I get a weird clunking sound in the rear, do torsions wear out?

[EarlyPorsche]

The rear of my porsche makes some funny sounds at times. It could just be loose or clunky shocks. For example if you grab the car from the rain gutter and shake it you can here the noise. The suspension is tight I am pretty sure. Before I get under there, do torsion beams wear out? These are 41 years old so I wouldn't be surprised. What could my noise be? I really think its loose shocks as I recall this noise a while back and when I tightened the snot out of the shocks it all shut up. Anything else to consider?

[tonythetarga]

The torsion bars fit pretty snugly in the tube. If they break, one corner will drop significantly. You might want to check your half shafts for loose bolts at the CV joints. Check the boots for damage. It could be the CV's are done and need to be rebuilt.
You may want to also check the motor and tranny mounts and the engine carrier.

[EarlyPorsche]

If a torsion breaks would you definetly feel it? I think the corner might be a hair lower but I could also be seeing things.

[JP911]

It would be noticeable if you had a failed torsion bar. The ride would suffer and one corner would be sitting on the shock bump stop.

One common source of the clunking sound is a torn sway bar mount. Does you 66 have a rear sway bar? If so, check the mounts.

[the]

Originally posted by EarlyPorsche
If a torsion breaks would you definetly feel it? I think the corner might be a hair lower but I could also be seeing things.

Yes, of a torsion bar broke, you'd have no doubt about it. That corner would be many inches lower, the car wouldn't be driveable.

[EarlyPorsche]

Ok good so thats not the problem. No sway bar on this one. I really think its my shocks that need to be replaced. The arm bushings look fine as the torsion bar is pretty well centered in the arms. This is tough.

[SP2]

do you think it could be the wheel hub? if you jack the car up, the wheel will wobble.

[gostraight]

spring plates?

[EarlyPorsche]

I am pretty sure the sping plates are on tight. Wheel hub? Would I need to repack and adjust? I feel like that would make a funky noise as I drive down the road if the bearings were out of adjustment or even bad.

It does it at certain times and I notice it at slower speeds. The shocks sit at an angle, could it be the shocks? Would they make a noise when coming off the small lip of my garage if they were bad?

[donstevens]

I am not sure about 911s but the clunking of in the rea of my E30 was a worn out shock mount.

[Miguel Antonett]

Sway bar rubber bushing. Ask me how I know.

[unclebilly]

I used to get weird noises coming from my rear but then I quit eating at Taco Bell.

I never had a clunking noise tho...

[Chuck Moreland]

Can you describe the "funny sounds" are in more detail? I can make funny sounds by cupping my hand in my armpit and squishing with my arm

But I don't think that is what you mean.

For example is it a metallic, squeaking, groaning etc.

[EarlyPorsche]

Its like a dunking sound from with a bit of a creak but not a sqeak when you hit a small bump or so. Over bigger stuff you don't hear it. I mainly hear it at low speeds. I don't have a rear sway bar. Any ideas?

[moneymanager]

Could be CV joints, could be sway bar bushes, could be sway bars hitting on something when you go around a corner, could be bad rubber in the trailing arm, could be bad shocks, could be bad shock mounts, could be really awful motor mounts...there are a lot of possibilities in a car this old unless it has had regular maintenance.

[Chuck Moreland]

Torsion bars don't wear out. They can sag but that doesn't make noise.

But you can bet your spring plate bushings are toast if they are original 66. They deform to the point that the spring plate cover comes to rest on the spring plate itself. You now have metal to metal contact that will make noise.

It's easy to diagnose this. Just look at the spring plate where it passes through the hole in the cover. It is supposed to be concentric in that hole. I bet it's not. You'll be able to easily see if its touching the cover plate.

The fix is new spring plate bushings.

[EarlyPorsche]

This car has not only been maintained but it has also been restored in its life. The spring plate bushings are actually good. Its a noise that seems like it gets "loaded up" when you give it gas and the vehicle swats but the motor and transmission mounts are both good. If you hit a small bump they make a noise.

Shock mounts? What do you mean? The metal where it mounts or the rubber inbetween?

[moneymanager]

Bad term. I meant the bushings at either end and the nuts that hold them on at the top.