I have a 2003 S Type Sport (yes, with a 5 speed!) and have the infamous rattle/clunk in the front end. I have had the car to six different shops (including the leading Jag mechanic recommended by the local Jag club. He thought it "might" be a bad shock after checking everything out in the front end and hearing the noise driving with me) and most recently, my local dealer. The dealer was stumped (they thought it was the sway bar bushings, etc) and the only thing they came up with was a leaking motor mount that might be the source. Don't even ask what they quoted me to replace it.

It doesn't affect the handling, and can be intermittent. It is always annoying. Could it be the motor mount? Any suggestions of what to do next?

 

5 speed? Are you sure?
If it's the motor mount get someone to rev the engine while you watch with the bonnet up, you should see the motor lift up and down and hear the clunk.
There was another thread recently discussing the same thing.
Don't forget to post an intro in the new members section New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

 

Yes, it is a 5 speed (Getrag, same as the 5 series BMW, Lincoln LS and Cadillac CTS manuals). I did post an intro in the new members area when I joined the forum a while ago, but my membership seemed to have lapsed. I will add the info again. I have tried the test you suggested as a co-worker has a lot of experience working on Jags (an ASE mechanic and former X Type owner) recommended, but it revs freely with no clunking.

The dealership admitted they were baffled by it, and they have always been top notch with their work. I hit the law of diminishing returns with how much "trouble shooting" I wanted to pay for without resolution. It is very frustrating...

 

Could it be like this? https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ont-end-82390/

 

Can we get a more detailed explanation of exactly when the noise happens and your best description of the noise??

The 2003 and up had the sway bar bushings improved and don't usually have this problem.

I would check the sway bar bushings as posted in the thread JagV8 mentioned anyway. It's really pretty easy and you can at least rule out the sway bar if nothing changes.

You don't want to rev the engine. Open the hood and put the car in a forward gear. Now with your foot on the brake so the car does not move, lightly press the gas and load the engine against the brakes. Watch the engine and see how far is raises up under load. All engines will move some because of the soft engine mounts. If your mount is bad you should get the engine to move up and down as you apply and let off the gas.

Motor mount failures are rare but do happen.
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The motor mount test is a difficult one because I have a clutch. I can't put it in drive with the brake on and observe how much the engine moves.

It is a rattle/clunk that seems to come from the right front end. It happens on any kind of un-smooth pavement at any speed. It is intermittent and comes and goes. I watched the video clip regarding the various rattles and clunks on the S-Type and if I had to guess, I would say it was a ball joint or the sway bar link. However, none of these as tested seems to be loose.

It does remind me of the sound the sway bar on my Mercury (European Ford) Capri made when the bushings went bad (which were very easy to replace), but after numerous checks, the bushings appear to be OK. I had the tie rod end replaced on the right side, but that didn't help at all.

The dealership seemed pretty certain it was the bushings or sway bar link, but they really were stumped.