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Can a bad lower control arm bushing cause sensations similar to a bad motor mount? I have an inconsistent clunk.
I have a 2011 Mazda 3i sedan 2.0L with 286k miles, and it has an intermittent low speed clunky-pop that I can feel under my feet. Kinda sounds like something is releasing tension. It only happens after driving around for at least an hour or so, and it only happens at low speeds, and seemingly only after shifting out of park or from reverse to drive, but that could be circumstantial, as those shifts always happen immediately prior to low speed driving. This all started after I changed the passenger mm (warranty exchange), but that could be coincidental. I initially thought the clunky-pop was my rear mm, b/c that's what it felt like, so I replaced that mount too (also warranty). I replaced my transmission mount a few weeks earlier (10/31). I have all new tires, less than two months old, I also have new inner and outer tie rods, I recently replaced the LH bearing and hub, and yesterday the LH CV axle. He was next in line, and the axle appeared to have excessive play in the inner joint. During that repair, I saw my ball joint needs some love. In my experiences with bad ball joints, the noise is a squeak or a regular clunking over bumps; so, finally my question: Could a ball joint be causing my clunky-pop, or could a bad bushing in the lower control arm possibly be the cause? Or is it more likely the cause is of a more severe nature, like the steering rack or (gulp) transmission? Oh, and my noise cannot possibly be anything sway bar related. I did away with that POS chatterbox years ago. Thank you!
