Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting clunk????

whenever i take off from a dead stop or brake to a dead stop i hear a noticably loud clunk which seems to be commin from the pass side front. i just changed the clutch and after i got it back together it started clunking. i have checked all the suspention bolts and the subframe bolts and nothing seems to be loose.. anyone have any ideas???

Check the engine mounts and roll restrictors. Make sure the rubber is still in them.

i know the sound that you are refering to..it happens in my car and i'm curious as well .except it happens to me when i'm going over large bumps, mainly pot holes, or when i'm taking a corner hard..is it the same thig that you mentioned?

I suspect a CV joint. I've had the same clunk (when stopping and starting) for a while and when my axles were pulled to do my clutch it was discovered that one of my joints was beat. I doubt my drag racing helped any. I'll see for sure if that's it when I get my car back Monday.

Is it a single clunk or a series of clunks? Bad CV joints will usually emit a series of clunks at low speeds but will be most evident when braking or accelerating at low speeds while turning either right or left. That was my experience with an 88 Escort and an 86 CRX, both with over 150,000 mi when a CV joint went out.

I've got a clunk too, but from the driver's side. Happens the same times you described - when braking to a stop, and when first accelerating from a stop. Its definitely not the CV joints - its some suspension piece that is shifting. When it moves, it makes a pop/clunk noise.

My CV joints are new, as are the ball joints and control arms. My guess is its the strut or strut mount, or the sway bar end links. What do you think?

The hole that the strut piston goes through in the upper strut mount may be worn or elongated.

A simple check, open the hood, have an assistant turn the steering wheel fully one way then the other, if the hole is worn you'll be able to tell by how the strut moves in it mount. (when the wheel is turned it is normal for the sturt to rock side to side, however, if the hole is worn not only will the strut rock but it will also slide)

IF the hole in the upper strut mount is worn the strut mount should be replaced. This mount is located on the top of the strut piston on the under side of the strut tower. The strut must be removed from the viehicle and disassembled to replace this mount.