fsu0311

Hey all was a member here almost 5 years ago, have not been back in some time had to get a new name.


I am helping my buddy try to get his car back on the road. We've been hitting it hard these last three days. Put in a new power steering pump, thermostat, electric fan, fuel pump and filter. And a few upgrades to the coolant system. My buddy put a new(used) motor in almost 3.5 years ago. Was not able to finish everything. This car has set for 3 years because of my buddy being away(military). We got it running again and the coolant system was not acting up to bad(still running a little hot). We decided to take it out on the road about 50 feet to the nearest gas station to put more air in the tires. Well when we got there the damn machine was out of order so we decided to take it back home and figure something else out. On the way out of the gas station he bottomed out pretty bad and you could hear the exhaust scraping pretty bad. Well we get it home and I notice there is a loud rattling noise coming from the engine bay. I pop the hood and it sound like two honey badgers beating the **** out of each other. I'm not sure what the deal is, we are somewhat competent backyard mechanics but were not good at diagnosing certain problems, although we can usually fix them. It does sound like the crazy rattling is coming from the engine but to be honest we are not sure. It does not get any worse when you rev the motor up. In fact it is louder when it idles just because the car is not making as much noise to cover it up. (it is loud regardless) Of course we are hoping it is an exhaust bracket loose and banging but that is a best case scenario. We took a video of the engine bay. I'm going to try and upload the video, tell us what you guys think. My buddy is talking the whole vid because he thought we were sending it to a friend. here is the photobucket link to the video. thanks for looking.

(the sound is coming from the rear section of the motor nowhere near the accessories or belt area)

"""""" http://s973.photobucket.com/albums/a...t=IMG_0496.mp4

Bubba 95SN

Spend $10 get a mechanics stethoscope. Will really be a valuable tool.

fsu0311

yea my buddy suggested the same thing. I tried using a screwdriver but didnt get much results. Im going to pick one up tom i think.

Project 5.GO!

Does this rattle get faster when you rev it, or does it stay the same as the engine increases in RPM? Check the motor mounts to see if they are letting the engine slop around. And get one of those stethoscopes.

fsu0311

Today we decided to try and isolate the noise. I jacked up the front of the car and started it then crawled underneath. I still couldnt tell where it was coming from. I used a long piece of metal to try and pinpoint it. All i could tell was that the rattle was louder on the left side. Then we jacked up the exhaust tight and the rattle stopped for about 5 seconds almost completely then became worse then before. I think it must be the exhaust.

fsu0311

or rather the manifolds are hopefully the culprit. And no the noise does not get any louder when you rev the car, leading me to believe it is probably not a lifter, mount or rod type noise.

fsu0311

Anybody else experience a noise that sounded like engine issues and ended up being bracket, flange or exhaust related?

N3mi5is

Check the heatshields on the cats (if it still has them) had a very similar noise and it would go away above idle, one of the heatshields had broken off the cat and was just rattling around between the exhaust and the frame.

Project 5.GO!

Or if you bashed it hard enough, broke the ceramic honeycomb inside the cat to pieces. This sounds to me like a bracket/flange/cat thing. Pull the exhaust off and shake it around, if you don't want to get the stethoscope. Really, for 10 bucks, you'll be glad you have it to pinpoint the other squeaks and rattles that exist or eventually will.

Bubba 95SN

Transponding resonance, sounds like it is in one place but being created in another. WTH? Noise can be "funny". At one time Ford Ranger would sound like ac compressor was knocking.....TSB was to change clutch and pressure plate for a fix! Like I said , noise can be "funny"