'Clunk' in front end...

spelchek

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2005
Location
QLD. Australia
TDI
A5 Golf 2.0l TDI
Hi all,

recently have started hearing a 'clunk' noise in the front end during take-off. Happens sometimes but not always - however, if I do a reverse start facing down a steep incline it nearly always does it.

I wonder if it might be cv joints - I've never had a FWD car long enough for CV's to go (in fact the golf is only my 2nd fwd car) so I'm not sure if that's what I'm hearing. Just kinda seems what I think a worn CV would do (in my head)..

Any help?
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
Doesn't sound like CV joints. They will make a kind of a clunk clunk clunk clunk sound when going around corners.

More likely it sounds like control arm bushings, ball joints or maybe stabilizer bushings.
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
My experiences with worn CV joints is that they can make clicking sounds when taking corners. Like said above, look at the front end components and sway bar busings. I had a 1999 Mazda that had a terrible clunking and its rear sway bar needed new bushings and the end links were shot too. Once replaced, all was quiet.

Hope this helps you.
 

matthewgb

Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2006 A5 . TDI . 5sp . Pk1. Platinum Grey (ON ORDER)
I have noticed the same thing in my '06 Jetta only when accelerating hard from a stop. I have had CV joint issues back when I had a '96 Jetta. This sounds more like when the engine mounts split. I haven't done any research into replacement options/costs for the '06.

Any thoughts are apprciated.
 

frugality

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 19, 2003
Location
Spring Lake, Michigan
TDI
none, 2016 GTI
I'd check sway bar bushings first, since I've replaced them twice on my Golf, and they've caused clunking or clacking sounds. If nothing else, they're cheap to replace, if you want to start throwing parts at the problem.

If you have a friend, maybe you could have them walk/jog alongside the car as you do a little stop-n-go in a parking lot, and see if they can pinpoint the location better -- whether it sounds like it's in the middle of things (like engine mounts) or down low, like suspension stuff.

I don't know if the A5's have a dogbone transmission mount, but that was the cause of some 'crick-crick' sounds in my car, as I applied torque in the first couple gears, and again as I released to shift. That mount controls the rocking of the engine about the mounts at the ends.

I've wondered if CV joints have been the culprit in a number of cases of strange noises, but after 265k miles, it's always been something else -- creaking aluminum skidplate joints, dogbone trans mount, sway bar bushings, etc. -- but the axles/CV's have never been the culprit and are still the original ones.
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
The A5 does have a dogbone mount....................Would certainly worth checking.
 
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