sqeak ....

[Garry]

I recon you might have a rattle or two by Natmeet AJ You need to travel along some NSW roads to get to Victoria.

[manga_blue]

I just spray everything under the dash with silicon spray. Squeaks gone.

[fif111]

/sigh .. after 1 hours of work still can't the find the problem.... i m just too dumb for it.

i managed the remove the metal brace under the gloves box and that it. i used my hand to check every single nuts i can see and feel them, they are just fine. But i got a big hand where i cant fit my hand behind the headunit area.

would anyone in sydney area able to give me a hand please ? if i take it to those panel beater, they will at least charge several hundred for nothing ...

[Copycat]

Hi, I think I have exactly the same type of rattle that you are describing - sort of like having a washer loose on a bolt and shaking it?
I've now spent about three full days over the past few months I've owned my NA looking for it and haven't been able to find it.

I've removed the glovebox and dríven with out it and it's still there.
I've tightened every screw and bolt I could find, I've removed the fan unit, put new foam material where it joins to the heater/air-cond box.
I've replaced the partially stripped bolts on the main bar that runs across the dash.
Last weekend I pushed pieces of foam up into all the gaps I could find around where the vent pipes meet the underside of the dashboard.
I've even checked in the engine bay, at the base of the windscreen, in the doors and in the inner guards and I still can't find a 'smoking gun'.
I fear the next step is to remove the dash but I would have to psych myself up for that one!
Surely someone out there has had the same problem and found a solution?
Cheers

[JBT]

I had a noise like that on our NA once, but only when the roof was up. Turned out to be the rear window zipper pull tag making a tinkling noise. I was ready to pull the dash because it sounded like it was coming from the front.

[jules]

Do you have A/C?

Jules

[Copycat]

I'm not sure about fif111 but I do.

[jules]

I had an issue with the evaporative cooler rattling inside it's casing. It's held in the plastic box with poly foam which shrinks and no longer holds it in place. Mine was rattling for a couple of years before I tracked it down.


Jules

[Copycat]

Thanks Jules
How did you manage to get to the evaporator to stop the rattle?
I don't really want to remove the heater/air-cond unit as I'll then have to get the AC re-gassed.
Can I get to the source of the problem without removing it?
Cheers

[droo]

sorry to bring up the past, but i believe i have the same or similar rattle.

There are rattles, and then there are rattles.. this is clearly the latter.
I've been trying to isolate it for weeks, this particular rattle is giving me tourrettes, the moment it's heard makes me shout obscenities at nuns and run over puppies and little kittens..

I've been able to record it with my phone pretty clearly, however by using my phone mic aimed at various areas in the passenger footwell i can't isolate it any narrower then underneath/inside the dash passenger footwell... Definitely between the aircon and fan box and firewall.

RoadsterRattle.mp3

I've checked and confirmed, It's not the seat (aftermarket and i hoped something was loose underneath it - ie easy fix)
Also confirmed it's not the passenger door, speaker or anything inside it.
dríven with both the passenger seat removed, the passenger door panelling removed, the glove box removed.

It usually happens loudest on deceleration. It can be either sometimes gone, quiet, annoying and then loud enough to be heard with windows down, with music on etc.. My mind's eye has focussed on it and its driving me batty, even when it's quiet my blood pressure raises.. I have to learn to chill out about this thing but it's not easy.

At idle, if revs are held at 2450rpm the rattle/squeak begins to resonate but it's *VERY* quiet compared to decellerating from 80kph to 60 in 4 or 5th gear.. During this 2450rpm squeak, i got my partner to keep the revs while i performed chinese gymnast and poured myself in the footwell to poke and prod around. The closest i could get my head to it felt about 30cm away and my ears couldn't resolve it to a particular point with the engine noise near by and the squeak's quietness at that rpm.. if i could have my head there when i'm decelerating to 60kph, i'm sure i could narrow it a bit further, but that's gonna be somewhat impossible to do legally.

It is definitely between or above the aircon/fan box and the firewall. I cant see any further in, nor reach in as my hands are attached to my arms.

It happens more loudly when the speed is above 50-60kph, and is louder again - to give you an indication of how loud the rattle is, it's audible with music on playing at a moderate volume at 100kph .... Driving windows down or roof off, in winter here in southern oz, is not an option, tho frostbite of my head and deafness could be an option..

It is not an engine/drivetrain/exhaust (i've had 3 different exhaust setups, and a rebuilt engine now since this rattle has been heard)
Its nothing on the engine side of the firewall, as it's not audible from there. Nothing vibrates at a remotely similar frequency when tapped, bashed, shook or looked at with a sad face.

It's one of those sounds that is so prominent that when it's gone, on occasion, its instantly noticeable and feels the same as when you've got the cold/flu and your nose is blocked and suddenly both your nostrils open up unblocked you get to breath two amazingly beautiful breaths of air then a nostril gets blocked again, and the rattle is back.. *grumbles*


I will replace my dash at some point to get rid of a small crack it has, and will wait till a warmer weekend, but wanted to find out if anyone has had any experience with this.

Advice/recommendations/help would be wholeheartedly appreciated..
advice suggesting to get over it, it's a sports car and made on the cheap are unacceptable in this instance..

[ak_perth]

After i bought my NA8 i could hear a very annoying rattle when i drove over bumps in the road. It sounded like it was coming from the glovebox or dash. It was a very metallic noise and used to drive me crazy

One day i got home and the rattle was still making a noise when the car was idleing! This was prefect because it gave me a chance to try and locate it. I got out of the car and it sounded like it was coming from the bonnet. I pressed down on the corner of the bonnet on the passenger side where it meets the windscreen and the rattle stopped. I turned the engine off and i could hear the metallic noise every time i pushed down on the corner of the bonnet. I did the same on the driver's side and it made no noise.

I checked the tightness of the bolts on the bonnet hinge but they were fine, it wasn't that. I reckon it must be the fixing that attaches the bonnet to the hinge but it has round heads either side so i couldn't tighten them. So i went to Bunnings and bought some of that spongy water pipe lagging stuff that plumbers use and gaffer tapped it down under the passenger side of the bonnet where the rattle was in the engine bay above the bonnet hinge. The rattle stopped when i closed the bonnet and pushed down on the corner. I also wedged a bit in the tiny gap where the corner of the bonnet meets the hinge.

Such a relief now that it's gone, it truley was very annoying.

Cheers

AK

[JBT]

Also check the boot lid rubber stoppers. I had one of those creating an annoying squeak which sounded as though it was coming from the dash area . A bit of door latch greasy stuff fixed that.

[Mr Morlock]

well you have written a long spiel about what it isn't but I would still suspect something related to the exhaust. I would be taking it to a mechanic and get it checked on a hoist. You can use a stethoscope sometimes with success.

[droo]

Mr Morlock -was that to me?
its not the exhaust, have mentioned it's been replaced/changed more then once the time the squeal is about.

This morning I have confirmed its not my bonnet hinges too. While they make a noise of their own, they have a very different noise type and frequency then the cabin rattle (will work on that one in time, its no way near as imposing as the squeaking rattle i've recorded in my post above)

It's definitely unmistakably coming from inside the corner of the dash. Loudest at that point.

'Tis ok, I'll figure it out when I remove the dash. I wanted that information here for anyone else who might be experiencing it, or in the future.

[Kev05]

My NB has an annoying squeak...usually emitting from the passenger side.

For the other posters, have you check the astray for any loose change or screws? I've experienced similar rattle in other cars but later discovered it to be caused by the coins.