threads to.

But this reminded me of why I first came here and all the help and support I received while sorting out my first 993.

So let's all hold hands and sing kumbaya.

Spyder_Man

If you go with Tarret drop links make sure there aren't any additional items that you need to buy like hardware and boots. There were for my rear toe arms. i.e. When comparing Tarret to OEM prices, just make sure you're comparing the full setup price.

Get those brake lines secured too, but it looks to me like the sway bar is the source of the knocking sound.

OverBoosted28

Although the pics show the obvious, disconnect the link at the sway to confirm that it is striking the LCA. With susp. drooped it's hard to tell. Get everything secure (especially that brake line).
Looking at pics when I put my Walrods and H&R sways, Mine is still not as close to the LCA