car went clunk,clunk,clunk.

99 lx with about 128k. recently had wheels rotated . now i notice when driving about 40mph on a straight road and car moves to the left a little, as i give it a little right steering wheel to compensate i hear clunk and feel clunking in the steering wheel about 2 per second. also on interstate going about 65mph and to a curve to the right i have the same clunking. c/v boots ain,t busted. any idea,s will be appreciated. Jim.

If it started immediately after rotating the wheels I would put them back before you spend money looking. I had a new set put on a car and one tire was bad which caused pulling. Look for a bolt in the tire they cause clunking.

See if lug nuts are tight.

Loose lug nuts.

If it still have the original outer tie rod ends, then they are way overdue.

clunking much worse.update= went back to sam,s club today for a redue. tech said he didn,t see anything really out of spec. but today the problem is much worse. shaking all the time at 50mph+. it seems to minimize as i accelerate. the plan is to take it to an old time suspension shop that does large trucks and buses,etc. will keep you guys posted.

Check the sterring rack and make sure it is securely mounted. I have found this to be an issue with a few Escorts... they like to work themselves loose over time.

clunk = bad tie-rod end. gave up and went to sears sunday afternoon. bad tie-rod end. i was so relieved i agreed to the alignment even though the car always drove straight as an arrow. total = $192. someday soon ill get the $25. tie-rod end at az for the other side and have my shady tree guy install it.
thanks for all you guys advice. i figured it was gonna be a lug nut.