I have a Ford Focus MK3 2013 1.6 TDCi and every time I change gear, I hear a clunking noise. It's actually quite loud so something definitely isn't right. Gears change smoothly and go in perfect however.

Do you think this is a engine/gearbox mount issue? Any ideas which one would cause this?

I would also be interested in this as I also have this and have had it ever since I got the car about 15 months ago. 

I did a Google search on this and it seems to be extremely common on diesels. 

When I had my last MOT, I asked the garage to check out underneath including mounts etc. They said they couldn't find anything out of order. 

A clunk or knocking when changing gear could be slight movement in your flywheel in my opinion

Today, I tried to "rock" the engine by pushing it backwards and it was completely solid. This leads me to believe my mounts are good and that it is actually an issue with the clutch/gearbox. One thing I noticed is that it does get worse the more you drive (as the car warms up). When you first start it, there's little to no noise at all.

I don't know if it's worth getting the trans oil changed out.

5 hours ago, Devk said:

Today, I tried to "rock" the engine by pushing it backwards and it was completely solid. This leads me to believe my mounts are good and that it is actually an issue with the clutch/gearbox.

You won't put anywhere near enough force through the mounts just pushing against the engine.  Get a crowbar in between the mount and the bracket and you'll see just how poor the rubber mounts really are on Mk3s.  Even new they can't resist a harsh gearchange without a clunk unfortunately, I replaced top & bottom on mine trying to get rid of that annoying jerk on gearchange with little improvement.

On 3/13/2022 at 8:39 AM, TomsFocus said:

You won't put anywhere near enough force through the mounts just pushing against the engine.  Get a crowbar in between the mount and the bracket and you'll see just how poor the rubber mounts really are on Mk3s.  Even new they can't resist a harsh gearchange without a clunk unfortunately, I replaced top & bottom on mine trying to get rid of that annoying jerk on gearchange with little improvement.

True! Sounds like we're just stuck with it then? My mate has exactly the same year as mine but with 50k less miles and his is perfect. I wonder if it's worth changing the trans oil and the mounts.

1 minute ago, Devk said:

True! Sounds like we're just stuck with it then? My mate has exactly the same year as mine but with 50k less miles and his is perfect. I wonder if it's worth changing the trans oil and the mounts.

Well, I got rid of mine for something that was better built in the end, but you may be stuck with yours lol. 

How many miles are on it?  Mine only had 42k on it when I bought it.  Have you driven your mates one or just passenger?  He might be changing gear more smoothly.  The mounts are easy enough to replace so if yours is high mileage it might reduce the effect by changing them, but I've driven a few Mk3's and never found a 'perfect' one so far.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Well, I got rid of mine for something that was better built in the end, but you may be stuck with yours lol. 

How many miles are on it?  Mine only had 42k on it when I bought it.  Have you driven your mates one or just passenger?  He might be changing gear more smoothly.  The mounts are easy enough to replace so if yours is high mileage it might reduce the effect by changing them, but I've driven a few Mk3's and never found a 'perfect' one so far.

Honestly, I had mine up for sale for at least a month and got barely any interest and it's very clean for the age/mileage. Makes me regret getting it as not many people are interested in them. I think they're just regarded as the basic standard hatch that doesn't nothing special lol Mine's a 2013 and has done 106k miles now.

I didn't actually drive his but I can tell it's okay. Mine clunks even when stationary and changing gears.

Does anyone actually know the reason these make these noises though? Is there a design flaw or something that wears out quickly?

37 minutes ago, Devk said:

Honestly, I had mine up for sale for at least a month and got barely any interest and it's very clean for the age/mileage. Makes me regret getting it as not many people are interested in them. I think they're just regarded as the basic standard hatch that doesn't nothing special lol Mine's a 2013 and has done 106k miles now.

I didn't actually drive his but I can tell it's okay. Mine clunks even when stationary and changing gears.

Does anyone actually know the reason these make these noises though? Is there a design flaw or something that wears out quickly?

A lot of people don't want diesels anymore...the gov't propaganda messages have had a big impact on them sadly.  Being a Zetec won't help your sale either tbf, mine was at least a Titanium lol.  

The engine mounts are a compromise that didn't really work.  They tried to make them soft enough to stop the engine vibrations being transmitted into the cabin...but they also need to be firm enough to hold the engine still when change gear.  Sadly, the mounts don't seem to have managed either of those functions!  What's worse is the Mk4 mounts are no better either. 

It may well be that there is a problem with yours, I didn't realise it was such high mileage.  The gearboxes are a known weak point, and the mounts will definitely be worn at that age.  If you have a look at the top engine mount, you may even see that it's leaked/collapsed.

3 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

A lot of people don't want diesels anymore...the gov't propaganda messages have had a big impact on them sadly.  Being a Zetec won't help your sale either tbf, mine was at least a Titanium lol.  

The engine mounts are a compromise that didn't really work.  They tried to make them soft enough to stop the engine vibrations being transmitted into the cabin...but they also need to be firm enough to hold the engine still when change gear.  Sadly, the mounts don't seem to have managed either of those functions!  What's worse is the Mk4 mounts are no better either. 

It may well be that there is a problem with yours, I didn't realise it was such high mileage.  The gearboxes are a known weak point, and the mounts will definitely be worn at that age.  If you have a look at the top engine mount, you may even see that it's leaked/collapsed.

Yeah, people are really picking up Diesels any more are they. Titanium would definitely help, but mine is a very clean example for the age and I've had all the service work done to it (Cambelt, water pump etc). 

I've had a visual look at the top left main engine mount and the rubber looks in good condition. The tranny one is under the battery compartment, but I wouldn't know without taking it all apart and having a proper look. Then there's the gearbox mount underneath which I'd need to get under and have a look at. I guess a long pry bar or something would come in handy to try and check for movement.

Don't know if it's worth just changing all of the mounts, or just taking it somewhere and getting an opinion on the clunks.

Gear changes are smooth and feel solid, the clutch is a tiny bit stiff so not sure if that has anything to do with it. Other alternative is to try change out the transmission oil and see if that helps at all.