Is there a way to tell if the top strut mount (on a 03 996 C4S) is bad or torn without removing the entire strut? I'm getting a knocking/clunking noise from the front end of the car when it's warm out or I've been driving for a while and I think it's the strut top mount (from all that I've been reading), but when I look at it and try to find the noise with the car on ramps or jack stands I can't replicate it. I've read that pulling them out on a C4S is a PITA so I'd really like to avoid that if there's nothing wrong with them and the problem is something else.

Thanks

 

Anyone???

 

The only way to see what's going on with the topmount is to remove the top nut and the washer that's underneath it. Once you've removed these, you'll be able to see the rubber bushing that the strut rod passes through. The bushing breaks/rips where it attaches to the steel part of the mount.

 

Excellent... thanks for the info! Any idea what the torque setting is for that nut? Once I remove the nut and washer, will that screw up my alignment? I know that may be stupid question, but I thought I'd ask.

Thanks!

 

No, and no! The torque spec shouldn't be too difficult to find - If I remember correctly it's around 65 ft. lbs - but don't quote me. There's a great little shop book of 996 torque specs by "the Knowledge Gruppe" it's about $60 which seems a little steep but it's well worth it to have handy when you're working on the car. Removing the top nut won't mess with the alignment, but if you have to replace the topmount(s) you will need to get it aligned. Good luck

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

So everything looks OK (no visible torn rubber). Since this doesn't seem to be the cause of the clunking noise, where would you look next? The noise seems to be related to bumps in the road surface and doesn't happen when the car is cold (or it's cold outside). It only occurs after I've been driving a while and seems to get worse in hot weather. It sounds like it's coming from the driver side front of the car.

 

So I did some searching and it sounds like this could be a problem related to the ball joints on the front end. Has anyone changed these out on a C4S and if so, is it a DIY'er kind of thing? I know that it would require an alignment afterwards, but other than that, is it doable?
Thanks