14 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHClunks, wandering and harshness...Where to start?
Reported or suspected cause
joy
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
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 report identifying a cause
1
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Reported cause · Original poster
I've done some work on this car over the past couple years (fuel tank filler, muffler swap, water pump, thermostat, alternator, starter, pulleys, belt, ect..) and it has proven to be a joy to work on.
Leading evidence: 'joy' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'joy' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check lca ball joints, top mounts/bearings, tie rod ball joints' (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.
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Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I've installed suspension components including coilovers on a couple Miata's and a WRX/STi but, I'm not familiar with the suspension on this vehicle.
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 performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Front tires are in new condition and the rears tires are down to the wear bars (so they need to be replaced).
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 performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I replaced just about everything on my '02 Cab and found it easier than either of those other two.
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
Some bushings need to be looked at closely as you can see above my rear track arms with 124K miles...I found this before I ever drove the car but suspect other parts are about to fail!
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Suggestion · Original poster
I realize its a tough question to diagnose over the forums with the limited information I've provided, however, your suggestions have given me a place to start (and consider the repair expense if I choose the shop option).
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Suggestion
That's a total of 16 suspension arms on your car that have those components, so you could start evaluating and replacing those selectively, or just do them all.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
joy
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Discussions that report identifying a cause
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.
Reported cause · Original poster
I've done some work on this car over the past couple years (fuel tank filler, muffler swap, water pump, thermostat, alternator, starter, pulleys, belt, ect..) and it has proven to be a joy to work on.
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.
Suspected cause
Some bushings need to be looked at closely as you can see above my rear track arms with 124K miles...I found this before I ever drove the car but suspect other parts are about to fail!
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.
14 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 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: 20261027T044418Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
My '99 996 has become less and less of a joy to drive recently. I've been experiencing suspension clunks and harshness and a bit of wandering on the hwy. Given its age and knowing all the suspension components are original, this situation really isn't surprising. I'm sure the shocks/struts could use some attention but, with my limited knowledge, I'm sure there's more to it.
Aside from taking the car directly to my mechanic, I'm hoping that someone may be able to give me a good idea of what I'm going to need to replace to get the car back to handling and feeling like it should.
Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Mike
How many miles?
Cab or Coupe? C2 or C4?
Where are the noises coming from? Front, rear, both?
How old are your tires?
You need to provide more info if you want an informed response...
Well, they're all somewhat suspension related, but it's sort of impossible to narrow it down from here... When you say "wandering", that could be anything from tire wear (which obviously if affected by suspension) to several suspension components as mentioned above. The "clunks" are pretty obvious when you hear them, but not always easy to track down. As mentioned above, a good place to start is: lower control arms (the ones with the ball joint, and the "tuning forks"), tie rod ends, and sway bar drop links. The strut top mounts are also a common cause of clunking - you have to remove the top nut and washer to see the compliant rubber part of the mount that cracks/tears... If you can do the work your self, you're probably looking at around $2k all in for struts, shocks, LCA's, topmounts, droplinks (this is for stock/similar parts). If you're looking to have it done at a shop, the price will probably be about 2x as much. Obviously, if you decide to go with coil-overs, the type you get will dictate price. Good luck
Hard to say. At this age, anything that has a ball joint or a rubber bushing could be worn out and causing noise or motion. That's a total of 16 suspension arms on your car that have those components, so you could start evaluating and replacing those selectively, or just do them all. My experience has been that the lower control arms are the most failure prone; both the "coffin" arm that has 2 rubber bushings and a ball joint, and the "tuning fork" arm that has a ball joint. There could also be wear/play in the top mounts and bearings.
The wandering could also be a function of alignment and tires. These cars tend to tramline, and it gets more noticeable as the tires wear out, and with a poor alignment the car will handle like garbage.
I apologize for my delayed response...I didn't have access to the internet over the past several days...
Thank you for all the responses!
My car is a C2 Coupe with 100K miles. Front tires are in new condition and the rears tires are down to the wear bars (so they need to be replaced).
Thank you for all the responses! I realize its a tough question to diagnose over the forums with the limited information I've provided, however, your suggestions have given me a place to start (and consider the repair expense if I choose the shop option). I've installed suspension components including coilovers on a couple Miata's and a WRX/STi but, I'm not familiar with the suspension on this vehicle. My biggest problem at the moment is work space...my current garage makes endeavors such as this...challenging, lol.
Mike
If you've done Miata's and Subaru's, the Porsche will not present any real problems. I replaced just about everything on my '02 Cab and found it easier than either of those other two. You should probably replace everything deporto suggests, you are well overdue and once done you will fall in love all over again.
^^This^^ - Get the car up on jack stands (solidly/safely of course) and everything is right there in front (above) of you. Some of the fasteners can be difficult to crack loose, but other than that, there's nothing particularly difficult about any of it.. The key is to take your time and if at all possible (like if the car isn't your daily driver) don't give yourself any deadlines/time constraints on the work. You'll inevitably come across more parts that should be/need to be replaced (which you won't have on hand) while you're doing the work. Good luck
^^^^
Good to know. Thank you!
I don't doubt that!
I've done some work on this car over the past couple years (fuel tank filler, muffler swap, water pump, thermostat, alternator, starter, pulleys, belt, ect..) and it has proven to be a joy to work on. However, my issue with the suspension, is simply just the room I have available in my current garage...its tight and makes these types of jobs extremely difficult.
Thanks for supporting deporto's suggestions...that's great info!
Thanks for your encouragement. This is definitely something I could tackle given time and space.
Mike
Every suspension part should be replaced by now. Some bushings need to be looked at closely as you can see above my rear track arms with 124K miles...I found this before I ever drove the car but suspect other parts are about to fail!
