Clunking - Replaced Sway Links - Thanx Pedro but.....

Thanx Pedro for the torque specs on my sway bar links but I am such a dopey noob at this, I could not figure how to get my torque wrenches on the bolt! You have to hold a torx on the bolt to counter the rotation (I have a nice pass-through ratchet set). So I just tightened them up without over-forcing.

Quick question: Why were the bolts on the links coated with something blue... like it was a blue wash or something?

2009 C2S now with 50K miles. I am getting a clunking sound in the right rear. So, I am starting with the links and both cost a total of about $100 from Pelican. I will take the car out later today to see if it worked.

Story about my 2000 Boxster S and clunking....

I forget the year, but I was getting a clunking in the rear(?) suspension of my Boxster at around 50K miles (I think) and the dealership could not figure out where it was coming from. They first replaced the sway bar links but that did nothing. According to the shop foreman, now owner of an independent Porsche shop, I had the 2nd highest mileage Boxster they had. The other guy drove between Philly and Harrisburg all of the time and he was not having clunks. He, however, was putting on smooth highway miles whereas I was driving all over the place and lived on cobblestone streets in Center City Philly. The way he finally figured out what was causing the clunk was to use chassis ears to identify the pesky control arm. Chassis ears are little clip on microphones that you clip on to various parts, the wires run over the door jam to a switch box and headphones. You drive, and then switch between microphones and you get more data. The challenge with identifying these clunks is that the noise is transmitted all through the chassis so it is really hard to isolate the source. I could not remember if it was front or rear because after 197K miles, I replaced quite a few control arms - I am darned picky and can't stand any rattle or clunk so I get on it fast.

After these cars get some mileage on them, the dealerships then know where the most likely culprits lie. Darned to be the first.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

I just took the car for a long drive and replacing the links removed the worst of it. But under certain types of bumps, there is something else sinister there. I guess I will have to wait until it gets worse to find this one.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Way back with my 986, there was a subtle clunking emanating from the rear, and it would only begin to occur after the suspension "warmed up," regardless of ambient temperature. It would only happen on short, sharp bumps, meaning the road irregularities had only to be pothole patches, broken pavement, minor chuckholes, etc. The sound was akin to flicking a Frisbee with your fingernails, or tapping one on concrete. The car was under warranty, and my dealer wound up progressively changing out pretty much the whole rear suspension, short of the struts and springs (I think,) on both sides before the noise went away. The exact origin of the noise was not determined at that time. However, years later and no longer in warranty, the noise started occurring in the front. I had my local mechanic start changing out pieces, starting with the anti-swaybar drop links. The replacement process included the various "helper springs," bearings and shims at the tops of the struts. Steering linkage bits weren't replaced. Finally, there was a choice of changing either set of control arms, meaning the less expensive fork-like ones, or the more expensive heavier looking pieces. By changing out the cheaper ones, the problem was definitively solved. The usual pushing, pulling, banging and prying on these pieces did not cause any noise. Again, it would only occur with the particular conditions mentioned above. Because the direction/source of the noise was so indeterminate, both sides were replaced. Anyway, here's a link to what the part looks like, and it's the first, fork-like one:
Control Arm