Howdy folks. I've been chasing a growing suspension clunk for upwards of a year in Scarlet the '05 MCS R52. I'm usually pretty handy with cars and have found many a bad bushing or ball joint, etc in various cars, via the usual method: jack it up and wiggle stuff until something wiggles and clunks that shouldn't. Scarlet has had the front control arm bushings replaced with urethane and the tie rods / ends replaced over the years for these reasons. But I simply can't find this one! Driving me crazy, as it's readily audible on any rough pavement. I've wiggled everything front and rear, by hand and with a prybar, with the car in the air - nuthin' is loose! The clunk is heavy sounding enough that I would have thought one of the main ball joints (a-arm or wheel pivot) or bushings (already replaced, as mentioned).

This leads to the title question - do bad struts ever clunk? Not in my experience on other cars with struts, but all four struts are in need of replacement as one front and one rear are leaking oil, and I feel the car bouncing more than it used to. So if that also fixes the clunk, wonderful!

What else might it be...a heavy clunk that is somehow difficult to reproduce on jack stands?

thanks!
Jeremy

 

Yes, esp if it's been leaking, and if you've checked their mounting bushings (which would of course be the first thing to clunk).

 

I've been able to trace down my front end clunk to worn sway bar bushings. Maybe check them out and see if they are worn? You should be able to see the passenger side bushing from the engine bay looking down past the oil filter area.

 

It appears the struts and shock towers on Mini's take quite a beating. In my mind a design flaw to be honest.
When I removed my struts to replace them I found this;




Thanks to another member I was turned onto strut bushings from Ireland Engineering. Much more robust.




And the plates go under the shock towers to prevent deformation of the sheet metal. Oh, and to answer your original question, struts can cause a "thunk". [but sway bar bushings and /or the connectors can as well]. But if it's a deep sounding "thunk" I would suspect the struts.
robj

 

Just to echo the above user, when I had a clunk it was 100% a blown strut mount. I also randomly had some guy in an R56 ring my doorbell (I guess I'm the Mini guy in my neighborhood now?), described the clunk, and even though I have never worked on an R56 i popped the hood and yep... blown strut mount.

When i replaced my struts recently, two of my four struts were completely compacted. The clunk i had from them wasn't anywhere close to the clunk from the blown strut mount.

TL;DR: it's probably a blown strut mount.

 

I don't agree with your honest opinion the OE strut mount design flaw, especially seeing the horribly iron oxide on the bracket sitting next to the shinny new "much more robust" IE mount. IE fixed plate is more robust on mitigating strut tower deformation from impact, but not the inevitable deterioration of the rubber isolator. It is made of parts for BMW Z3. If you flip it over the rubber part looks identical to the flawed OE MINI part.

 

Thanks folks. I forgot to mention, but I have also checked the sway bar bushings and links, as well as the strut mounts. One strut mount was replaced a while back, and I don't see any cracking on either of them. I have the separate strut tower reinforcement plates, had the mushrooming years ago.

Another thread said to check the top strut nut, that they sometimes get loose! Need to do that. But really I need to replace the struts. I would like to have any other parts on hand that I need if possible!

 

+1 on the strut nut

also, bad sway bar links (end links). So much clunk :/

 

Yesterday I checked the strut mount upper center nut, as well as the 3 nuts securing to the body. All were tight. Sway bar end links have been checked, multiple times during this process! I guess I'll just get some struts, replace them and hope the clunk is generated internally to them somehow.

Strut replacement recommendations, anyone?

 

PNR,

I agree at 150K the rubber portion could be expected to fail, in my design comment, I was referring more to the shock towers deforming. To me that's a design flaw.

Sorry I wasn't clear.
robj

 

I put Bilstein B4s on my R53 and like them.

 

Hi folks. I just got Scarlet off the jack stands where she's been for a couple months. Whole bunch of things fixed /replaced, including all 4 struts with the Koni red ones. But alas, the heavy clunk is still there. Argh. Again, I can't make anything wiggle or clunk by hand on the jacks. I checked the sway bar at every attachment point. Strut mounts are good.

On the plus side, on my short test drive I did feel that the Koni's were beneficial to the ride on small, quick bumps.

Jeremy

 

Keep us posted please. I’m having this clink issue on the front right side as well. Replaced a arm bushing with powerflex. Replaced all Ball joints.
H&R coilovers. Ireland engineering street adjustable camber strut mount. M7 strut bar with plate.

it’s a big clunk especially on potholes.

 

I have a clunk over bumps coming from the passenger side rear. I’m on tein coilovers.

I recently bought the car with the clunk, thinking it was probably just sway bar endlinks needing replacing. But I’ve had it in the air and the end links don’t really feel loose at all. It kinda sounds like a pool ball hitting a table.

I’ll let you know if I find my issue before you do.

 

Sounds good. Mine is a little "heavier or clunkier" than you are describing, but sounds are hard to describe! And I also feel it in the floorboard, just a tiny bit, sometimes. If I ever find it, I'll update this thread.
Jeremy

 

Seriously.. Im having this same issue with my R60. - replaced everything except that strut so far. (swaybar links and bushings, all engine mounts)
Metal on metal clunking when hitting the smallest pothole. I'm not seeing any tearing when I look at the strut mounts unfortunately.
Can they bottom out?

 

So i tried this.

jacked up the car. Put on jack stands.

then i lift the car wheel up by hand and letting it go and i can mimic the same clunking sound from the struts.

but when I’m driving i don’t see the strut extending that much since it’s compressed with the cars weight.

does that make sense?

 

oooooh Im going to have to try that this weekend.
Top nut tight? what about that 18mm that holds the bottom in ?

 

18mm nut is tight. the top, not sure I cant get my HEX in, the strut hole is barely covering it, need to notch it or adjust camber.. but I will try that.

I was able to adjust the driver side before, that top allen was loose, but it didnt make that same clunk.

 

After replacing the struts, upper strut mounts, sway bar end links, lower control arm bushings, it ended up being the sway bar bushings. They looked fine, but I replaced them with some power flex and no more clunk!

 

good to know. Did you have to drop the subframe for the bushings?

 

Yes. You can try to just drop the rear part to get at them, but it is easier to just accept your fate and drop it completely.

 

Oh mo SMH. i didn’t even do that when i did my control arm bushings. They look fine and no play but you might be right. You happen to have the part number for the power flex bushings? I have an 06 Cooper S

 

When you did the FCABs, you had to remove the two bolts that hold the sway bar and sway bar bushing to the FCAB. If you want to go through that again, you can change the bushings by lowering the rear of the subframe.

I did it that way on my ‘13. When I did the FCABs on my ‘04 I just want all the way and dropped the subframe. It took less time and was actually easier. When I added the bigger front sway bar and upgraded the FCAB compound on the ‘13, again, I went all the way and dropped it. It was so much quicker and less of a hassle than just dropping the rear and fidgeting with everything to get the parts on. No to mention, having the subframe out allows you to ensure that the FCABs are torqued properly. Getting 122ft-lbs on the top bolts that secure the sway bar to the FCABs is sketchy when you are working under the car and the bolts are above you, facing the wrong way in a very confined space.

The R60 is a whole other story, at least the bolts are fully accessible from the bottom.

 

Tdaugherty, so you bushings looked fine? Could you wiggle the sway bar in them by hand? Interesting.

I did the FCABs a long time ago without removing the sub frame. I can attest that it is a royal PITA, and it's probably easier to "accept your fate" as someone said and drop the subframe per the manual.

Jeremy