Hey all, I'm getting an increasingly worse clunk/pop from somewhere up front. It happens from a standstill as soon as I let the clutch out enough that you can feel the mass of the car shift back under acceleration. I often also hear it when letting out the clutch in second gear, as soon as acceleration resumes. It probably happens with other gear changes and I just can't hear it at higher speeds. Today, I starting letting out the clutch while I was still ever so slightly rolling backwards and the clunk was very apparent.

Considerations:

• Basically everything is new, less than a year or 3K miles (clutch, axles, all motor mounts, struts and top mounts, control arm bushings, end links, outer ball joints) except for tie rods, sway bar bushings, and inner ball joints.
• I mark all bolts and can't seem to find anything loose.
• When I get under the car, I'm not seeing any excessive play in the inner ball joints, although maybe I don't have a long enough pry bar to exert proper force.
• I am sometimes getting some light clunking when turning the steering wheel while stopped or at low speed, particularly in cooler weather. Again, strut mounts look fine (and are genuine MINI, less than a year old.)
• The control arm bushings were replaced last year with OEM bushings, not poly. I am starting to notice a very slight vibration through the steering wheel under aggressive deceleration, which reminds me of the feeling when the control arm bushings were starting to go bad on my old R50.
• The car is otherwise driving good and tracking straight.

My guess is an inner ball joint, but I'll also install poly control arm bushings and take care of the sway bar bushings while the subframe is dropped. However, before I start accumulating parts to start that job, is there anything else I'm missing and should check? Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

Just a guess - Test the CV axles for wear :
If you can get the front wheels off the ground/on jack stands, while in nuetral (car not running!) try turning the driver side wheel forwards then abruptly backwards. Do the same on the passenger side. Feel and listen for slop and a clunk noise.
Also vibration can sometimes be felt while driving. Sometimes occur with a failing CV joint.
per my recent experience.

But I'm also kinda leaning towards upper strut mounts.
My lemforders continuously seem to start making noise and go bad within 12k miles.

Just a guess but maybe worth investigating (?).

 

cv axles is a good one

is it a clunk or a dung? my springs used to dong when turning. the shock mounts were trashed.

also lower engine mount

those are my guesses

 

Just tried this and not hearing anything besides the gear lash (if that's the right term) from the transmission. Axles were supposedly replaced by the shop I used last year, and the CV boots look good.

Regarding the lower torque mount, that was also replaced last year and looks brand new.

I really hope it isn't the strut mounts, as I went round and round last summer replacing those after Lemforder and others failed me. Chronicled here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ut-mounts.html

The current genuine MINI strut mounts look okay, although thinking back through all the inferior mounts that I tried last year, I do remember at some point hearing some similar clunking, although I think that was quieter and happened more when going over bumps.

 

We had a weird clunk after an alignment. Inner balljoint had 1/8 inch play - really loose. Could not tell when under the car, but had it up for brakes. Really pissed when that was found. I agree to look at cv condition.

 

if you hear the sound when turning the wheel, while stationary, i don’t think its the cv. While accelerating, maybe.

In my case I think the strut mounts where sticking, causing the springs to twist and load up, then break free and make a “dong” sound. I hope that makes sense. Im not very good at written communication

the mounts, at the same time would make a creeking noise

maybe get a sound recording?