Well now that my rear break pad is not rattling over bumps I can hear a different rattle. It's not suspension, I don't think. Sounds like a tin can rattle almost like a loose heat shield. Thing is I have spend at least a couple of hours under the car hitting things trying to duplicate it. Can't find it. I can barely, barely hear it if I rev the car up on P, but its audible driving with the windows down, not all the time , but ocassionally. Where do I look? What could it be? It's definitely a light tin- like rattle. Any help appreciated.

 

catylitic converter heat shield
its placed vertically and has a bolt to hold it in place. bolt rusts and shield becomes movable.. especially noticable when winter arrives or when shifting from park to drive

 

Thanks for your reply. Sounds like a heat shield but it's probably not. I was underneath the car for a good while yesterday tapping at the heat Shields. I did some more testing at lunch time. Anyone that can help me figure this out, greatly appreciated.

1--The noise is present driving probably around 1RPM 1.5 RPM low speeds WITH A/C ON OR OF.

2- The noise can be duplicated with the car on park hitting the gas reving to 1.5 RPM WITH AC ON. If I turn the AC OF, it's not there. There may be a faint trace, but hardly existent.

3-the noise CAN NOT be duplicated sitting at idle, At a stop without accelerating

Can't figure this out

 

Have you tried an automobile stethoscope to trace it down while someone else is reving the car?

 

The stainless caps on the lug nuts have been known to rattle.

 

I do have a stethoscope but will have to wait for the weekend for a friend to help me, although the best way to diagnose it would be for somebody to accelerate while the car is on jacks or up on a lift with the wheels moving.

On separate note I confirmed my suspicion that my current TPS is not in very good shape. The cars idle was all over the place from all the acceleration/reving up I did to hear the noise. I was having erratic idle and a downshift issue when driving as the idle was coming down very slowly....I had to unplug the battery and let it reset, but it's probably on its way out.

 

There are a few ways to diagnose the source of the noise, similar to your plan.

This is a description of how not to:


(March 1995, Michigan) James Burns, 34, of Alamo, Michigan, was killed... Burns got a friend to drive... on a highway while Burns hung underneath so that he could ascertain the source of a troubling noise. Burns' clothes caught on something, however, and the other man found Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft."

 

Ok thanks

 

Does anyone know if a bad compressor pulley could cause this noise, even when the A/C if of?

i think I remember hearing a very similar noise on a Mercury Sable I used to own a long time ago that was overfilled with freon

 

If you turn the volume up you can hear it at 8 seconds :

https://youtu.be/ZOFjvYRCcMc

any help appreciated

 

This is a much better video.sound can be heard towards the end

 

This one is even clearer. If I hold speed at 10mph that's the sweet spot for the rattle

 

Lmfao!

 

Any one got any ideas with the noise. I've been looking at videos and it sounds like a cat converter shield noise . Odd that it's only at 10 mph. Also, i remember dropping a screw in the heat shield from the top when I changed out the spark plugs. I am thinking that could be the problem

 

Any help with noise? Anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks

 

It's really clear at the 13 second mark

 

I put this video thru an wind noise reducing app. I also took the car in to be put up in the air to diagnose a leaking compressor, and sounds like my front car or cat shield is rattling. Tech said he's had more than one X type with the front rattling cat. So I got one of those lovely 2 for 1 's . Car gets dropped of Monday for new Compressor/dryer/filter and also for a new front cat

 

Well- car went in to replace a leaking compressor- found the bolt I lost while changing the spark plugs from the manifold , longed between two pipes. Removed and so far I can not hear the noise any more. Hopefully I am done with that