So I'm putting this in general because my particular "clunk" is associated with numerous factors.

First, in neutral, the car doesn't make the clunk turning left to right or right to left.

Now when I put it in first and second the clunk only happens when turning to the right and it's noticeable, you can feel it in the steering, and its quiet. Can be heard outside the car. This is stationary.

Now third and fourth is when it's REALLY loud and distinct, turning to the right, while the car sits stationary.

Fifth and Reverse, no noise in any situation stationary.

When driving, all gears, braking, turning right, accelerating, bumps, speed bumps, pot holes, and everything else between, you can feel it in the steering, the pedals, and the floor, the CLUNK. It's literally gotten so bad, manhole covers make it clunk. Even the little water meter covers make the clunk.

Any help in the right direction would help. If it was occasional, it wouldn't be so bad, but it started today, happening just a couple times to everything replicating the noise except turning left. It seems that it could be potentially dangerous since it is involved with the transmission (shifting), braking, and steering.

It seems as if something is hitting the rack, but visually I cannot see anything. I was thinking linkage on the rack? Help!

 

There are so many possiblities for a clunk noise, especially when it gets cold the noises seem to just pop up from everywhere.

Just to get the ball rolling though. What was used and when was the last trans flush done?

Have you noticed any differences from when it's cold start to when it's warmed up, or is it constant?

Have you replaced anything on the suspenion?

Can you distinctly hear it coming from the front driver side?

 

See if you can reproduce the noise with the car on a jack. Try each front wheel in the air in turn, then try both in the air if required.

Look at the mounting points for the steering rack and suspension (any where there is a bushing) for movement when the wheel is rotating and the steering wheel is being turned.

Also check for gravel in the lower spring seat.

 

Yeah as lanzer said when was your suspention replaced? I know I need all 4 struts and springs and It clunks a lot. and it will go to the occational clunk to all the time back to occational, and weather really messes with it. It also makes everything else rough like acc. braking, turning etc and of course every Bump.

Id also lift the car up and turn the wheel to see if u can still hear it and if you can if u can see if anything is wrong from the outside.

Also is it shifting fine? Assuming you hit no bumps or turns all your gear shifts are smooth with no clunks?

 

Damn you got it before me while I was in reply mode xD

 

Make sure all your suspension has proper connection and the bushings are in place. Make sure your sway bar is properly connected, I had the driver side end link break and the sway bar was just free floating in there one day. Also have your ball joints checked they can pop and make noise during steering if they are going bad, a mechanic will usually fix this for about $300 or so, thats what it costed on my brothers 3g anyway.

 

So issued resolved after three shops.

So first shop said I needed nothing. Can't figure out the noise.

Second shop wanted a new strut bearing plate, strut, and alignment. $900.

Third shop took there time. It was all unrelated to the suspension. Turned out it was dry free floating caliper pins. If there's no grease in them, they move around and make a loud noise. Just imagine hitting your rotor with a ball peen hammer. Once greased noise went away. Got a free alignment and my suspension gone through and it was a no charge fix. Never heard of that issue. So help this helps someone else.

 

did they actually align for free..?
or just do a free alignment check..
it's be pretty hard to believe they just inspected it and fixed it AND aligned it for free

 

I watched him take my springs out. I was sitting right there. While the car was apart the senior mechanic walked in, asked "what's wrong with the Mitsubishi?" Had the problem explained to him and he said "Check the caliper pins..." And sure enough. So he had to put it all back together (the front end) and align it.

 

...it seems very hard for me to believe that they'd fix and align it for free..
i'm a mechanic for a living...if you dont charge for diag...you dont get paid
we get paid what's called flat rate...that means it's per job you do...so if you're in there for 9 hours a day...but that day you only get (for example) a brake job.......you only get paid for 1 brake job not a 9 hour day...

and if you throw in a free alignment on top of that...that's even more free work you're doing...
you could argue it's to be nice because it's the 3rd shop uve been in, and they wanted to take care of you right...
but i doubt they did all that for free...maybe an alignment check....that's almost always free, so you ca see on paper the measured ammount of how far off your alignment is and make you feel guilty, so then you buy the alignment...

i'm NOT saying it's impossible they're that nice...but im saying it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY they'd do all that free of charge...
but if you say they took the strut/s out...that does require an alignment...did they hand u a before/after sheet of all the angles? did they adjust all angles or just make sure front toe/thrust angle is ok?
and maybe if they felt guilty for missing sumn like the caliper pins and end up pulling the strut...normally in any shop they'd say sorry, "we did all this work but...u still have a noise... we'll need more diag time(aka more $)" and before they pulled the struts they'd let u know that it need to be aligned ater and let u know the charge beforehand...it's ussually not a good practice to give everything away as a business...unless it's the nicest bunch of guys in the shop in existance that work for free...

 

That's money. Good deal and thanks for the info.

 

We have a place here in Oregon called Les Schwabs. Fantastic customer service. The reason it was free? They had my car in there three different days and had six different guys look at it. Yes they dropped the entire front suspension. Yes it had to be aligned. It's just how they work here in Oregon. I took it to an independent shop initially and there original "guess" wasn't even close.

 

hmm....they must be the world's most underpayed mechanics then....or they have the world's nicest people...or they're a union shop or sumn and dont get paid by the job...(union shops are the only place i've ever HEARD they may do sumn like that since they get paid by the time hour...not labor hour)

if you came into almost any shop they would never just start taking things off for testing and not charge you for it...they will check as best as they can without having to do any extra work for free...since they're not getting paid for it...and they'd charge u for everything because that's just how mechanics make $...u think they're JUST ripping you off....well they MAY be...but at the same time...that's how we make a living...u dont charge, u dont get paid(sounds obvious...but it's true)...

good thing they fixed it, but like i said, most shops would've charged you...and told you up front, it's a diag it costs this much, wont fix it...this is the cost for what'll fix it...im just so surprised they did all that for free...(or maybe they'll just overcharge the next few people to make up for it...or maybe the next time u go back u'll get overcharged.....who knows)

 

i had a very similar problem with my ralliart. when ever i turned or went over speed bumps or i'd randomly be driving , there would be a huge clunking sound from my front end. i talk to some techs at my work and they told me to lift my car up in the air, and wash out all the rocks and debris from my shocks. did that and havent heard the sound since. you'd be suprised at how much rocks come out of their i had almost 2 hand fulls worth. they told me that when the car is driving and rocks get stuck in the springs, and when you turn, the spring will compress/twist against the rocks and thats what makes anothr sound. hope this helps someone too who is looking for thier problem