on-air

I hand't driven my '02 Boxster for about a week and a half. Yesterday got in and as I was leaving my nieghborhood the left front wheel started making this scrapping sound - sorta like metal on metal . It would lessen a bit if I stepped on the brake but it was still there. Car has 35,000 miles. I thought brake pad worn? -- but if it was that wouldn't the sensor light up on my dash as well prior to it getting this bad?

then a few minutes later it stopped and I couldn't get the sound to do it again. When I got home, I jacked up the car, and the wheel spun freely.

Could a rock gotten stuck somewhere it shouldn't? Any ideas?

thanks

Kerry

sjfehr

How much brake pad is left? How does the inside pad look? (You might have to take the wheel off to inspect.)

Zu_langsam

you probably just had a rock between the rotor and the metal shield behind it. if you her the noise again reach through the wheel and push the metal shield away from the rotor

Ray S

If it is not a rock, your wheel bearings may be failing (if the sound is an ongoing occurance).

THXBABE

Do the bearings sound metallic when they start to go?

I just started getting a droning noise from the right rear. I thought it was the new tires, as it used to sound like loud tires. But the previous set wasn't this loud at all (Kuhmo Exsta MX) and the noise is getting louder.

Car is an 02 S if that matters.

Ray S

In my experience it starts with a drone at speed and will get worse from there (turning into a grinding sound).

I had to replace a wheel bearing on my '00 986 in 2007.

THXBABE

Lovely.

Thanks Ray. No grinding yet, but the drone is getting ridiculous. I will have it checked.

Are the bearing a DIY? Are the parts expensive?

Ray S

I did not do the repair myself so I'm not sure how difficult it is on the 986. I has been a while since I had mine fixed, but if memory serves it was not a super expensive fix.

Macster

circa 2004 maybe 2005. $100 (approx.) parts, 3 hours (approx.) labor at indy Porsche repair shop. (Don't remember the mileage but close to if not over 100,000 miles.)

I suppose if one is motivated enough he could do the job. Not sure what's really required. (I've done wheel bearings on other cars but they were easy as pie and I know enough about what's required that I know I can't do one with the ease and speed I used to do other car wheel bearings so I don't want to tackle a wheel bearing job on my Boxster next time one comes due.)

Mike Focke's web site has link to instructions for a wheel bearing DIY.

Sincerely,

Macster.

AlpharettaRK

Just about anything is a DIY for some of us! If changing your oil is a 1 and doing a clutch is a 10 I'd give wheel bearings a 5. Parts are about $60. Special tools are a wrench that will undo 340lb/ft nut and a bearing puller that I think can be rented from Pelican

Cheers
Randy

rob76turbo

Yeah, it is that 340ft/lb nut that is the difference for most people between DIY and taking to shop!

stumpjumper

I've done it, bought the puller & the bearing, took me about 6 hours alone with hand tools, but that was for a rear where you need to remove the half shaft & exhaust (you can just drop the exhaust but removing the secondary cat tube is easier since it's 6 bolts)

it's straight forward, the access is easy, the tool (sir tools) works great for removal and installation

the hub nut can be removed with a 2ft breaker bar with a 200lb person easily

re-torquing it to the correct specs is much more difficult

arenared

Pretty much what other folks have said:

* About $60 for the bearing. I read some years ago that *** bearings are the better of the 2 suppliers that Porsche uses. My bad bearing was an *** for whatever that's worth.

* You'll need the SIR tool (from Pelican Parts). I think it was about $150, more with shipping. They also have the bearings.

* For the axle nut, I just used myself. For example, if you are 200 lbs, stand about 20" or so on a large breaker bar. You may also need a short extension to clear the body (at least on the rear, you do). To avoid slipping and damaging my wheels, I put on my spare.

* Porsche's instructions are to remove the whole wheel carrier and heat the thing up in an oven to like 100 oC. It's much easier to leave the wheel carrier on and put the bearing in the freezer (set on coldest). I also used a hair dryer to heat up the wheel carrier a bit.

* Getting the old bearing inner race off the hub flange could be a PITA. Sometimes they stay in the bearing (hooray), sometimes they come right off with a puller (not included in the SIR kit BTW), sometimes you may have to cut it off (PITA).

* If you're pretty experienced with working on cars, this is a DIY. You have to weigh the cost of the tools, etc., versus your time. If you plan on keeping the car a long time or know other Boxster owners, it might be worth it to get the tools like I did. This probably won't be the last bearing I'll ever do.

If I get a chance, I'll see if I can dig up some pictures.
Here's a brief YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH3MHWEnVCg
You can clearly tell it's the bearing with the axle, wheel, brakes, etc., removed. It's really difficult to tell for sure it's a bearing with everything attached. Mine was a right rear 2000 S.

THXBABE

You guys are great. Thanks for all the info. To avoid buying the extra tools which I am not likely to use again, I am just going to take it to my man Pedro and see what he has to say. Needs an oil change anyway.

sjfehr

You can borrow a lot of tools free from your local auto parts store. They won't have any Porsche specialty tools, but Advance and Autozone both have loaner tools you can check out; they put a hold on your credit card, and then reimburse you back when you return the tools. I used these all the time for things like gear pullers and ball joint removal tools and such on my other cars. They're good quality tools, too, not the cheap crap you might otherwise buy for a one-time-use tool.