Intermittent Clunking Sound....

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've had my 2002 360 for almost a year and I have about 5,200 total miles on it, it's been silent and solid sounding over the bumps until yesterday.
There is a clunking sound that almost sounds like loose wheels when I drive over washboard type bumps (I torqued the wheels just in case). It doesn't happen all the time though. It seems like the noise is very picky about when it shows up. I haven't figured out the pattern yet, but I can say that if I go over a set of bumps that causes it, it will do it every time I hit those same bumps at the same speed. Sometimes a slight bump will do it more than a larger bump. I tried going over the same bumps with the car in "sport" mode, and it seems the same, no worse or better than in normal mode. It's hard to pinpoint what direction the sound is coming from, but it seems to be coming from directly below the center of car, and I don't feel it in the steering wheel at all.

I know there was a lot of talk about ball joints, sway bar bushings, and shock mount bushings on the forum, but I was wondering if there is a high likelihood of one of these problems based on the symptoms? Is there any checks that I can do by myself where the problem would be obvious? I'm wondering why I can't even pinpoint the problem from front to rear. If there are any checks that I can do at home, I would love to do that, instead of relying on the dealer. If not, I'll just have them check it out when I bring it in for a state required yearly safety inspection next month.
Thanks guys!

 

Is it common for ball joints to wear so quickly, and so abruptly?

 

Great advice guys. Thanks! I'll try to look into to as much as I can. If I can't figure it out, I'll have the dealer take a look at it. Hopefully it's easy to find.

 

I'm 99% sure that I found the problem...and it's not good
I put it on the lift today, pulled off the front panel (didn't really help) and raised the front of the car off of the runways in order to inspect everything. I carefully looked at all the bushings and sway bar ends etc. Everything looked in tact, and like brand new. I then grabbed each wheel and shook them. What do you know, it sure sounded like the sound that I was hearing over the bumps. There was a little play in the wheel (actually a decent amount), along with that knocking noise coming from close to the center of the car. I attached a video so you can hear the noise and see what I did to duplicate it, however all of the motion isn't play in the wheel. The other side also moved a little when I moved it. I'm pretty sure that the steering rack is shot! AAARRGGHHH!!!
Please listen and tell me if you guys agree. If so, any idea how much it will cost to fix?
Thanks
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zAg4KU8bEY&feature=em-upload_owner]Steering Noise - YouTube[/ame]

 

I fell into the 1% chance that it wasn't the steering rack. I went back out to the garage with a helping hand, and realized that when the other side was held, the wheels were solid. Even though I would have sworn that the noise was right at the steering rack under the car, I realized that it was actually the steering wheel lock causing the noise! When I held the steering wheel firmly, everything was solid.
I guess it's good news that the steering rack is good because it saves me $$$$$. The bad news is that I'm back to step one, and everything looks and feels perfect under there. I guess I'm going to have to leave it with the pros to solve, unless anyone here has other ideas for things that I can check.
Thanks again to all.

 

Thanks, I'll try this tomorrow afternoon, and post the results.

I'll also try this tomorrow afternoon and post the results.
Also, just to be sure, I'm going to empty EVERYTHING out of the front trunk. I don't have much and it is all soft and light stuff. I just want to be 100% sure that I didn't miss something.
I found a spot in me neighborhood that produces the sound every time I go over those bumps. I will know for sure when I finally find and fix the problem.

 

I think I have a little good news!
I took a closer look at the suspension today. I first jacked up each side independently, and held the wheel at different positions and rocked it with a lot of force. Everything seemed solid, so I then removed the wheels so I can get a closer look at everything.
I checked everything very carefully, all the rubber bushings looked like new and all the bolts were tight. Then I started shaking all the different components, and realized that the passenger side sway bar end link had play in it!! , the noise made it evident. I attached a video of that as well so you guys can tell me what you think. I'm sure that's the problem because the drivers side was solid. Thankfully it's something minor, but now I have a few questions:

1. Are there after market end links that are better than the stock ones, for example HE.

2. Should I change both end links, or just the bad one? I'm thinking both. Since the passenger side went bad, I can't imagine the drivers side too far behind. Please let me know, I would like to order them today if possible.

3. Are they easy to replace myself? Normally these things are easy to replace, but looking in there, they seem tight to get at with tools. If the bolts are stuck, I may need a special tool (maybe a curved open end wrench or a crows foot), or I may have to take other things apart so I can get at it (not willing to do that). There are only 2 flat spots for a tool to grab on the links, and they are very thin. I don't even know if a standard open end wrench can grab on without interference from the end link boot, or the lock nut. I attached a photo for you guys to see what I mean.

If you have replaced these by yourself, please give me any advice that can help me do this with minimal pain and suffering!
Thanks again!


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLoxWvNxTjU&feature=em-upload_owner[/ame]
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Really good news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Before I ordered the end links, I wanted to make sure that it wasn't loose in the roll bar since a lot of people said that it was common for the end links to loosen up. Well, what do you know, even though it looked tight by looking at it, it actually was loose! I tightened it up, and tested it. It now drives just like new again!
Thanks for all the help. Hopefully my situation helps others as well in the future. The lesson is to check all the mounting hardware first, even if it looks ok.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. I'm beyond happy with the fix!
I really hope that the thread can help others in the future.

 

Curt,
LOL, I already won! I left the ticket for someone else to win also

 

Yes! It was as simple as that. I owned the car for 5 more years and approx. 9,000 more miles, and didn't have any further issues.