Since it has been raining, snowing and my driveway is a slushy mudhole, I have not crawled under the car to investigate so I thought I would get some forum opinions before diving in.
The situation is ,when I back up in the 82 240d, I hear a regular, periodic clunk that sort of follows wheel rotation. It does not clunk when going forward. Nothing obviously hanging down and this only began in the past few days.
Any ideas?

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

Fruitcake, Right up front - I don't have an answer; but I'll be interested in reading the replies. My Nissan pickup has been doing this for years. I'm embarrassed to say that I have never taken the trouble to check out what's going on under there. Only use the truck for work around the homestead. I'm much better about maintenance for my MBs.

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John Schroader
bio burnin' 83 300D, '83 300 SD, '79 240D
"I've never met a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else" Ben Franklin
"You cannot permanently help a man by doing for him what he could and should do for himself" Abraham Lincoln

swaybar link.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

X2 on the sway bar link and probably the easiest repair you can do on the 123.

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"Life is tough...it's even tougher if you're stupid." John Wayne


Dave
Pawleys Island, SC

'79 300CD

I third the sway bar links. If the boots are torn or missing then its time for new ones. They are cheap and really easy to change out.

Another easy this to check is the exhaust hangers doughnuts.

It could also the half shafts starting to go. They typically make clunking noises, but usually it starts to show up when turning. But back up could change the dynamics of the shafts enough to make them clunk I guess.

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Swaybar link OR Diff mount OR Halfshafts.

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1989 300E 144K

see above. I would hate to be certain its swaybar and then have your driveshaft disintegrate. Check all three. In fact, my vote is not on the swaybar.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

93-300E-3.2LT....anytime i shift from park to either drive or reverse or from reverse to drive, i hear clicks like click click click.......it souns like the pawl or something, but transmission works perfect-what could this problem be

That also sounds like halfshafts.

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1989 300E 144K

Thanks for the feedback and I too considered some of those options particularly the exhaust hanger since the sound of the exhaust seems to have increased about the same time which was right after my daughter returned from a harrowing {for her] drive back to our house over 3 miles of mud rutted hang on and don't stop back road.
Hmmm!
When things dry out I will give it the rundown.
Keep you posted

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

thanks Mattbelivue, if its half shaft i should hear that coming from the rear, but this sound is coming clearly from the the bottom of the shift selector sometime when its clicking like that i use hand to prop it forward while i start driving and it finally stops clicking

Got the car inside and up on jackstands.
Spinning the rear wheels by hand does not make the sound.
Swaybar links are intact and only about 10k miles on them, same with the
halfshafts Nothing hanging or banging
Center carrier and bearing feel solid
I started it up and let the wheels spin in reverse but no clunk.
Maybe the suspension needs to be loaded or some such.

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

Where did you get your half shafts?

My "auto parts store" half shafts barely made it 15000 miles before the clunking started. I got a set of salvage original half shafts, re-booted, re-greased, problem solved.

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AJ

1985 300D (SOLD)

Guilty as charged Autozone GSP's.
Would they only be noisy when loaded?

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

Mine does the same thing. It's the transmission reverse clutch / bands (B3) I believe. I don't have the space and equipment to try it myself but ps2cho has a DIY on it on his website that took care of his problem:

W124-Zone.com

sptt