Do any of you guys have a chattering sound in the front end when going over small bumps/unsmooth pavement? It almost sounds like my hood is sort of loose, but when I the hood, it feels fairly secure, so I'm not exactly sure what it is.

Anyone else experience similar sounds?

 

I haven't noticed any sounds like you described, but I did notice that the hood vents on my XKR move around a little when I wash/wax the hood. If there is any "play" in your hood vents, secure them to the hood with some masking tape to keep them from moving around while you're driving and see if the sound goes away. If it does, you got lucky with an easy fix!

Stuart

 

Interesting--I will check those out.

 

I had something like that, until the hood latches were adjusted. Maybe they feel ok, but if you hit the hood with your hand were the latches are you might hear a rattle.

 

When I hit the back of the hood (near the windscreen) or push down on it, I do hear a similar rattle/contact sound to what I hear inside. Last night I pushed down vigorously on the hood before I drove, and this morning I didn't hear anything. So maybe I just need to adjust the hood latches. Any idea how to adjust them?

 

You can adjust the rubber pivots near to the two locking points upward or adjust the locking mechanism downward by loosening the two bolts under it. This should do it. You might still hear something when you hit the hood with your hand afterwards, but it should be not enough to make it rattle when driving. Maybe you have to try a bit what works best.

 

Thanks, I have confirmed that the noise is caused by the hood rattling--I had a friend push down on the hood while I sat inside and it made exactly the same sound.

I will try adjusting it!

 

Well I finally got around to adjusting the rubber hood stops. That did the trick, and it didn't even require any tools!

 

Great. Nice that it worked.

 

I have a chattering sound when going over bumps. After reading this post I assumed it might be the hood. It was going into the dealer for another matter and I asked if they could adjust to get rid of the rattle.

Dealer later told me it was a suspension issue and it will need to come in for a day. Take it back in on Monday. Will update post with further news if any, next week.

 

Turns out that wasn't the fix. The chattering is still there, albeit somewhat less noticeable. I think that's because I have the top down most of the time, though.

 

Took the car back in yesterday and they replaced both front shocks! The issue was not resolved and they believe the noise is coming from upper mounting bolts for the front shocks. They have removed the shocks and ordered new kit to be fitted today! Hopefully this will do the job!

 

When modern gas pressure shocks fail one of the first signs of failure is suspension noise. Failure can also be confirmed by visually inspecting the shocks for fluid leaks. Back in the 50s & 60s shock life seemed to be about 25-50K miles. With gas pressure shocks life is extended, and 100K shock life is not uncommon.

 

This may be true. However, I find that most suspension noises are not caused by the shocks. Usually it's some sort of bushing that's gone bad!

 

Just a friendly advice:

Never push down on the hood to close it or latch it. Particularly not on aluminum. The hood can and will dent due to hand/palm pressures. I always let the hood drop by its own weight from a distance, about a foot or more.

Albert

 

Per my earlier post the XK went back in whilst I was away on vacation, as they needed more time to check it out.

They replaced the shocks but this did not resolve the chattering sound. They subsequently replaced the front suspension bushes and this resolved the issue. Thankfully as I had just purchased the car from the dealer they covered all the costs! Can't fault them for the quality of customer service! Very impressed.

 

Which suspension bushes? Sway bars? Hopefully these since they're easiest to replace?