Thanks for the ideas. I think I will remove the deck and clutch to see if that eliminates the "clunking". It does have the governor controlled idle.
The phone was recording just under the carb. and near the governor. Phone was not being moved around until the very end when I moved the phone...
Here is the audio file: https://jumpshare.com/s/qi2QZkdC9OLszqa7q5iJ
Model: 44P777
Hours: 657
Engine is making a concerning noise and having a bit of trouble getting the engine to idle down. Best way to generate the noise is to let the governor run the engine up a bit then force the throttle...