O.K. I know trying to describe a rattle is almost futile. But my wife and I are at our wit's end and can use any suggestions you may have based on your experience with these cars (960).

The sound seems to emainate from the front of the car, low in the engine compartment. I can't distinguish either side of the car. It sounds like loose metal grating on metal, but muffled. It only occurs when driving on unsmooth roads. Engine speed, gear changes have no effect on the sound. It is truly random but always occurs with movement on roads that aren't even all that rough. Smooth roads produce little noise.

Things we've checked :

Crawled under the car and checked all nuts and bolts, lines, fuel filter mount. Engine and trans mounts. All front and rear suspension bolts. Tugged, Pulled and checked everything we could get our hands on in the engine compartment and under the car. Checked all nuts/bolts on front struts and rear shocks. Took everything out of the car and truck.

The only thing we could find : The sway bar link boots were torn (one on each link on both sides) and the left front link appeared to make a slight noise if I really shook the hell out of it.


Any thoughts you might have will help.

I love this car but sometimes it drives me nuts!

DEWFPO
--
1998 S90 062,925 1995 964 145,750

I had a problem w/swaybar link ends on my 970 960 wagon. One end of the link went (on a new link from FCP) and I got a terrible rattle/clunk when going over bumps and road imperfections. Based on your description I would be willing to bet the swaybar links are the problem. The problem is not apparent until you take the link off and compare it to a good one. The fix is easy if the nuts aren't frozen. You can replace in 20 minutes with the wheel on turned to one side.

ahj,

You were right on target!

I replaced the swaybar links and the noise went away. There is sanity again in our car. Thanks,

DEWFPO
--
1998 S90 064,250 and 1995 964 148,450

I think you've answered your own question. The ripped boots on the sway bar links are a definite failure! Those link ends are like minature tie rod ends and once water gets in there they rust, loosen and develop clearances that make them rattle. BTDT! About $50 from the dealer and about 15 minutes to change with the car on ramps. (Be carefull to avoid damage to the boots on the new ones.)

On rare occasions people have reported that an end of these links loosened and just needed to be tightened. However, your torn boots mean that you are dure for new links. They are hard to diagnose since the sway bar usually biases some force on them when the car is still. With the car on ramps, get an assistant to rock the car back and forth to find a spot where the links have no force on them.

My next project is a "groaning/soft crunching sound" caused by failing rubber bushings on the inner ends of the control arms. (Parts are sitting on my work bench.)

--
'96 965 with 16' wheels at 102K. Had '85 745 Turbo Diesel for 200K.

I had this rattle too, so don't pull your hair out. For me any way it turned out to be the power steering cooler, that metal pipe loop just in front of the drivers side wheel. All I had to do was bend it a little. Others on the board have put split hoses over the tubing in the areas that touch to prevent the rattle.

Hope this helps

DanR 94 964 221,000 miles
--
DanR

I had a similar problem.

Turned out to be the heat shield above the catalytic converter. The shield's thin metal cracked around the nut attaching to the car. This thing rattled on the cat every time we drover over a bump.

Fixed it with a $.10 extra wide washer and used the old nut still in place.

Good luck.

Chris

95 940 83000 km