96 mercury rattles and clanks over bumps loud

did you change the brackets that hold it? also try wd 40 spray the day lights on those rubbers but you still may have to change those brackets also it may be the struts

Just because the struts have no leaks doesn't mean they are not worn out, the fronts last about 50-70,000 miles (average road) depending on road conditions, the rougher the road conditions the faster they wear out.

struts make a noise on bumps and rough roads. I would be looking at the "U" joints as they may be ready to fall apart.

Check the droplinks for the anti roll bar... some are like ball joints, and they can seize, which causes the symptoms you are getting.

Can you provide more info? Did you hit a bump? What do you mean by 'drives bumpy?' Does it ride rough, or does it go up and down a lot after you hit a bump, or something else? Can you further describe the snap you heard, and what was going on when you heard it and immediately afterward (e.g., driving 40 mph on a paved road, hit a pot hole, heard a loud 'breaking' sound as if something snapped/broke, and the ride of the car seemed to immediately change to being more harsh/rough)? Have you had any work done recently, such as tires changed or rotated, struts replaced, wheel alignment, or brakes replaced? Did anything else change (e.g., now when you hit a bump, you hear a new noise in the rear)? Were you carrying anything heavy in the trunk or back seat? I had a '99 Corolla for several years, and had zero problems other than a worn out driver's door handle and a couple of cracked windshields. Great car choice!

take it to an alignment shop and ask them for a list of all the front suspension components which are beyond their service life. most likely it will be all of them, and the price to replace them all will exceed the value of the car. when they get old, they get play in them which rattle and clank when you hit a bump. the fact that you have a wobble and the noise means you are close to a dangerous failure.

the starter may need to be shimmed. could be the drive gear is getting hung up on the flywheel and when engine speeds up it slams it back

cooked the motor. sounds like low oil level caused the rattle u might be up for a n ew motor....

its probably your bump stops. the vw ones are very soft. i bought ford escort (the shape after the xr3) ones and cut them a little down to fit. i think the noise is either your shock touching or the sound of the tire scraping the body of the car. hope this helps.

If your driving a 96 just look at tire wear if it is ok .. then you are probably doing ok .. That year is known for rough road rattles ... Just watch tire wear. tells you alot if your steering is tight also.