Recruiter_Bruno

Wondering if this has happened to others?
When pulling into a parking spot at low/normal speed while turning the wheel sharp I get a moan/groan noise.
It started last fall and since taking the car out last week the noise is still there.
The fluid reservoir is full and nothing is leaking.

I am thinking it's either the power steering pump or the steering rack but was curious if this has happen to other 997s and what was your fix.

Thx

Bruce In Philly

2009 C2S 197K miles

It may be what used to be called strut bearings. On the top of your front struts, the shock and spring assembly, there is a ring of ball bearings in grease and surrounded by rubber "plates". I suspect the sound is the rubber against rubber sliding and really not the bearings per se. Back when I purchased my 2000 Boxster S new, I had the groaning/creaking after only about a year or two of ownership. Back then, the dealers would replace them under warrenty as a courtesy. They did, and the creaking/groaning came back in about the same time period. It became... um... a charming feature of the car.

Try spraying the crap out of the upper parts with silicone spray. If it stops creaking after a bit of working in, there ya go... or is it Bob's your uncle? It will probably come back in six months to a year. I did this for my current C2S and thenwhen it came back I used my favorite penetrating grease Winzer Polylube 250 and it never returned.

Read more here: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...ube-it-up.html

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

Tj40

Could be the top of the struts - that is fairly common - but would only happen when you are turning the car.

Or is it more of a drawn out noise vs a shorter noise as you turn?

Damn- Bruce beat me to it!

Bruno - trying to remember if you are on coilovers?

Recruiter_Bruno

Yes B16 Damptronics. Installed in 2019. It's more of a drawn out noise. Really doesn't sound like suspension. I'll try to recreate it some more and add more info but I feel it is steering related.

LucV

Does it sounds like this? Mine does it on the left side but only when turning left. Been doing it since I bought the car in 2020.


I've been trying to figure out what's causing this. Strut bearings and top plates have been changed but it persists.

da Vinci Dan

The C4S has staggered wheels. The geometry is putting stress on the drive line components when the steering is completely clocked to left or right. Just try not to do that.

8x57IRS

This is exactly the call of a rutting roe deer. Scnr.

Recruiter_Bruno

No, definitely not that sound.
It's a moan/groan sound.
A couple of Porsche techs in my circle agree it's probably the power steering pump on its way out.

CarreraAlex

Just want to note that this happens to me when I leave my car for quite a while and drive it the first couple of times - it goes away once the car has been driven and warmed up so I always chocked it up to needing to move the system around. Is this constant for you?

jeffc2731

One of my other cars (2012 VW Touareg) has the same symptoms of a drawn-out moan/groan at slow speed on full turns, eg parking. It was intermittent when hardly driving it, but recently I've been driving it more and I haven't been hearing it.

Hootsama

Oh man, that sound right there would wreak havoc on my OCD.

Bruce In Philly

Give in, just do it... Stick your head in there and shoot the crap out of the top with silicone spray. You won't hurt anything. You will know if it worked in an afternoon.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

danzap

I actually have this exact noise, only happens when turning left. It's this seal or metal ring or something for the steering rack input shaft. With someone turning the wheel I got under and ever so gently touched that part and the noise would go away so i guess there is some slight rubbing going on there, not sure if it means something is failing. Stick a glob of grease there and the noise might go away.

Bruce In Philly

The problem with general grease is that dirt sticks to it and then you end up with sandpaper. That is why I used Winzer Polylube as it is a penatrant, and the lubricant left behind is not very sticky... among others, it has PTFE... which I think is teflon.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)