Noisy Boxster Rear Suspension

[CJ_Boxster]

What part of the metal are you crimping in that last picture? ^^^ draw an arrow around it.

[CJ_Boxster]

I called my Father who works front desk at a mechanic shop. He says they have a Hydrolic press for things like this. insite, would you think that if you have an industrial type press that you would have 2 non-rattling control arms rather than 1 working and 1 not working?

He said that if i get him some control arm removal directions for the mechanic that he can give the arm a go on the press.... If i do this, Would the area in the picture below be the area that should be pressed down or further out or more inward?

[insite]

I called my Father who works front desk at a mechanic shop. He says they have a Hydrolic press for things like this. insite, would you think that if you have an industrial type press that you would have 2 non-rattling control arms rather than 1 working and 1 not working?

He said that if i get him some control arm removal directions for the mechanic that he can give the arm a go on the press.... If i do this, Would the area in the picture below be the area that should be pressed down or further out or more inward?

i have all of that at my disposal. that's how i got the bearing cartridge out of the control arm. i used hydraulic presses and a vice to attempt repair. the best result was with a vice. the first pic shows how to press the cartridge back into the control arm. the second pic uses a larger die that only contacts the crimp, attempting to keep the sleeve from slipping again.

[insite]

then grease it....

[insite]

install the boots. the lower snap ring needs to be assembled to the boot and threaded down to the base of the boot (it's too hard to open / slide in place; threading works better).

[insite]

this is complete. i tried this with two control arms. after one month, the right side is silent and the left is louder than ever. i'll attempt a repair on the left again to see if i can't figure this out for good.....not sure when i'll get to it though. BTW, CJ - in your pic, you are correct about where to press. you have to press the cartridge in first though.

Edited January 16, 2007 by insite

[CJ_Boxster]

The pictures are very informative, Would it be neccesary for me to remove the bearing? couldnt i just remove the rubber boots and use a dye to press the crimp?

[insite]

The pictures are very informative, Would it be neccesary for me to remove the bearing? couldnt i just remove the rubber boots and use a dye to press the crimp?

absolutely do NOT remove the bearing. you'll never get it back in with the crimp in tact. the loose bearing in the photo was removed from a bent control arm to see if there were any part numbers on it that may lead us to a replacement supplier.

[CJ_Boxster]

The pictures are very informative, Would it be neccesary for me to remove the bearing? couldnt i just remove the rubber boots and use a dye to press the crimp?

absolutely do NOT remove the bearing. you'll never get it back in with the crimp in tact. the loose bearing in the photo was removed from a bent control arm to see if there were any part numbers on it that may lead us to a replacement supplier.

GOOOOOD! Ok so just to recap, In the area I specified and drew lines in your picture... Thats where the crimp is and needs to be pressed.

and I do not need to remove the bearing... only reason you removed it was cause your control arm was bent.

I think thats all i needed to recap..

Hey Insite, is the still noisey control arm the one you pressed the bearing out then back in? If so, do you think if you didnt remove the bearing and just pressed the crimp down tighter that you would not have any noise outta that control arm?

[insite]

GOOOOOD! Ok so just to recap, In the area I specified and drew lines in your picture... Thats where the crimp is and needs to be pressed.

and I do not need to remove the bearing... only reason you removed it was cause your control arm was bent.

I think thats all i needed to recap..

Hey Insite, is the still noisey control arm the one you pressed the bearing out then back in? If so, do you think if you didnt remove the bearing and just pressed the crimp down tighter that you would not have any noise outta that control arm?

once you remove the boots, you will see on the 'crimp' side that the crimp retains a brass ring and that the brass ring holds the bearing cartridge in. first, press the brass ring in (VERY lightly). then, press the crimp. i suppose you could try just pressing the crimp; i didn't do it that way though.

as for the noisy arm, i did NOT remove the bearing from that arm. i used the above process on both arms. one seems to have worked. the other seems worse to me. post your results / modifications when you finish. maybe we can nail down a process together for repairing these things. good luck.

[CJ_Boxster]

Ok then, Well It seems to be a 50% chance of it working, I like those odds HA. Ill see if I can give it a try today after i leave the shop thats replacing my MAF. I will definatly post my results and anything i did and did differently.

[geoff]

I saw a comment on the Boxster racing board about the Fabcar control arm for the GT3 that will supposedly also work on a Boxster. I followed the link from the Fabcar products page to their reseller, Smart racing products. I don't know much about Boxster suspension parts, but it looks like they might have a replacement cartridge for the control arm. Look at 443100: 996 Control Arm Pin Installation. There are some other references to 911 control arm cartridges on the page, but I'm assuming the refer to air cooled 911s, and not 986/996 parts. Will the Fabcar / Smart Racing cartridge fit into the Boxster control arm? Here's what it looks like from their installation page:

[insite]

I saw a comment on the Boxster racing board about the Fabcar control arm for the GT3 that will supposedly also work on a Boxster. I followed the link from the Fabcar products page to their reseller, Smart racing products. I don't know much about Boxster suspension parts, but it looks like they might have a replacement cartridge for the control arm. Look at 443100: 996 Control Arm Pin Installation. There are some other references to 911 control arm cartridges on the page, but I'm assuming the refer to air cooled 911s, and not 986/996 parts. Will the Fabcar / Smart Racing cartridge fit into the Boxster control arm? Here's what it looks like from their installation page:

thanks, geoff. those are the lower control arms. we're discussing the rear uppers. for those who have never seen these, they are similar to the GT3 lower arms, which separate from their bearings. they are shimmable for added camber. the fabcar arms have rebuildable ball joints. the only problem is cost. it's around $1000 for the 4 bearings + another $1000 per fabcar arm. then, add another $200 or so for shims and fasteners. basically, unless you race in IMSA or Rolex, you probably won't spend the dough.

[CJ_Boxster]

Hey guys, This is just so people interested in my progress dont have to wait here for my reply, Ill got word from my father yesterday that I will have access to the hydralic press on Saturday, Saturday i will take pictures of what we did and write out how we did it. So till saturday!

[Tony Roma]

Hey guys, This is just so people interested in my progress dont have to wait here for my reply, Ill got word from my father yesterday that I will have access to the hydralic press on Saturday, Saturday i will take pictures of what we did and write out how we did it. So till saturday!

thanks CJ, hope it goes well

[CJ_Boxster]

Sorry people, I could not find the time to try and resolve this issue today on saturday, The racks at the shop were full BUT on tuesday i will be going to the shop to attempt to repair the trailing control arm. Ill keep you updated on the progress i make on tuesday.

[CJ_Boxster]

Boy are you all lucky, I have a buddy on another forum that has fabricated some adjustible rear control arms, guess how much for a SET.... $269!!!!!!

go here for more info VVV.

http://986forum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=...p;postcount=162

[CJ_Boxster]

Heres what the finished product looks like... :clapping: :notworthy:

[Stefan]

Very nice!

How many are in a "set"?

Do you believe that they will be as strong as the old ones? When the bushings wear out, can the bushings be replaced indpendent of the actual arms?

-S

P.S. Do they come in Ocean Blue? :P (Just joking)

[CJ_Boxster]

Very nice!

How many are in a "set"?

Do you believe that they will be as strong as the old ones? When the bushings wear out, can the bushings be replaced indpendent of the actual arms?

-S

P.S. Do they come in Ocean Blue? :P (Just joking)

A set comes with 2 arms, one for each side of the rear. I dont know if they are stronger than stock and i assume you can replace the worn bearing cartridge by unscrewing it from the arm... Send a message to the vendor, im sure he could send you spare bearing cartidges for them for extra money.

[Stefan]

Yes, thank you CJ. I mistakenly misread you as being the "supplier".

[Tony Roma]

Hi, are these an easy diy, thanks

[CJ_Boxster]

Hi, are these an easy diy, thanks

Suprizingly YES. If you buy the adjustible control arm, you just jack you car up, remove the tire and then unbolt the control arm itself and while its off you have to adjust the new one to the exact length of the old control arm.

There are only 2 bolts that hold the control arm in, and after removing them, the control arm slides out.

[Tony Roma]

Thanks, i may give this a go :thumbup:

Edited January 31, 2007 by Tony Roma

[CJ_Boxster]

Ok Fellas, Good news, I received the control arms from that vendor i mention in this thread, All i have to say is WOW, these look so good, the steel is heavy gauge, the welds are worthy of suspension parts and not to mention, they look cool in blue. Ill will be making a DIY write-up so that everyone can know how to adjust them to spec before installing them. I attached a picture of the control arms that i bought.