Going over bumps, my Grand Caravan started to make a LF rattle/clunk noise at 80K, so I replaced LF sway bar link without diagnosing & going on an assumption because the LF strut was leaking. Noise gone. Noise came back 10K later. Replaced same LF sway bar link with a beefier unit. Noise left, then came back 10K later. LF link seems fine. Now, at 110K I've replaced the LF control arm with oem a few days ago, and LF strut, mount & strut bearing yesterday and am still having this noise. I plan on keeping this vehicle and don't mind replacing parts under the thought of preventative maintenance, so my thoughts are: The sway bar bushing look mildly worn, but not too bad. The transmission has been serviced twice as frequent as recommended, but shifts hard & I think it's due to a mount being worn. Tie rod ends can be rotated but have no up and down movement. There's no play in the tires when testing by hand up & down, left & right, or with a crow bar underneath the tire.

Anybody have any suggestions as to where common clunking noises come from on these 5th gen Caravans, minus the parts I've already replaced? Furthermore, if any of the trans, or engine mounts where to fail, which one typically fails first?

Any help, or suggestions would be highly appreciated!

PS So far, the KYB strut rides pretty similarly to the leaking 110K oem strut.

 

You said you replaced the LF sway bar link a couple of times, but what about the RF sway bar link? Based on your description of the sound and the sequence of events, I think you’re still looking at the sway bar as the source, although it could be the bushings on the frame/engine cradle rather than the links.

A quick test would be to remove both links and go for a drive (easy on the corners, of course). If the noise is gone, it has to be the links or bushings.

Also don’t be fooled by where the sounds “seems” to be coming from - I’ve had a few times when I was convinced a noise was from the front end and it turned out to be from the back. Body and frame design can cause echoes and noise transfers and fool our ears.

 

Rattling noises can be confusing don't overlook the rear shocks they've known to cause rattling in many instances due to their bushing failure.

 

GumbyRT, disconnecting the links is an excellent idea. It's some work, but definitely worth it because this noise is rather annoying, especially on the pot hole filled roads of Cleveland, Ohio. The RF is stock and feels OK, but may be worth changing since I have a strut to put in there.

You are spot on about travelling noises; I had a bad roller rocker that sounded like a bad engine bearing because the noise was much louder under the van , and sounded like it came from the oil pan. I was happy to change a rocker rather than a bearing.

Also, regarding the frame/engine cradle bushings, how do you check them? Visually? Lift the engine slightly with a jack & take a peek visually at the bushing?

I appreciate your impute GumbyRT. You always have good information to go on, so thank you.

 

If you’ve got the front end up and the tires off to remove the sway bar links, a quick visual inspection might show you if the bushings are worn. The bushings will probably appear worn but shouldn’t have any large pieces missing or be allowing clear contact between the bar and cradle. Look for areas of shiny metal or scuffed paint on the cradle and the sway bar near the bushings - this indicates contact has been happening. If you don’t see any, once the links are removed, rotate the bar up and down to listen/feel for contact. If that doesn’t reveal anything, the bushings are probably OK but you can go ahead and remove the brackets and bar if you want to be really thorough (I’d only recommend this if it’s bolted underneath the cradle - if it’s bolted to the top/engine side of the cradle it could be quite a process to remove it).

Before putting the tires back on for the test drive, inspect the rest of the suspension for signs of metal on metal contact.