1999 Honda CRV goes clunk in the night

So I bought a CRV recently with 105,000 miles (and am changing the timing belt next weekend!).

Anyway when I first looked at the vehicle, it had a broken motor mount and a loud clunk to go with it, which the dealer replaced before I bought the car. Now it has a small clunk but it is different from the original. The original would clunk right when you accelerate/gain momentum so it was the motor mount hitting the back of the engine bay right? this clunk is not as loud and only happens about 1/4 of the time and it clunks right after I let off of the gas, which makes me think that it occurs due to the loss of momentum and is therefore hitting the front of the engine bay, but is it even a motor mount issue?? It sounds like metal hitting metal and it kind of freaks me out. What could it be, are there any tests I can do?

Clunk might not quite be the right word, maybe a clack or a click. but it is just ONE clunk, not multiple and it is coming from the front of the vehicle. I think I can feel it through the pedals but maybe that’s my imagination. the car does not drive strangely or anything, it just has this unnerving THUNK

Also I’m pretty sure it is not a sway bar end link or upper control arm, but what do i know!

... it clunks right after I let off of the gas...

This moves the engine the same way that putting the car into reverse does (rocks the top of the engine forward). Does the noise happen going into reverse?

@insightful I want to say no, I’ve never noticed it but I am not sure and will check when I drive home from work in half an hour.

@insightful actually the more I think about it I am positive it does not. I am also pretty positive it is not a transmission or engine issue, I think it is a suspension problem or maybe a motor mount or maybe (fingers crossed) just one part of the car like the exhaust hitting another part and it’s not a big deal at all.

Certainly could be the suspension. Level pavement, engine off, in neutral, you could try chocking each front wheel (in front of and behind the tire) and rocking the car forward and backward.

Cars are sort of constructed like bobble head dolls, the body isn’t bolted to the suspension, instead the connection body/suspension is by some assortment of springy devices. So what that means – think of the analogy of a bobble-head doll – when you slow down the front end of the car tends to move forward and down and the rear end moves up; so either of those movements could be stressing some faulty suspension component or another that is already loose, creating a bump noise. Mechanics put cars on the lift all the time looking for loose suspension stuff, so that will be easy to diagnose if that’s the problem.

The other thing that comes to mind is that there is more than one power-train mount. It’s possible that you had one really worn out one, and now that’s fixed, so another one that is only sort of worn out has an opportunity to complain. So while the car is on the lift, ask the shop to check all the remaining engine and transmission mounts.

I wonder how badly this car was wrecked?