Front end clunking/popping noise at low speeds

Been dealing with a clunking/popping noise in my front end over the last several months. It's especially audible in parking lots when going over bumps - and not just when turning. It sounds very similar to when my other vehicle had a loose strut top hat. Have done lots of research on TW and figured it might be the body mounts, so I tried retorquing all of them to no avail. My steering rack boots are wet so it could be that but I'm hoping it isn't. It does have the 2" 5100 TRD lift that the prior owner had dealer installed. Got fed up and took it to my local dealer to see if they could figure anything out.

They blamed it on my wheel spacers and method wheels. I don't even have wheel spacers.

At this point I'm so fed up with it (and that dealership) that I'm tempted to get a set of chassis ears and figure it out myself. I'm very much a perfectionist when it comes to my vehicles and I don't trust the work of a place that blames a part that isn't even on the truck. Any ideas or places I should look first?

 

Jack up front check all the steering components

 

The front brakes are notorious for this. I, too, thought that was nonsense when I first read that but after investigating, they really do clatter. The pads sit sort of loose and make a surprising amount of noise. Might not be the exact noise you're hearing but might be part of it.

 

Do you have a vid of what that sounds like? I agree it sounds a little crazy but then again, crazier things have happened

 

Maybe a loose sway bar….?

 

I was thinking this or end links are a definite possibility, could be the LCA bolts I've seen people have issues with too.

 

I'd bet body mounts. Pretty common.

Edit: I missed where you already checked them...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-set-of-front-body-mount-bushings.701993/

 

This was gonna be my recommendation - torque LCA bolts (to proper torque spec). Odds are, if you've had an alignment done somewhere, they didn't get it anywhere close to spec.

 

With wet boots on the rack that would be my bet. Jack up both front wheels off the ground and check for play. At slow speed turn the steering wheel from side to side and you should hear feel clunk. It also will clunk on bumps just like worn sway bar bushings would. Hope for worn sway bar bushings they are easy to replace. Rack not so much

 

If it's the rack, I'm just leaving it till it gets much worse. From what I've seen a new Toyota rack will have the exact same issue in 40-50k miles.