2000 Boxster S suspension Qs - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

2000 Boxster S: now that I have my right side axle out for repair of a boot, I 've had a chance to look at the suspension parts. I get a loud "thunk" sound when I go over bumps at low speed (<25 mph) coming from the right rear. I've read the threads about noise (particularly sway bar bushings which I am replacing.) All 4 bearings were replace last year. I've checked the rubber strut stop and it's OK. Haven't checked the motor mount yet but the sound seems to come from the side rather than the front of the engine. Any tips appreciated. Also, the diagonal brace on the right side is not flat- it has a slight bend in it close to the middle. Is this normal or should the brace be flat when laid on a flat surface? I don't have the left side off for comparison. If it should be flat, can I just flatten it? Thanks as always for advice!

Took off the left side diagonal brace and it bends in the same way as the right- so either the previous owner gave it a hard knock or they are supposed to be that way!

Its your rear Track arms (the arm the goes from next to the ball joint up toward the front of the car, about 2.5" long). I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the same noise in my 2000 boxster. If it sounds like a clunking sound, at low speeds and over small bumps, then its the track arms. I just went out and replaced them, and the sound completely went away. When I took them out, they didn't look bad too. BTW, the OEM arms a lot of money can can fail again, I ended up buying adjustable arms for like $300 for the pair.

Where and what did you buy?

Thanks for the tip on the track arms. The clunk sound does sound like it is coming from the area where the arm connects near the passenger seat- so that makes sense. I'll definitely check it out while I wait for my cv joint replacement to arrive! As turbo23dog asked, what did you use a replacement for the oem arms? Thanks again theitalianflip!

Your very welcome guys. Remember you cant really test to see if they are bad, you just have to replace them to fix it (ya, kind of sucks). Anyways, I bought them on ebay a while back. These are the exact same ones http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-986-Boxster-97-04-Adjustable-Rear-Track-Arms-/370504777678?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5643ce3fce They are super easy to install (2 bolts each, and easy to get to), just make sure when you install them you tighten the lock nuts well. If they are loose, it will make the same exact sound as if you never fixed it. (trust me, I learned from experience). hope this works!

Thanks for the listing! I looked at the left control arm tonight (since that side is disassembled!) and sure enough- you can see the grease from the ball joint at the front end of the arm leaked all over the arm and the socket is torn. The listing you gave actually proves to be better deal than any place else I have found for oem parts. Any reason why the seller says professional installation is required? Anything special about them that you found when installing yours? I need an alignment anyway along with new tires so... but any tips appreciated! In any case, I owe you one theitalianflip! Tim

http://www.****************************************.com/SubCategory/Steering%20and%20Suspension/Control%20Arms%20and%20Related%20Parts.aspx

Ya like I said, I did a lot of research on this topic and found this best solution . I think the seller is saying pro installation is required just to cover his back, but its an easy install. The only hard part of the install is jacking up your car and getting on your back to install the arms. I'm a young guy and didn't mind it much (being 24 yr old lol). The arms are very good quality and I liked them a lot. They also make the toe adjustable too. The only down side is they are a little heaver than the OEM, but I think the benefits out weigh the cost. Here is the link for the install for a different forum, but you have to be a member to look at it: http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/12646-diy-replace-rear-upper-control-arms-track-arms/ Hope this helps again!!

You are correct again- the seller emailed me and said that is a disclaimer for people who are not mechanically inclined! Also, thanks for the install description.Definitely very helpful as well!

Can you just replace the bushing on the OEM track arms? I found a site that sells them but I'm not sure if it's for the OEM track arms

You may be able, but i think its taking a chance. It seems that the original design of the track arm bushing is not that great. The way the after-market bushing is designed is very simple, but effective. You can always try it and let us know how it goes. If its a cheaper alternative, then why not?

Got the new track arms in. Really nice aftermarket product (on sale and free shipping- thanks, theitalianflip for pointing them out!) The noisy one on the passenger side was difficult to get in. I bought the Boxster when it came off a 5 yr. lease and there was some subtle damage to the suspension on that side. Replaced the wheel bearing, the cv joint, and the track arm. The track arm must have been making the clunking noise already as it appears the dealership mechanic really cranked down the bolt resulting in a slight bend in the chassis brackets that hold it. After figuring that out by putting the driver's side arm in first, I had to slightly bend the bracket back into shape (using the old track arm for sizing and as a lever. ) The new arm then went in easily. Everything is fitting together great and the rear end is like new! Thanks for the tips!

No more noise?????? Ya hope all is well now. Its always great news that we can help out our Boxster buddies.

Yep- took it out for a spin tonight on some curvy Smokie Mountain roads and not one clunk sound from the rear. Also noticed that there is less bounce/hop in the rear when going over a series of close bumps! Greatly appreciated your pointing out those arms! Now to get an alignment, put on the front strut tower bar, and then new tires in a month or so! Great board to get help on a great car! Tim

Thats awesome to hear. If you ever in California with your car for some random reason, I know some good Cruz spots

Does anyone have any long term reports on those vertex remanufactured tracking arms? I just bought an '03 base with 78k mi (car used to belong to member bobd21) and found the same R rear clunk mentioned earlier in the thread. Local indie shop found problem in minutes but dealer wants $800 for a pair of new arms. (funny thing, that same dealership didn't find anything to comment on about the suspension when they did the PPI and test drive, but they wanted to charge me almost $100 to change a bulb in the taillight that took me all of 5minutes to do)