Clicking/rattle driver side dash

Hey everyone I'm new to the forum and to tacomas. I bought an 08 from autonation with 185,000 miles on it. It was a chase car for oversize rigs so all hwy miles. Anyway a few months back I started hearing an intermittent clicking/rattle coming from what seems like inside the driver side dash. I've seen the other threads and it doesn't sound like a relay, but rather more like something is flapping back and forth or like a thick leaf caught in a vent. I only hear it when I'm hitting a headwind on the highway. It's not a steady click. I just spent 2K getting the timing chain and all it's associated parts replaced. I'm not a fan of dealerships but these foreign trucks seem well built but my ol jeep was an easy fix if something broke. I'm tired of paying dealerships and if it's a relatively easy fix I can do it in my garage but I don't know what it is. Please help thanks!

 

Welcome to TW.

There has been issues with the dash itself vibrating against the windshield. Does the noise go away if you put your hand up on the dash, near the windshield?

You may have debris in the fan, if it happens when you have the fan running (but you didn't specify). I'd try the dash trick and see if it goes away, if it doesn't, report back.

 

Wow thanks for the quick response! It's not the dash on the window. I'll kill the fan tomorrow and see what I can hear. It doesn't do it all the time. Seems like only when I'm in a stiff headwind anywhere between 45 and 70 mph. I'm stationed in Corpus Christi and the wind blows about 15-20 kts so that's an effective 80-90 ish mph winds hitting the hood of the taco. The sound comes from the topside of the dash it seems. From center steering wheel to the left. Hard to tell if it's under the hood close to the outer firewall, Or under the dash close to the inner firewall. I checked but it's clean under there. Sounds like plastic tapping on plastic. But again intermittent. No sort of consistency whatsoever. How do I pop the dash off and have a look from the top? Thanks again

 

I haven't a clue on dash dismantling but I would try a Google search for "Tacoma dash removal" and be confident you'll find something to guide you through it there.

 

I had a similar issue, ended up being a piece of the rubber skirting along the bottom of the drivers side wheel well had come loose. At higher speeds it would slap around, hitting the firewall.

Check out this thread