Clunking when changing gear, accelerating and decelerating

[Cheeky_Chris]

So I’ve had this issue for about 6 months now, but it’s gotten louder and more consistent recently.

Whenever I accelerate in 1st or 2nd, or let off the throttle after full throttle, or just after the clutch engages when changing gear, I get a nice clunking noise.

Now I know you’ll all be screaming at me that it’s the rear motor mount. Thing is I replaced that a few months ago to no improvement. My exhaust has already been replaced about a year ago or about 5000 miles so I don’t think it’s the exhaust hangers although I can’t get underneath to test.

I thought it could be clutch or transmission but the fact it happens while in gear and other than that the gearbox is pretty solid. I’ve tried to move my engine about while stationary and I can’t hear any clunking so not sure if it’s the other mounts. Is there a better way to test this? I’d love it to be a mount issue and not a gearbox issue [emoji23]

This happens under any load, engine hot or cold, ambient temp hot or cold.

Could it still be a synchro problem? Anything else it could be? And what things should I test?

I can just take it to a dealer but my experience with ford dealers for troubleshooting is poor, so I want a sold grasp on the issue before I go in.

Car is a 2014 model with 65k miles.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rocketst]

Based off the information I'm not really sure but to me my gut tells me it's an engagement issue with the transmission. Have you tried draining the tranny fluid and replacing it? Is it hard to shift or hard to find gears? Is the clutch spring back weaker than it was when you first got the car?

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[Cheeky_Chris]

Based off the information I'm not really sure but to me my gut tells me it's an engagement issue with the transmission. Have you tried draining the tranny fluid and replacing it? Is it hard to shift or hard to find gears? Is the clutch spring back weaker than it was when you first got the car?

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The only issue I have is that sometimes first won’t slot in properly. All I need do is try again or go into second then first again and it fixes itself which leads me to believe it could be synchro. Other than that none of the above


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[kivnul]

Part of your description states that if you let off from a full acceleration but keep it in gear it still clunks? Check all 3 engine/tran mounts. My passenger mount had 2 bolts work loose (ones connecting mount to chassis) and it would slide around some. Also could be broken bolt in the middle of the mount. Semi easy to check by removing(relocate, keep everything hooded up) coolant tank and headlight. Tran mount is harder, requiring removal of battery and tray. Rear motor mount is easy to check, just raise up the car. Otherwise I suppose it could be the dual mass flywheel sliding a bit. Mine have been noisy during shifts, very clunking sounding.

 

[Rocketst]

Part of your description states that if you let off from a full acceleration but keep it in gear it still clunks? Check all 3 engine/tran mounts. My passenger mount had 2 bolts work loose (ones connecting mount to chassis) and it would slide around some. Also could be broken bolt in the middle of the mount. Semi easy to check by removing(relocate, keep everything hooded up) coolant tank and headlight. Tran mount is harder, requiring removal of battery and tray. Rear motor mount is easy to check, just raise up the car. Otherwise I suppose it could be the dual mass flywheel sliding a bit. Mine have been noisy during shifts, very clunking sounding.

Yeah it could very well be a bad mount. The tranny mount is hard to see and to get a really good look at it you'll need to remove the air box and the battery and battery mounting bracket. The passenger side on my car when I removed the motor was way off of its torque spec when I pulled it off. It's almost like they torqued it when the motor was already in which is a big no no. Check your mounts bro, it's free. I will say this too though, I've noticed clunking but it's always been when I shifted so I just knew it was gears aligning and not something bad. Try this too, with the car off shift through all your gears depressing the clutch each time. See if that sound is similar to your sound while driving.

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[hc9]

This is an old post but i'm having the exact same symptoms as OP. I am 90% sure it's not my motor mounts. The sound often occurs when I press the throttle in 1st-3rd lower in the RPMs of the gears. It also happens after shifting from R to 1st as soon as i give it some gas. It sounds like a clunk that i can occasionally feel in the clutch pedal. I was having shifting problems which were resolved by a trans fluid flush 7k mi ago but the issues have slowly started coming back along with the clunking as of the last 2 weeks. I am thinking that the DMF has gone bad and I have been making a list of parts to replace my clutch/flywheel but I want to be sure that that is the cause of the sound. Did you have any luck resolving the issue?

 

[akiraproject24]

Sounds so much like engine slap

 

[wcnST]

I am having a similar issue and just know in my head it is engine mounts...

 

[Intuit]

For years (almost since new) had a clack on clutch release. It was pseudo intermittent but gradually worsening. Took it for warranty "service" who needlessly replaced the axle shafts. I had gotten good at avoiding the noise by softening the 1-2 clutch engagement. I believe it was sometime last year or this year that I replaced the passenger side engine mount after noticing an unusual amount of movement at idle; and it was nearly completely pancaked/flat. The mount was completely shot at that point. It much much later occurred to me that I hadn't heard that loud clack all Summer.