Looking for help identifying a clunk.

Hey guys, I could use some help with a noise I'm hearing coming from the front end of my truck. The conditions I hear it under seem to be low speed, under 20ish mph and while turning + hitting a bump/dip. I did manage to record a video of the noise by just swerving side to side at 5mph.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bj_Qma9eeZto-o2qfxfKBeeWnYmB4hUU/view?usp=sharing
The best way I can describe the noise itself is that when i first noticed it, I popped the hood to make sure the battery tie-down was tight. Not super metallic knock or clunk, just something shifting under weight transfer. I still have to jack up the truck and try wiggling the tires, etc. but I'm hoping someone else out there has heard this same noise.
My truck is a 2019 OR with 53k miles, all stock except for ko2s in load e, and the tires on it when i got it were cooper discoverer at3s in load e as well and date coded 2021, I know some parts may have worn faster because of this. TIA

 

Any modifications to the truck?

 

just edited my op, forgot to include that.

 

Welcome to TW… mine does the same thing.I’ve tightened every bolt under it ,but haven’t had time to put some chassis ears on it..

 

Thanks. I did have it aligned earlier this month at the same time as the ko2s were going on, however based on what the shop told me and what the alignment sheet says (and where I can see that the undercoating was disturbed), only the tie rods were touched and I don't feel any play in the wheel while stopped.

 

yeah mine has that stupid click on the passenger's side as well

 

I did a quick title search on this forum using "clunk" - here is the best solution that I found:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/clunk-up-front-fixed-check-skids.793965/

 

I tried searching Google using site:tacomaworld.com but I hadn't yet come across that thread. I did change both diff fluids and transmission fluid recently so both skidplate/ splash guards (stock) were recently removed and put back, I'll give retorquing them a shot.

 

OP- could be a number of things, but the most common “clunks” are:
Front body mounts(notorious for wearing out before 10K)
UCA TQ
Steering mount bushings(when they wear, they allow the steering to shift on the bushings)
Skid plate TQ
Driveshaft “slip” shaft clunk(search forum, some are grease-able, some not)

Also check the LCA cam tabs, if they appear to be folded over, then the LCA can/will shift during normal driving.(alignment shop employees sometimes use the tabs to shift the LCA during alignment, which weakens and can fold them which makes the truck unable to hold alignment)

And finally….check your inner fenders(metal paint matched) for cracks; the front clip on 3rd gens is 12/14gauge steel “adhered” together and can crack(spiderweb). Some have been able to get insurance to cover that repair($2.5k) under the guise of “hit a pothole”.

Hopefully you find the issue!

 

Yesterday I got a chance to run out to my truck and check the skid/splash plate bolt torques, the rear most 2 on the transmission section were 1/2 a turn loose ish, so either I forgot to snug them down or they loosened up a bit. I cranked them down and this morning I couldn't replicate the sound doing the same 5mph swerving so hopefully it stays gone

 

curious to see if the loose bolts were the issue. sometimes the front of my car makes a clunk sound too but it goes away and then comes back

 

I have verified that on my truck (2nd gen 4x4), the popping sound was from the lower control arm bushings shifting forward and backward a tiny bit due to insufficient press on the bushings. You can replace the LCA with a new one that comes with the bushings and ball-joint pre-installed, but there is no guarantee that the new one won't have the same problem (it seems to be common to get the pop after installing a new LCA). I fixed the problem by tack welding the bushing sleeves to the LCA in 3 places each. Doing a full weld would generate too much heat and burn the rubber, but 3 tack welds doesn't generate too much heat and seems to work just fine. Don't worry about having to cut the welds if the bushing or control arm needs to be replaced since they should be replaced together anyway. Replacing just the bushings but not the control arm is just begging to acquire the pop noise, if you don't already have it.
If you perform this fix, you might as well address those weak alignment cam-bolt locators while you have the welder out, by running a bead along the outer edge to reinforce them from getting bent easily. And whenever you do any welding on your truck, always disconnect the battery to prevent possible damage to the electronics from voltage spikes.

 

Grab the swaybar links on either side, at both the top and bottom ends, and give them a good twist. If there is any play or wiggle in them at all, they are done. They can produce a lot of noise, both clicks and soft sounding clunks as you drive.

 

I heard the noise pretty consistently on my commute both to and from work monday, when it was pretty cold, mid 30s. It's been less apparent since then with the temp in the 40s/50s, but still noticeable at times. The spot it makes it most consistently is an off camber left turn over train tracks. I gotta really check the sway bar links, I put a hand on them from the wheel well and they didn't seem loose but I gotta get it up on ramps and get underneath and really wrench on things. I've watched some videos of cars with bad links, and the sound is very similar.

 

Place your hand above the fender wheel opening and push forward and pull back. My fender was loose and thumping every time it hit a bump. Tightened it up 12 years ago…

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EsZx-W7UewrDvf8BWvDPUqwpk5Yo7lIw/view?usp=drivesdk

Is this a pretty cut and dry bad tie rod? I can't replicate the sound on the passenger side, and the noise seems to be coming from this side while moving.

 

That’s not a wheel bearing?

 

^No "airplane flying above me" noise while driving and no noise shaking the tire at 12 and 6

 

Here's another quick clip with the passenger tire on the ground, just the driver's in the air.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F5pElNOhaLS5riKAvM6HYYllbqkj3uHn/view?usp=drivesdk
Both clips are with the key in so the steering wheel doesn't lock. Putting my hand on the tie rod while doing this, I can feel the knock. I don't see/feel the rack moving, and the ball joints feel tight. The outer tie rod end feels tight even prying on it. My best guesses now are inner tie rod end or the guide bushing inside the rack itself.

 

Do that and have someone else hold the steering wheel I found a phantom noise when testing this way but when the steering wheel secured thst noise was gone.