My '99 S80 has made a random clunk sound, similar to a stone being kicked up by a tire, ever since the car was new. The dealer has never heard it since it is so random and happens infrequently. I have been under the car and tried to shake every thing that moves and can't find anything loose. Any ideas?

I've had the same problem on my 99 S80 T6 since about 15K miles ( it's got 52k now). I've been to 2 different dealers. The first one told me my tire pressure was too high & set them to a couple of PSI below spec. The noise was still there. The second replaced the spring seats which seemed to fix the problem for about a week. It's back again...

Charlie

Possibly the strut mounts. These are between the top of the strut and the body. Only way to check them is to remove the struts.
Also could be front subframe mounts. There is a camapign to replace these.

I have heard of similar problems with sporadic "clunking" in the general front region of the car that are associated with irregularities in the road that are often related to the "strut spring seat" on the S70s... I don't know if the S80 suspension is similar or not? Also, once the nut on my left sway bar endlink got a bit loose, also causing some "clunking" sound... Don't know if this helps but good luck!
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Two '98-S70s and One '90-745. My First Car: '74 244DL Gone But Remembered!

If its the same clunk, I here it in the mourning when I leave my driveway and the car shifts from first to second. It only happens once or twice an d I suspect its just a cold trany. ?

Guys:

I had the same clunking sound on my 99 S80. I checked everything under the hood, the suspension, the spring seats, etc. I even took it to the dealer as it's still under warranty with only 35K miles on the ODO. We drove the car around and there was no noise or clunk, yet it was clunking on the way to the dealer. Anyway, when nothing clunked while the Service Manager drove the car and I was in the passenger seat, I looked foolish and he thought I was nuts. I insisted that the suspension clunked and the dealer torqued all the suspension nuts and bolts to spec, inspected the spring seats by compressing the springs and they were good and eventually changed the end links on both ends of the front roll bar just as a precaution, but the clunk persisted which you could feel on the floorboard when you heard it clunk....especially when making right turns with the car.

Anyway the car needed new brakes and I ordered a set of EBC Greenstuff brakes for the front end, which by the way are phenomenal. While I had the car up and the wheel off installing the new brake pads, I lubricated all of the friction points of the suspension using just a regular shot of WD40 followed by a regular oil squirt can filled with Mobil 1 0W30. Lubrication included the A arm bushings, the roll bar and its bushings, engine mounts, subframe attachment points, spring seats, the strut's chromed shafts, the steering knuckles, ball joints...you name it, it got a squirt of oil.

Well, I'm happy to report that the result of all my oiling is that the clunking is gone. How it happened and what was the cause of the clunking will always be a mystery now as everything got shot with oil on the suspension. If you do have or in the future get that mysterious clunking on the front end of your S80, do what I did and you'll be happy you did.

If you hear it only once and as you're leaving your driveway you might be hearing the ABS self-test (which sounds like a mix of a thunk-grind type noise). It happens the first time you hit 12 mph each time you start your car.

-rollie