Thankfully things have calmed down a bit now so I decided to finally try and fix the clunking noise from the rear - it always seemed to be worst when the car was cold and when it was downshifting in the lower gears, coming to a stop at traffic lights etc.
I was focussing on the rear diff and planned to change the diff bushing and check all the mounting bolts etc while under there. However I also looked further forward at the flex disc, CSB and trans mounts. Low and behold the trans mounts looked very sad... not completely failed but they had definitely collapsed a bit. So I changed them along with the diff bushing.
The diff bushing was simple enough, there are plenty of guides online (can send links if anyone needs)... hardest bit was cutting the old bushing out using a hacksaw blade. Took a good hour of blood, sweat and tears!
But after that the new Polyflex Heritage bushing slipped in with no problems...
The diff itself looked very healthy, so I fitted a new gasket (with a thin layer of RTV sealant) and sealed it all back up again with a bottle of Redline 75w-140 gear oil and new sump plugs.
Then onto the transmission mounts - again this is a pretty straightforward job however access to the mounts (especially the top bolts) is super awkward as the exhaust and heat shield get in the way. After a while I undid all the botls to the heat shield and was able to slide it back just enough to get access.
I had to use 3 or 4 different spanners to find one that fit just right, a load of WD-40 to loosen everything up a bit and have bruised my palms trying to get enough force to break the bolts free. However, eventually they came off...
As you can see there is about a 5mm difference between the old and new mounts, not loads but perhaps enough to put my drivetrain out of line and cause a clunk.
I had removed the mounting bracket (as advised) as well so refitted, aligned and torqued everything back up with new hardware. After that I finally took the car of the stands, had one final check and then took it for an easy drive to the shops... and NO CLUNK!
Such a satisfying end to a couple days of hard but enjoyable work. Here she is sitting pretty in the warehouse...
