Rattle from front somewhere.

saxtorque
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Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by saxtorque » Sun Jul 14, 2019 10:20 am

Hi. Ok here we have my 2001 996 Carrera 3.4 Auto. Absolutely standard in every way. Full service history by Porsche or respected Porsche specialist.
69350 miles. Never failed an MOT (UK test).
However there is a very annoying rattle from the front end when going over small bumps in the road or cats eyes. Seems to be common from both sides of the car. Sounded so much like anti roll bar drop links so these were replaced with genuine parts. No difference. Next up was to check the anti roll bar middle bushes, perfect with no play or wear at all. Have since checked all the other bushes on the front & all are in perfect order. The noise is more of a light chatter & sounds quite high up ( more under the dash or above the pedals). There is a very small amount of play in the offside strut (in the middle) but really small. The car handles & drives superbly. The noise is there when braking so its not the pads shifting in the calliper/caliper carrier. I'm beginning to think it maybe steering column related but can't find any free play anywhere. Any ideas anyone?

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Mfranzdorf
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by Mfranzdorf » Sun Jul 14, 2019 4:01 pm

Wish I could help. I have the exact same issue.

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B3DAWG
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by B3DAWG » Sun Jul 14, 2019 7:06 pm

saxtorque wrote: Sun Jul 14, 2019 10:20 am Hi. Ok here we have my 2001 996 Carrera 3.4 Auto. Absolutely standard in every way. Full service history by Porsche or respected Porsche specialist.
69350 miles. Never failed an MOT (UK test).
However there is a very annoying rattle from the front end when going over small bumps in the road or cats eyes. Seems to be common from both sides of the car. Sounded so much like anti roll bar drop links so these were replaced with genuine parts. No difference. Next up was to check the anti roll bar middle bushes, perfect with no play or wear at all. Have since checked all the other bushes on the front & all are in perfect order. The noise is more of a light chatter & sounds quite high up ( more under the dash or above the pedals). There is a very small amount of play in the offside strut (in the middle) but really small. The car handles & drives superbly. The noise is there when braking so its not the pads shifting in the calliper/caliper carrier. I'm beginning to think it maybe steering column related but can't find any free play anywhere. Any ideas anyone?
Your problem is pretty common with these cars.

Check it out...


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808Bill
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by 808Bill » Mon Jul 15, 2019 9:21 am

Have the struts top hats been replaced? I have the same issue and think this may be my issue. Feal coil overs going on in a month or two with new top hats (what ever they're called)

b3, rattling and creaking are two different sounds/issues.
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by TheDeckMan » Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:29 am

Rattle normally seems to be strut mounts and or shot sway bar end links. Since the end links checked out, I would jack the car up and use a pry bar under the wheel to lift up/compress the suspension, you should hear the clunk of the strut tops.
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saxtorque
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by saxtorque » Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:27 pm

The MOT test here puts the wheels on 'shaker plates' on the ramp & really works the bushes & ball joints, couldn't detect any play anywhere. If you lift the front wheels off the ground the suspension obviously hangs down & loads everything up differently to normal use including the sway bar so I'm not sure you would find anything that way. As for the strut top mounts, the weight is on the mounts when the noise occurs so they are loaded, the noise is a fast rattle rather than a knock. Although when I let the wheels back down off the jacks & ramp the noise seems to dissappear for the first hundred yards or so. Maybe coil overs is the way forward but I was trying to keep the car stock.
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B3DAWG
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by B3DAWG » Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:37 am

808Bill wrote: Mon Jul 15, 2019 9:21 am b3, rattling and creaking are two different sounds/issues.
Thanks Bill. I'm in the studio recording business. ;) I know sound differences, but I not always right about mechanical things. I threw that out there to help get the OP thinking about other possibilities because a lot of people have had the problem that is noted in the video.

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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by gnat » Tue Jul 16, 2019 7:40 am

saxtorque wrote: Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:27 pm Maybe coil overs is the way forward but I was trying to keep the car stock.
Coil overs may fix the issue (if it is related to the struts/springs, or mounting hardware), but they shouldn't be required if its not something you really want to do.

Any chance you can get a video of it making the noise? That might help since people tend to hear/describe noises differently (for example our 996 has made a horrible noise the first time you back it up after a cold start in near freezing temps. I describe it as a grinding/rubbing while my wife describes it as a thumping (Porsche literally replaced every mechanical part front of the cabin and it still makes the noise)).

Maybe silly, but have you checked the frunk to make sure everything is tightened down properly? Not a tool or something bouncing around in the pan? Similarly, check the battery area for anything loose in there.

How fast do you have to be going for the noise to occur? If it happens at low speeds maybe someone can walk next to the car while you drive over something to cause the noise to see if they can better pinpoint the area it is coming from.

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808Bill
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by 808Bill » Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:02 pm

b3freak wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:37 am
808Bill wrote: Mon Jul 15, 2019 9:21 am b3, rattling and creaking are two different sounds/issues.
Thanks Bill. I'm in the studio recording business. ;) I know sound differences, but I not always right about mechanical things. I threw that out there to help get the OP thinking about other possibilities because a lot of people have had the problem that is noted in the video.
Lol, I know. One mans rattle is another mans clunk or creak...
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Re: Rattle from front somewhere.

Post by 5chn3ll » Tue Jul 16, 2019 3:25 pm

Putting the car up on ramps or a lift and wiggling every suspension component (or better, whacking things carefully with a rubber mallet) will make it a lot easier to track down the culprit.

Understeer: You will hit the wall with the front end.
Oversteer: You will hit the wall with the rear end.
Horsepower: How hard you will hit the wall.
Torque: How far you will move the wall.

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