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THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHMost economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Reported or suspected cause
tie rod ends
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Identified cause
1
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that suspect a cause
1
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Suspected cause · Original poster
I did spot some super suspect tie rod ends, to my untrained eye they look completely shot ( pictures also uploaded with the others ).
Most economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed work
Replace along
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Discussions that contain suggestions
1
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Suggestion · Original poster
I would hugely appreciate if anyone could take a quick look at the uploads and let me know if they agree that the struts need replacing along with all the other components mentioned above.
Most economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Read full discussion summary
Leading evidence: 'tie rod ends' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'tie rod ends' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace along' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
I would hugely appreciate if anyone could take a quick look at the uploads and let me know if they agree that the struts need replacing along with all the other components mentioned above.
Most economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Replace bearings as well while you have it all apart
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I would replace the bearings as well while you have it all apart.
Most economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Replace things
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion · Original poster
I don't mind doing it if needed, just money is tight and I don't want to replace things that don't need replacing.
Most economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Run on the springs at this point
Suggestion or failed attempt
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Unsuccessful attempts
1
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Discussions that contain suggestions
1
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Suggestion · Original poster
I have a 2002 base 986 with 136k on it, both my front struts are leaking and I think the car is essentially running on the springs at this point.
Most economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed actions (4)
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Replace along
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
I would hugely appreciate if anyone could take a quick look at the uploads and let me know if they agree that the struts need replacing along with all the other components mentioned above.
Most economical 986 front strut replacement path - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Coverage and how to read this overview
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
12 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
986Forum: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261027T022239Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
I have a 2002 base 986 with 136k on it, both my front struts are leaking and I think the car is essentially running on the springs at this point. I have a pretty bad steering wheel shake that I think the shot struts are a major contributer to.
I'm going to attempt a DIY replacement, based on research so far it doesn't seem
TOO
scary and I've tackled a lot of other DIY jobs on the car successfully.
I'm trying to figure out the best path forward without breaking the bank. So far this seems the most economical path:
2
BILSTEIN 22113313 B4 OE Replacement Struts from rock auto
: $430
2
Front Strut Mounts 99734301801 from rock auto
: $60
2
Bump stops 99634330102 from rock auto
: $10
I'm able to borrow the spring compression tool from a neighbor, is there anything else I should order ahead of tackling this?
Thanks as always for the help!
I would replace the bearings as well while you have it all apart.
Other things to consider:
- The sway bar end link might not come out in a good shape. Either have new ones before you start or be prepared to take a few days longer if you need to order.
- The struts have a small clip to which a cable attaches. Old ones tend to break.
The front struts are the easy ones.
Thanks everyone for the help, I really appreciate it! So far I have:
2
BILSTEIN 22113313 B4 OE Replacement Struts from rock auto
: $430
2
Front Strut Mounts 99734301801 from rock auto
: $60
2
Bump stops 99634330102 from rock auto
: $10
2
Front Strut bearings from Pelican
: $64
2
Sway bar end links from Pelican
: $42
2
sway bar bushings from Pelican
: $17
Looks like a bit over $600 for everything above, then whatever shipping costs. Not too horrendous!
is 23mm the front oem size for swaybars? I repalced my endlinks - they were toast. Car went from completely warbling over potholes to feeling planted again. I don't think my struts are leaking, but my chassis is high mileage.
Struts were on my shortlist for all four corners (along with probably throwing money at other arms/bushings/control arms). Look forward to your report.
Im a big fan of the Koni Special Active setup for our cars. I even use them for the track, as does I think steved0x here on the forum. They are not what I would consider economical in the sense of rock bottom price, but they are amazing for what they are and excellent value for the money.
Re: wobbling - Get your wheels, tires, and CV axles* checked out by a shop as worn tires, alignment, condition of CV axles*, and wheel weights can impact what you described.
Super helpful, that page lists them as 23.1mm so I think
these
will fit my 2002 base 986.
Additional question, these are not different for right and left, the same part fits both sides of the car?
I had a chance to jack the car up today and get some pictures and videos of the suspension components. I would hugely appreciate if anyone could take a quick look at the uploads and let me know if they agree that the struts need replacing along with all the other components mentioned above. I don't mind doing it if needed, just money is tight and I don't want to replace things that don't need replacing.
I did spot some super suspect tie rod ends, to my untrained eye they look completely shot ( pictures also uploaded with the others ). Is it possible that these could be the cause of my steering wheel shake at 70mph?
The pictures and videos can be found
here
.
Thank you so much in advance to anyone that can take a quick look.
In case folks are not wanting to click into the Google photo album I've uploaded a few of the pictures here if it's easier ( there's a load more in the album, and some video ).
These are the tie rod ends, and then an example of one of the struts.
Thank you again!
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