Small “ clunk” from rear
12/16/21, 03:59 PM
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Small “ clunk” from rear
I have an 08 500 with 25k miles. I slowly started noticing a small clunk as I shift to next gear. New clutch , new one piece drive shaft as well. No matter if I delay letting the the clutch out for a slightly longer time to be sure it’s in the next gear or shifting it does it. Not every single time but when it does it’s so annoying. Not sure where to start.
side note, the car has a ridiculously slow trans leak that I can’t find without pulling the trans. I did a complete flush of trans and filled to correct levels and had same results. Not sure if it’s the tranny or the rear. To me it seems like the tranny would be suspect.
im not computer savvy at all. Not even sure how to navigate the page but I’ll learn
Any help would be great.
fyi , the car is not beat on. Some spirited pulls but generally driven normal.
side note, the car has a ridiculously slow trans leak that I can’t find without pulling the trans. I did a complete flush of trans and filled to correct levels and had same results. Not sure if it’s the tranny or the rear. To me it seems like the tranny would be suspect.
im not computer savvy at all. Not even sure how to navigate the page but I’ll learn
Any help would be great.
fyi , the car is not beat on. Some spirited pulls but generally driven normal.
12/16/21, 06:59 PM
#2
Legacy TMS Member
Welcome to the forums! 
A clunk can be just about anything. You did not specify the where of it, so the entire car is in my thoughts. And thinking about where the torque is applied and let out when shifting makes me say the following items need looking into, even at a measly 25K miles:
Transmission mount.
Motor mounts
Shifter assembly, from handle to transmission, complete.
Driveshaft in some way.
Yokes in some way, both transmission side and axle side.
Axle itself, whether gears or...
Suspension. Control arms, shocks, etc.
Of course the clutch.
Maybe the transmission itself.
And then something completely unrelated that until you/someone changed the clutch and driveshaft wasn't a problem, but now unfortunately is. A heat shield, a catalytic converter/muffler/pipe banging about... Perhaps even an exhaust hanger is shot and is letting the pipes bang about under there.
Basically, without more information it could literally be just about anything. You might look into a camera and mount to try to identify visual aspects of where the clunk is coming from, or if you know where, visually seeing the part if possible moving/clunking about.
You can get the car in the air and start prodding with a pry bar on things to see if they move unnaturally, such as the bushings of the control arms or the transmission mounts, or just put your hands on various items and start to yank/push/pull/shake/...? to see if it's blatantly gonna give up its secrets.
Also, while the car's in the air, and most importantly *properly loading the axle* and not letting it hang down while doing this, you can get in and see if the car does this while it's in the air, shifting through the gears. And then if so, someone can be under the car to listen and identify the problem area, pinpointing with even a mechanic's stethoscope or hose to listen to pieces (carefully, of course.)
---
As far as the leak, that's relatively easy. If the transmission is leaking it will taste like transmission fluid. If it's the rear main seal, it'll taste like engine oil.
What do you guys mean, don't taste this stuff? Car Wizard on them MeStraws does it all the time! What? Oh, yeah, well, if it's on the ground, ok, sure, maybe not then. But that's ok, just get some from the drip on the car...
WHAT?...oh, ok fine. The color should make it easy. Unless you went with that Noble Violet replacement stuff, which tends to be that purpleish color, or some other oddity of coloration ATF or similar product, the *proper* Mercon V transmission fluid that the car originally came with should be a red color, whereas the engine oil will be a light amber fading down to a dark brown. Gear oil from the axle is... well, lots of colors, turns out, depending on the brand, but since it's in the back it should be pretty obvious if that's your leak. Also the smell is it's own thing, you'll know it. And taste! Oh yeah, that stuff tastes... *sees glares of others* Oh, c'mon, people, ya gotta taste the fluid to be sure!
Anyway, the color should tell you immediately which kind of lubrication fluid is coming out that you need addressing, but more importantly you should see it under the car and not on the ground for the best results and location.
Not sure I helped directly with the clunking for ya, but I hope all that helps in some way! Good luck!
A clunk can be just about anything. You did not specify the where of it, so the entire car is in my thoughts. And thinking about where the torque is applied and let out when shifting makes me say the following items need looking into, even at a measly 25K miles:
Transmission mount.
Motor mounts
Shifter assembly, from handle to transmission, complete.
Driveshaft in some way.
Yokes in some way, both transmission side and axle side.
Axle itself, whether gears or...
Suspension. Control arms, shocks, etc.
Of course the clutch.
Maybe the transmission itself.
And then something completely unrelated that until you/someone changed the clutch and driveshaft wasn't a problem, but now unfortunately is. A heat shield, a catalytic converter/muffler/pipe banging about... Perhaps even an exhaust hanger is shot and is letting the pipes bang about under there.
Basically, without more information it could literally be just about anything. You might look into a camera and mount to try to identify visual aspects of where the clunk is coming from, or if you know where, visually seeing the part if possible moving/clunking about.
You can get the car in the air and start prodding with a pry bar on things to see if they move unnaturally, such as the bushings of the control arms or the transmission mounts, or just put your hands on various items and start to yank/push/pull/shake/...? to see if it's blatantly gonna give up its secrets.
Also, while the car's in the air, and most importantly *properly loading the axle* and not letting it hang down while doing this, you can get in and see if the car does this while it's in the air, shifting through the gears. And then if so, someone can be under the car to listen and identify the problem area, pinpointing with even a mechanic's stethoscope or hose to listen to pieces (carefully, of course.)
---
As far as the leak, that's relatively easy. If the transmission is leaking it will taste like transmission fluid. If it's the rear main seal, it'll taste like engine oil.
What do you guys mean, don't taste this stuff? Car Wizard on them MeStraws does it all the time! What? Oh, yeah, well, if it's on the ground, ok, sure, maybe not then. But that's ok, just get some from the drip on the car...
WHAT?...oh, ok fine. The color should make it easy. Unless you went with that Noble Violet replacement stuff, which tends to be that purpleish color, or some other oddity of coloration ATF or similar product, the *proper* Mercon V transmission fluid that the car originally came with should be a red color, whereas the engine oil will be a light amber fading down to a dark brown. Gear oil from the axle is... well, lots of colors, turns out, depending on the brand, but since it's in the back it should be pretty obvious if that's your leak. Also the smell is it's own thing, you'll know it. And taste! Oh yeah, that stuff tastes... *sees glares of others* Oh, c'mon, people, ya gotta taste the fluid to be sure!
Anyway, the color should tell you immediately which kind of lubrication fluid is coming out that you need addressing, but more importantly you should see it under the car and not on the ground for the best results and location.
Not sure I helped directly with the clunking for ya, but I hope all that helps in some way! Good luck!
Last edited by houtex; 12/16/21 at 07:15 PM.
12/17/21, 07:49 AM
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yeah could be lots of things . . . my first wild guess would be rear upper control arm bushings
12/17/21, 09:26 AM
#4
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