It's not constant, I hear it now and then, particularly on one 270 degree freeway off ramp, fairly sharp and long turn. Just a sudden clunk of metal moving a bit inside it's confines.

I read on the web that it could be tie rod or ball joint issues. I have trouble knowing how to identify such things. I gather that with the car securely on jacks stands or a lift, there are ways to torque various parts to identify issues. Just grabbing parts with your hand often doesn't work in my experience.

After the brief noise, everything seems fine, no symptoms of weird handling, etc. But I don't want to ignore it til it gets worse.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Metal on metal sounding? Super loud, or just a faint rubber isolated kinda thump?

Putting up in the air and yanking on things by hand isn’t the greatest, but levering with a prybar works better
By now, most suspensions have been repaired a few times. Ask yourself, what’s super old vs what’s newish

Not super loud but a sharp and sudden sound. Like a metal fitting supporting weight moving an eighth of an inch.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Motor mounts?

One trick is to open a door, push up and down on the door, and rock the car. If the car will make the noise while you are rocking it, then have somebody try and put their hand on the ball joint, bushing, tie rod, etc. You will be able to feel movement in the part giving you trouble.

Good tip, I'll try it.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Unlikely ball joints since they are normally loaded in just one direction, but you could try a pry-bar to see, with frame supported and front tires hanging. Worn control arm bushings usually make a noise when the car goes slightly airborn, like fast over railroad tracks. Most likely it is either the sway bar bushings which attach to the firewall, so are easily heard, or the bushings at the ends of the sway bar where they attach to the upper control arm. The later are easy to inspect and swap out. Hope the end of the your sway bar didn't break off. If so, there is a weld-on repair part to fix that easiest.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

Is the noise from the RF? Is the battery tray area corroded? Check the sway bar mounting areas that BillGrissom mentions particularly behind and below the battery.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

guide rod mounts if it happens when braking

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Seems to be left front.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I have a creak or pop on my 300sd when I make a sharp turn in a parking lot. Sounds like a spring binding up then releasing suddenly. I can make it go away temporarily by spraying my spring pads with silicone oil. So I suspect it’s in there where the coils rub against the cup of the pad.

Balljoints in my experience are easy to hear because they clunk all the time especially on speed bumps. I changed out my balljoints and the noise didn’t go away. Changed guide rod mounts. Changed upper control arms. Changed both sway bar bushing ends and the ones under the battery box and booster. It still pops.

So my guess has been spring pads. Oddly I changed my pads in 2010 to drop the car a bit in the front. I had headlights in the air syndromes common on the SD. I put the thickest Meyle pads in the back and the thinnest Meyle pads up front. I may try some MB pads at some point but right now I just spray.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles