944T89

I have a 1989 944 Turbo with 60,000 miles. The car has sloppy steering at higher speeds (interstate driving). I also here a clunking noise sometimes when turning....unsually on uneven surfaces? Ball joints, tie rods, steering rack anything else? Please give advice of what it could be...would like to repair myself if possible, please be descriptive.


Thanks,

Will
North Palm Beach, FL

PorscheDude1

Check your castor blocks. (rear a arm mount) The bushings are probably shot after 20 years.

John_AZ

"The clunking noise when turning..."
Look at the tie rod ends. Is the rubber torn or leaking grease? Replacement is cheap. Rent/deposit a tie rod end removal tool from AutoZone and the job is easy. The often suggested "pickle fork" tool works but it takes a lot of major blows to get the tie rod end out.

Very bad front struts will clunk when you hit a pot hole or turn. Have they ever been changed at 60K?

Finally, the steering rack. Unless it pours fluid out, this should be your last option.

GL
John_AZ
1988 924S 58K + 1987 924S DD

944T89

Not sure how to check the castors. They look OK?! The tie rod ends look ok and so do the ball joints. How do I check the steering rack? Will the struts cause sloppy hadling a higher speeds? All my tires are wearing more on the insides.... could that cause it? Need help on trying to check steering rack.

Thanks

Will

PorscheDude1

Sounds like you need an alignment, but that will not address the knocking problem.

khooper

have you tried rotating the tires? You may want to start with that. If that doesn't do anything, You may have to go to the next thing and make sure the tires are balanced correctly and get a front end alignment. Front end aligns run about $50.00 but is well worth it. They will also tell you weather you have worn parts under there too.(most of the time anyways).
_______________________
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John_AZ

Take khooper's advice. Get an alignment to solve the wear problem and they will tell you what else should be replaced. $50 alignment? It may cost more if you do a full 4 wheel with a tech that actually knows how to do a 20 year old Porsche. The turbo badge means an extra $40

Why are you focused on the PS rack? When Were The Struts Changed?

GL
John_AZ

knfeparty

When I changed my tie rod ends, it really tightened up my steering.
My castor blocks were still in pretty decent shape, though. I have about 100,000 more miles than you though.

Zero10

Don't forget about the intermediate shaft, they might not check this when they align your car. To test it, install the locking bolt in the steering rack and test the steering wheel for free play. Any is bad news.

gregeast

I recently replaced the steering rack bushings with the delrin bushing from Paragon on the driver's side and a new rubber bushing on the passenger's side. HUGE improvement. In my case the rubber bushing on the driver's side had deteriorated to the point that the rack was actually moving side to side at high steering angles. Cheap (relatively) and easy fix that was a big improvement.

FRporscheman

check the tie rod ends' boots - if cracked, probably bad

check the castor blocks (rear a-arm bushings) for cracks and swelling

check sway bar bushings for swelling or maybe one fell out

check and confirm steering rack mount/bushings are still there

last but not least, I think your problem is upper strut mounts. Having a late car, you're in for a shock when you see the price tag. You're best bet would be ebay camber plates.

Zero10

Ah right, the delrin bushings, I put one on the D/S of my rack as well (since they only make them for that side). Huge improvement over the shoulder-less rubber bushing that was there

gregeast

Paragon actually sells one for the passenger side as well but it just didn't seem necessary since that bushing just supports the rack, it doesn't mount such that it prevent side to side motion like the driver's side does.

txbigdog00

Here's my 2 cents worth of personal experience... I had the same sort of issue with my 85 944 as well as what felt like stiffer than normal (read: hard to turn the wheel) low speed steering. The car had manual steering BTW. I went through the same scratching-of-the-head process you are, 944T89. I finally relented and took the car to the local dealer and after about three minutes with the car on the lift, he promptly sold me a set of A-arm bushings (rear) and an intermediate steering shaft. Poof, no more clunking or steering wheel vibration and no more stiff low speed steering effort. I did go back the next year and finish replacing the rest of the "normal" wear-out stuff (mentioned by FRporscheman above) as well as wheel bearings just for good measure. All that was followed up by a 4-wheel chassis alignment and brother let me tell you what... WOW. Sssssssssilky smooth. The car was actually quieter (inside the cabin) as well. Suh-weet! Shop around for prices and buy quality parts. Paragon, Vertex and several others are a good place to start your shopping adventure. Good luck!!!

944T89

How much was that job? A-arm bushings and shaft?