I have begun to feel a slight clunk in the left front of my LS430 when I hit a bump. It's almost as if something is loose. My wife doesn't even notice it. Car still rides and drives great.
Being an OCB nut, I tend to hear/feel changes in a car before most people.
Would this most likely be a strut?

 

I'd say stab bushings and/or links.

Same nut here =)

 

It sounds like a sway link to me, in my experience when they need to replaced they make a noise almost like someone hitting a golf ball.

An easy way to check is if you can get access underneath your car, grab the sway bar and try to move it left and right. If it moves around, you probably need to replace them. It's usually an easy job.

But don't the mistake of "shotgunning" parts at it, people will sometimes rebuild an entire suspension chasing after a noise.

 

Thanks, guys, I will check the sway links and bushings.

 

I just had the same problem and replaced both front struts. It would make a clunking sound after hitting bumps or riding on uneven roads. The sound was the strut bottoming out. Check to see if the struts are leaking. I was surprised because the car only has 50k miles. Ordered the struts online for about 100 a piece and took it to a mechanic to replace. It was a quick and easy job

 

I have determined that this noise that occurs when I hit certain bumps or a " corduroy" section of road is the driver's side strut. On normal pavement it is not a problem. The car drives just fine. I need to take a 2,000 mile round trip on smooth interstate 55. Is there any problem with me waiting untill after this trip to replace the struts?
My LS430 is a 2002 with 82,000 miles.

 

This clunk when I hit bumps in the road has completely stopped all by itself? Everything is perfectly normal. My car drives and rides perfectly. Could the cooler weather cause the trut to stiffen up? This is the most puzzling thing I have ever had happen to a car.

 

Most prolly what u heard was brake hardware sounds. Had occurences, specific to LS.

 

What do you mean by "brake hardware"? My brakes are fine.

 

I hear a "clunk" coming from my car also when I hit a bump...drivers side rear. Is the strut the most likely problem? Should the strut be going out on a car with 77k?

 

I am having the same problem HELP!!!!!!

 

Now I'm hearing it again occasionally when on a washboard road, small bumps, one after another. It almost sounds like something is loose right in front of the driver down low. I got my tires rotated, checked everything to make sure nothing was loose, and got a 4 wheel alignment yesterday. Technician could find nothing wrong. The car drives and rides great, so I'm a little hesitant to go out and buy struts.
My 2002 LS430 just turned 84,000 miles. I hate to just start replacing parts, so may just let it go awhile and see if it gets worse. I have a 2,700 mile round trip planned in a couple of weeks, but it's all interstate driving, so I probably won't even hear it.
If I knew for certain what it was, I'd fix it today.

 

i think its the sway bar links wear through time, not hard to diy, chianged mine it fixed the problem. not struts to new of car, my opinion, its called swaybar links need replacing.

 

Sway bar links, 100%

 

I just recently develop a clunking noise when turning and near the end of the wheel movement to the extreme position, at low speeds. The dealer diagnoised it as the lower control arm bushing. They changed them and everything is nice and quiet now. For whatever it's worth.