Gearbox/drive shaft clunk Options

[Euphoria]

Hey, I've had a fair few clunks that have come and gone since I've owned this car but I've had this clunk for a long while and it is getting extremely frustrating, everytime you lift off in a low gear, put your foot down or just make the car misfire the whole front end has a very loud clunk noise, almost like something under there isn't tight, like a loose engine mount, only everything is and I've literally checked every suspension/cross member and engine mount bolt.

both bearings have been done recently and are problem free, struts and springs were done a couple years back and all bushings seem to be fine.

I can see it possibly being the driveshafts as they have never been changed, only the boots have been changed but they are showing no signs of play or noise when the wheel is moved whilst jacked up, this is also making it not seem like gearbox.

I have noticed when the car is jacked up I can move the driver side spring and it makes a clunk type noise, where as the other side doesnt and either does any other car I've looked at.

How loud can a bad strut mount clunk? also is there any other ways to determine what is wrong?

Thanks.

[chinamandrift]

i too have this problem .... accel and decel i get the clunk lightly ..some sorta thurst or preload problem in tranny

i just let it be to see how long it would last ( thinking it was my driver side CV axle)

then one day i was getting off the freeway when out of the blue i get the clunk clunk clunk

everytime the wheel was spining the clunk happens at every tire rotation

so i stopped at a gas station... jacked the car up and pulled the wheel off

all suspension components were good then i grabbed the center of the drive side axle and pulled it up and down

and it had alot of play

so at first i was thinking my axle shaft finally went out and i was wrong

its the input side that goes into the transmission thats moving up and down side to side

i limped the car home slowly and took everything apart

to get a closer look my input side of the drive cv shaft is walking around in my transmission

i tried rotating it and got tons of play ....in and out movement is ok

im going to look up a transmission diagram later to find out the leading cause

but im thinking bearings or busings or shims of some sort inside is bad

my transmission is going to have to come out for sure

im going to do a full rebuild as well 5afe manual owners 4th to 3rd down shift grinds