Noise maker!!

My Tacoma has been making an awful lot of noise around town lately,and not the good kind. About a week ago driving through town I started hearing a loud clanking sound coming from what I think is the rear end of my truck. I've never heard it before. (had this truck 2 years now) It almost sounds like a heat shield is dangling and smashing off the muffler. But when I get down there and check it out I can't find anything. I've already checked the spare tire and other obvious options.. Anyone had this happen to them before? Or does anyone have any advice!! HELP!!

08 Quad Cab

 

Search for axle wrap on here - lots of discussion about it. If the sound is mostly when you speed up it might be it - the leaf springs slapping against each other due to the torque in the axle, twisting the axle when you gun it...(short description).

 

Nothing to do with speeding up .. It happens when I hit bumps. . And im from PA , we have no shortage of potholes and *hitty roads here

 

Sometimes the catalytic converter can have broken pieces inside that sound like a tailpipe dragging on the ground. I've had it happen to me and I was surprised to find that it was the catalytic converter but, low and behold, it was. Check your cat!......

 

Get a rubber mallet and start beating up the bottom of the truck. See if you can recreate the noise and go from there

 

It sounds as though its coming from the drivers side rear. Anyone have any idea what it could be? I'm not much of a mechanic.. Leaf Springs? Shock?