Clunking is still there!!!? Is this a generic fault with adjustable drop links? Been told by installer they had the same problem and already tightened once before. They're suggesting moving to the non adjustable OEM drop link which they fit to all they're race/ road GT3s.
This is pi55ing me off not to mention my wallet!

 

No... dont go to a stock DL, adjustable is what you need.

Do this, grab hold of the drop links with one hand and wingle it very hard. If it is loose you will notice a play. If you dont notice any noise or play from them then the problem is somewhere else. Check all the drop links, the front and rears.

If the DL are all tight, start looking at suspension components... worn bushings, control arms, pss9 mounts etc... hope this helps.

 

Thanks Redridge but I checked all those, there is very slight rotational movement when you grab the links but it's the nuts that are coming loose, is loctite going to be enough to stop this? I'm thinking not.
Also checked the sway bars and no play there, none in the coilovers either. Should the droplink be tightened up to put the strut and sway bar under tension when the car is jacked or just tight enough to stop any play then nuts tightened and loctited? Should adjustment be made with the car on stable ground or up on jacks with suspension 'hanging' so to speak?
Confused...

 

Have you sold your bimmer to that chick ?

 

Hello Dervish,

Check the pre-load on the drop links with tension on your wheels. Use ramps/blocks/jackstands/jack etc. to put the car's weight on the suspension. You then adjust the pre-load on the links to be free of bind. To minimize clunking you can try to pre-load the links just slightly.

One thing to check is with the car's weight on the wheels if your links are in bind. Often times if they are in bind they will clunk.

I see that you put on the GT3 bars. Make sure that the AR bar bushings have not come out of their brackets or are not worn.

I cannot recall if you have campber plates, but if you have the type with circlips we've found that they sometimes clunk.

My car has PSS9's, Tarett camber plates and drop links and GT3 bars all around. I do not have any clunking.

Keep doing the detective work, you will find it!

Good luck!

Bill P.

 

Thanks, will try this, pretty hard getting your hand back behind the wheel when not jacked up but will attempt later. It makes sense what you're saying about the bind.
There's no camber plates, just the sways, drop links and uniball top mounts. The ARB bushes are brand new and in place, no movement on them.

 

I've had the same problem ever since I got GT3 sways and AP droplinks. The adjusting screws will not stay tight. I've tried red locktite, this worked on the drivers side droplink, but the passengers is loose again and every little bump, road undulation I get a clunk on the passenger side. My car sounds like a piece of crap. I've got to change wheels tomorrow so I'm sure I'll find out the droplink body adjusting screws are loose again. I guess it's time to spend 300+ bucks to get droplinks that work properly. It seems the AP droplinks are the only ones having this problem

 

the noise can be stemming perhaps from you not disclosing that you ran over your wifey?
LOL

 

Could be the spring in the coil-over spinning on its axis

 

Nope, was the droplinks. The tech guys here solved it using a Rennlist GT3 method. Reinstall the old links!
Actually they did abit more than that, they modified the existing front drops by removing 30-40mm. Because the direction of the links is different from the GT3 links you can't use those so they shortened my stock 996 links. It's a method which has been used quite alot (see Rennlist GT3 forums), they've also done it on a number of cars previously. The stock rears fit no problem. I'm not bothered about adjustability as the whole system has been set up for fast road and track and I don't plan on altering it without other adjustments. If non-adjustable is good enough for track focused GTs and RSs then it's plenty good enough for a NA 996.
Anyway, problem gone, the suspension is silent again.

 

Dervish, could you let me know exactly what you did to stop the clunking. Did you change out the AP droplinks, or just add a little pre loading. This would be a waste since this is the reason you buy adjustable droplinks. My rears are fine, the front drivers side just clunks and clunks. AP should offer refunds or redesign this product. I have never heard of this clunking from any other droplink except AP's.

 

I spent a good couple of hours Monday night following exact instructions with the AP adjustables and tightening down hard with loctite, the following morning after a 20min drive they were clunking again. The only way to resolve and make sure they were the cause was to remove them. Both front and rear were replaced, OEM stock rear and modified OEM stock front where re-installed. The AP rears were not clunking but you could definetely hear them when moving, if you grab them whilst car is flat you can feel play in the joints.
To be honest I can't see how TRG or Tarret links could be any different unless construction differs greatly. How often are you actually going to change your sway bar setting though?, once you get it 'dialled' in your pretty much set. If you're really doing that many track days where you're dramatically pushing and changing driving styles then you should probably have a GT3 already, that's my theory anyway.

 

Go with OEM drop link. That will, at the minimum, relieve that thought....

 

Yesterday afternoon, i was getting the clunk while stopped and turning the steering every inch would create the clunk. It was so bad that I called the dealer to drop off the car, but it was too late to drop off.

So first thing today 7:30am i get ready to take the car, turn the steering L to R , no noise, so I figured by the time i get to dealer i can reproduce it. I get there and the darn noise is gone. This is very frustrating, cause for the past 6 months , I've been having this noise and it's been getting worse over time. The day i take the car for repair, it's gone. My warranty is expiring in 2 months, so i really wanted to get this taken care of.

Service guy tells me that he can't check in the car if the noise is not there, then he told me to bring it back when the noise is there. I drove it back to work, and I could not reproduce the darn noise. Did something come off or are these cars known to fix themselves?

Please advise if I should check for this myself.
What are the steps to check for drop links play?

 

Does it creak like and old ship rather than clunk? The clunk sound is like metal on metal or something hitting something else.
If it creaks it could be a few things. If it happened when you were stationary and you turned the steering wheel it is more likely your top mounts.
If it happens when you go over a bump or when pushing the car up and down it could be your bushes or lower control arm.
These will generally not show up until they get warm, ie you've been driving around for abit, when you took the car to the dealer it was probably still cold. I had the same problem, as soon as it starts again take it to the dealer and get a tech guy to sit in with you.
Either way you're out of luck, these are classed as wear and tear by Porsche and therefore not covered by the warranty. I know, I've just had to fork out for them! (before the clunking happened!)