Hi,
Here is my problem. At least one of them

Most of the time when i accelerate from the dead stop or put it in reverse and start moving from the dead stop I hear one distinct clunk coming (what is seems like) from the bottom of the engine compartment or at least bottom area. I went to my buddy that works at Firestone to have him check it out. My garage is full of stuff so I can't use it for my cars
He said it's the control arm bushings and possibly left outer tie rod. I replaced them both i.e. rear bushings on both arms and both outer tie rods. Right after replacement, taking the car out. Same noise. Now I am thinking, maybe it's a n engine mount after all and not the suspension?
I also am wondering if anyone had any luck making the ride of this vehicle a little softer. Please don't get me wrong, i absolutely love the handling (although still puzzled with the turning radius) of the car. I have a bad back and the harsh ride does not help at all. I have set of old Michelins if it matters.
Thanks!

 

What you describe sounds like one or more mounts are worn. There's a transmission torque mount located under the car at the front of the tranny. One other good one to check is the upper engine mount. That's the one located on what looks like a strut tower brace on top of the engine. The early models came with a round bushing and newer ones were equipped with square ones. One last one to have checked is the lower right engine mount. All of these mounts could be contributing to the harsh ride.

 

Thanks a lot 01 !

I actually checked the upper mount right after discovering the replacement of the bushings did nothing and I saw it moving but I could not hear it making the noise it still was coming from the bottom. When you say lower right mount is it the passenger or the driver side? Again, I have no way of getting under it right now.

 

Lower right = passenger side. I believe it can be seen from the wheel well, though I'm not positive.

If you can, have a helper sit in the car and shift through the gears, one by one with their foot on the brake, and you can watch and listen for the noise. More than likely if the bushings are shot then the noise is coming from all the movement of the engine and trans.

 

What about the tires guys?
Anyone had any luck softening the ride? Or there's more needs to be done to achieve it.
Thanks!

 

I see that you have the T5, so I am guessing that it has the 17" wheels and tires. Low profile tires are performance oriented and less about comfort. If your tires are old and you have the cash for new tires then you might as well get them. It should help out a bit. But again, low profile isn't about comfort.

I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum. My car came with 15" wheels and tires which provided a soft feel. I wanted bigger, wider wheels. I swapped for a set of 16", and then a set of 17". With each change up I definitely noticed the difference in ride.

If the ride doesn't soften up after the mounts are checked and if it's that important to you, you may want to consider 16" wheels and tires. Craigslist is a good local source. It's a cheap way to see if that's the direction you want to go and if it doesn't work out you can resell them to get your money back. Just remember to find ones that fit the 5x108mm pattern or search "volvo". That's where I found both the 16s and 17s and sold my 15s.

The other option is messing around with shocks and struts. With your mileage, they could be due for a change soon anyway.
Hope that helps.