RSR front bushing noise

[Sdgg91]

Thanks for reading. I am having a lot of noise from the front of my 82 911 SC. The car is new to me and I am trying to get this sorted… when jacking up the car I noticed there is a lot of noise coming from the front height adjustment bolt. Where the RSR bushings are installed there is a lot of play and noise. I noticed it when driving and thought it was a ball joint but I am sure this is the source of the noise when driving. For those who have this setup is this normal it seems like I need to tighten the height adjustment bolt significantly or remove it(probably not.) I posted two videos please let me know what you think!

https://youtube.com/shorts/SFpC-DRUWus?si=mJREV9ahQ47GSSaY

https://youtu.be/FcFvNXob20s

[Tad240]

Unable to view the videos. YouTube says they are ‘Private’.

[Sdgg91]

Originally Posted by Tad240

Unable to view the videos. YouTube says they are ‘Private’.

Sorry let me repost…


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[Sdgg91]

Originally Posted by Tad240

Unable to view the videos. YouTube says they are ‘Private’.

Videos are now public… let me know what you think.

[Locker537]

You are always going to have some movement in those parts when the suspension is unloaded. When the suspension is loaded, the adjustment screw hits the crossmember and causes the torsion bar to twist.

One thing to check - is the bushing fully seated rearward in the cross member? It's hard to tell from the video. You can loosen the 3 bolts on the front of the A-arm and push it rearward if not.

[Sdgg91]

Here is the noise while driving… I am starting to think it’s wheel bearings. Once the vehicle is on the ground the height adjustment bolts are under load and there is no noise or movement.

The entire front suspension was just replaced with Bilstein struts and elephant racing control arms with RSR bushings. I got under the car and made sure all bolts were torqued to spec and all was good

I am getting a good bit of movement and noise when shaking the tires with the car lifted while holding at 9 and 3 which makes me think it’s wheel bearings now.

https://youtube.com/shorts/q3SZwoFNLrs?si=vHpwe8jVFCJ3VMac


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[Sdgg91]

Originally Posted by Locker537

You are always going to have some movement in those parts when the suspension is unloaded. When the suspension is loaded, the adjustment screw hits the crossmember and causes the torsion bar to twist.

One thing to check - is the bushing fully seated rearward in the cross member? It's hard to tell from the video. You can loosen the 3 bolts on the front of the A-arm and push it rearward if not.

I will check, thank you.


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[Tad240]

Can definitely hear something that sounds loose. Any update on the wheel bearing concerns? I know that you confirmed torque on suspension arm mounting bolts so hopefully the mounts are not the problem. What strut housings are you using with your Bilstein inserts? (Boge or Bilstein?) I would confirm that the Bilstein insert isn’t loose / moving inside of the strut housing. I understand that the Bilstein struts use a roll pin at the bottom to hold the insert in place and the Boge struts have a gland nut up top to hold the insert. Just an item to check. I’ve actually had a loose strut insert on a non-Porsche car that rattled over every bump. I had to add a spacer inside of the strut tube because the insert was about 1/8” too short - the insert was moving even though the compressing gland nut was fully tight. Also I’ve had heim (non-rubber) sway bar end links that had a little play that would make a bit of rattling noise. And finally I would check that the top strut mount is all assembled properly and there is no loose movement/play. Good luck. Keep searching and you’ll get it figured out.

[PeteKz]

The RSR front bushings need to be aligned to prevent them from binding. Did you do that when you installed the arms? If not, remove the nut on the ball joint and let the arm hang free. It should rotate freely without binding. You should have received some pairs of "cup" washers that allow you set the front bushings in correct alignment

[Sdgg91]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

The RSR front bushings need to be aligned to prevent them from binding. Did you do that when you installed the arms? If not, remove the but on the ball joint and let the arm hang free. It should rotate freely without binding. You should have received some pairs of "cup" washers that allow you set the front bushings in correct alignment

Hi Pete,

I didn't install the arms they were done by a shop by the previous owner. I can't imagine anyone who installed and then drove it would have thought this sound was OK...

Is there a way other then unbolting the A arm to tell if this is the issue? there is some play when moving the A arm front and back when its lifted.

Also - will I need to get a re-alignment after doing this?

[PeteKz]

If you can slide it forward and backward slightly, then I would think that the bushings are not binding. But if you try everything else, then you're back to the bushings.

If you can't get the ball joint nut off, then I would loosen up the adjuster cap, and remove it. Just mark the number of threads on the adjuster screws, so that you put it back together with the same settings. With the adjuster out, the torsion bar is not engaged. Then you can manually move the arm and strut up and down and listen for noise (if you have Bilstein struts, they will be much stiffer because they are gas-pressurized). You will need to unbolt the sway bar links too.

But I would recommend to remove the ball joint if you can do it, then remove the adjusters, then rotate the A-arm. You will need to unbolt the sway bar links too.

You will not change your alignment if you do not mess with the tie rods or the upper strut mounts.

[Sdgg91]

That’s good to hear I can check without getting an alignment.

The conical spacers you mentioned, is there one in here already on top of the RSR mount and frame? t

[Sdgg91]

Originally Posted by Sdgg91

That’s good to hear I can check without getting an alignment.

The conical spacers you mentioned, is there one in here already on top of the RSR mount and frame? t

Pete disregard,

I have a better understanding where the spherical washers go up front. There is a step where you should use a rubber mallet to position the A arm to the rear, maybe that was not done. Hopefully I can get under there soon and check things out.

[Sdgg91]

After continuing to research the noise I think the culprit is the turbo brakes with floating rotors installed on my car…

I can physically move them and actually thought they were lose at first. It produces the noise I hear at low speed from the front end.

I would really like to get rid of this noise I wonder if there is a non floating rotor option. Some people have tried flipping the inner ring with some success so I might give it a try.




Fresh wash!

[PeteKz]

Looks mean.

[H-viken]

There are non floating options available. Elephant Racing sells one version, but there are others

[Sdgg91]

Originally Posted by H-viken

There are non floating options available. Elephant Racing sells one version, but there are others

Thanks!


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