Infuriating clanking noise - suggestions as to origin welcome

Yes, I said clanking.
110 CSW has been making this noise for about a year now. Mostly I suffer it with the windows wound up so it is tolerable. Either it's getting worse or the summer driving with open windows is making it more noticeable but I can't put up with it much longer.
The noise is not present with the brakes applied. This made me think it was maybe no anti-chatter springs on the disc pad pins but that wasn't the case.
Having read advice elsewhere on this forum I felt the UJs after a journey and they were warm but only as warm as my hand so I'm thinking it's not those either.
The noise occurs with bumps in the road so I think it's part of the unsprung mass but I've been under the truck with the rubber mallet giving things a bit of a whack to see if I can reproduce the noise but to no avail.
The noise is metallic but I can't really describe it beyond that.
Any ideas at all, oh learned Land Rover people?
Could it be backlash in the transmission somewhere? If so, how to check for it?

exhaust banging?

I'll give that another ****ting with the hammer and see if I can recreate it.

Nerdos said:

I'll give that another ****ting with the hammer and see if I can recreate it.

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get under truck and swing exhaust from side to side violently

Front disk mud shields ----- take em off ( you'll prob find one of the mountings has broken ) .

dive under the front and give em a prob

Probably still got a piece of zimmer frame wedged under there, from when you ran that Pensioner over.

Thank you, sagely anoraks of the green oval for your advice. There is no trace of zimmer frames nor putrified remains of any pensioners.
The exhaust is very firmly attached and I can only move it a couple of mm in any direction.
Likewise the disc mud shields, front and rear, are rusty but firmly anchored to the rest of the vehicle.
If it helps you imagine the noise it's a heavy sound like something of the same mass a half a brick clanking against something.
The only thing that moved at all was the bulbous thingy towards the front of the A frame.
Forgive my ignorance - my area of mechanical expertise is more geared towards motorcycles but I'm keen to learn.

thats your problem! that shouldn't move!

Oh. Great. That's progress. WTF is that thing anyway? Actually, forget that. I'll harness the awesome power of google.

Aframe balljoint attaches to the rear diff pan

Is this the thing ye're on about...

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f41/frame-balljoint-renewal-110342.html

OK, ignoring the fact that this diagram refers to a Range Rover, I just wanted to clarify the situation. Can you confirm that the scrotum thing indicated shouldn't move and that the bracket also indicated should or shouldn't be as floppy as it is?

Not quite what I was on about but maybe I need to have a scramble under the truck again tomorrow when it's light to check.

This place is great. All this instant help for free.
Thanks.

Nerdos said:

Not quite what I was on about but maybe I need to have a scramble under the truck again tomorrow when it's light to check.

This place is great. All this instant help for free.
Thanks.

Click to expand...

has your defender got self levelling suspension?

Oh God, I hate to ask this but...how would I know?
It's a 12 seat, 1996 County Station Wagon. Does that help in any way at all?

Nerdos said:

Oh God, I hate to ask this but...how would I know?
It's a 12 seat, 1996 County Station Wagon. Does that help in any way at all?

Click to expand...

If ye've got one of these...



then ye've got self levelling
Might be an idea to check yer anti roll bar bushes while ye're down there.... it's the one that says 'sway bar' in yer diagram ye posted

Then we can conclude that I do have self-levelling suspension.

I've exhausted the possibilities of where this infernal noise is coming from. I've booked it in to Alldrive next week and, in case anyone is interested, I'll post the outcome when I get it back. Thank you all for your suggestions. FWIW I think it's axle or diff at the source of the noise.

Well, for those of you who are interested, it seems that most (but not all) of the noise can be ascribed to a dodgy UJ. So worn in fact that the propshaft needed replacing too. So thanks again for all your suggestions and we can put this one to bed now.