St170 In Need Of Some Work

Hi, I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

We have just picked up an ST170 which we expect to be a bit of a project. It's in need of some TLC inside and we think there may be a few bigger mechanical jobs to take care of over the winter months. We got it for what we believe was a good enough price, providing 'the list' doesn't get too much longer.

The main issue we have come across at the moment is a knocking sound under the bonnet which seems to mainly be on tickover and when cold. We knew about it when we bought it and thought it could be the release bearing but we are now leaning towards the possibility of a new clutch and DMF :-(

It seems to drive ok, the gearbox is a little clunky between some of the gears but I'm not sure it that's just because we are not used to it (hopeful it's not more expense). We've considered the clutch could be playing a part here as well.

Does anyone have any pointers as to what we should be considering? And if we do end up taking it in for a clutch and DMF, are there any other jobs we should expect / consider at the same time?

We've also noticed a small amount of resistance and a clunk when turning right (at the start of the turn only). It only does it for the first few miles until it has warmed up and then doesn't seem to do it again until the following day (after its cooled down fully). Any ideas? The fluid levels seem ok, so our only hope is that it just needs a refresh.

Thanks in advance :-)

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