clatter/rattle comming from under the hood :[

[AlphaAssault]

So my talon has developed a new sound, and i don't think i like it too much. I drove my car to work just fine, no odd sounds. I come out 4 hours later and immediately hear the noise when i start my car. Its not really a grinding, and its not a ticking. Its more of a clatter, like a rattle between two metal parts. It only happens around 2000rpm, and from what i can tell, its not coming from the engine itself, though it is definitely coming from under the hood. In gear, out of gear, on the brakes, off the brakes, it doesn't matter, it always happens around 2000rpms. it was too dark for me to inspect my engine bay tonight, so i will take a look tomorrow morning. in the meantime, does anyone have some insight on what this could be and what to look for first?

 

[theSicKness]

id look for a loose heat shield.. or a missing exhuast hanger...

 

[AlphaAssault]

How do I get to it if it is an exhaust hanger? Because I tried to find the sound today, and is coming more from under the car rather then from the engine bay.

 

[AlphaAssault]

Ok, heres an update. I went out there this morning and, more or less, identified where the noise is coming from. It sounds like its coming from the exhaust system, from the section just below the drivers seat. Its not coming from the engine, its behind that. Also, the noise doesnt speed up as the rpms rise, it just gets louder. The thing that bothers me is that it sounds like its coming from inside the exhaust pipes, cant be sure about that one though because i cant find EXACTLY where its coming from. Im 80% sure its the exhaust system, does anyone know what else could be rattling like that in the lower rpms?

 

[tlikethedrink]

crawl under there and poke around. if you dont know what your doin, just take it to a muffler shop. itll save you the hassle. i dont think they'll charge you to check it out.

 

[coryd]

Its more then likely a loose heat sheild. Over time the welds that hold me together rust away and the cause it to vibrite against the exhaust. Theres a few ways to fix it. You can rip it off or take a big enough hose clap and go around it and tighten it back down.

 

[AlphaAssault]

Where exactly is the heat shield? is it easy to get to without jacking up the car?

 

[xxraptor660xx]

Where exactly is the heat shield? is it easy to get to without jacking up the car?

Well there's one ontop of the exhaust manifold. I'm not sure about the heatshields under the car.

 

[coryd]

The heat sheild is a piece of metel that goes around the exhaust pipe. If jacking up the car is a problem then I would just take it to an exhaust shop.

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

Here's some rattly things I've encountered over the years.

1 Catalytic converters coming apart inside. When cold, strike with the side of your fist. If it rattles, then you have located it. Replace converter.

2 Timing belt tensioner losing ability to tension the belt. I've personally witnessed this one. It's loud at idle and goes away when you rev the engine up.

3 Harmonic balancer coming apart. Looking straight down on it with the engine idling should show this problem to you relatively quick.

4 Lifter tick. This is usually due to low oil level, pressure or the lifters varnished up due to being slack on oil changes. Rislone works great for this.

5 Injector ticking. Normal. Injector no tickie, engine no runnie.

6 Exhaust leak. This can be construed as an "rattle" under the right conditions. Usually around the manifold/head area and sometimes around the manifold/pipe area. Usually has traces of black soot where the leak is.

Perhaps there's others that I have forgotten in my old age. I'll think about it and add if necessary. Also, check out what some of the others have suggested. I seen a couple up there that hold a lot of merit too.

Hope this helps.

 

[AlphaAssault]

I took my car to Midas today and asked them if they could put my car on the lifter-thingy so we could have a look under the car. Immediately, we discovered a small exhaust leak and a missing bolt from that area that connects the headers to the exhaust pipe. On top of this, the other 2 bolts there were loose. I decided not to mess with the exhaust leak (caused from a warn gasket) but we did tighten the 2 bolts that were still there. Afterward, the exhaust was much less lose, obviously. So I think this might have solved my problem. It hasnt been cold enough for the sound to come back, but when it does get cold, Ill be sure to post weather this fixed the rattling or not.

 

[AlphaAssault]

Ok, new rattle, this one is coming from the back of the car. What are the odds that this is an exhaust leak also? what would it cost me to have the entire exhaust system replaced with a performance system? Its looking like its about time for a new exhaust system.

 

[theSicKness]

the ods are good its another exuast rattle.. you can pick up a turbo back exhuast system used id say 150-400 bucks..
new look for 400- and above....


Jesse