Dash Rattle Found! (kinda long)
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Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,802
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From: Wichita KS
Dash Rattle Found! (kinda long)
Some time ago I reported a "Dash Rattle" and asked if anyone had any ideas what might be causing it.
Well, I found it and it was the hood or to be more precise, the passenger side hood strut is very loose where it connects to the hood. So loose that you can lift the hood on that side further than it's most extended position by about half an inch.
And the sound the hood movement makes is close enough to what I am hearing that having the hood closed would provide the correct amplification through the latches into the interior to resonate through the dash.
The driver's side strut does not move at all. The dealer has ordered some and will be replacing both struts as soon as they get them in.
The tech originally tried to blame it on my BBK shorty header on the drivers side hitting the steering column.
I looked it over and applied some old fashioned logic to it and called BS on that. The steering column runs along the left side of the header about 1/2 inch from it. When the engine revs it torques to the right away from the steering column.
Not to mention the fact that 1/2 inch is a long way for an engine to travel to the left to hit something unless the motor mounts are non-existant. It will take the same path back to it's resting position that it took during the torque swing.
If it's not touching the steering column to start with, it won't touch on the return trip either.
I also told him that if that were the case, it would be most evident from a dead stop since that is when the engine applies the most torque in order to overcome inertia. I told him the rattle was caused by bumps in the road not engine movement.
cc
Well, I found it and it was the hood or to be more precise, the passenger side hood strut is very loose where it connects to the hood. So loose that you can lift the hood on that side further than it's most extended position by about half an inch.
And the sound the hood movement makes is close enough to what I am hearing that having the hood closed would provide the correct amplification through the latches into the interior to resonate through the dash.
The driver's side strut does not move at all. The dealer has ordered some and will be replacing both struts as soon as they get them in.
The tech originally tried to blame it on my BBK shorty header on the drivers side hitting the steering column.
I looked it over and applied some old fashioned logic to it and called BS on that. The steering column runs along the left side of the header about 1/2 inch from it. When the engine revs it torques to the right away from the steering column.
Not to mention the fact that 1/2 inch is a long way for an engine to travel to the left to hit something unless the motor mounts are non-existant. It will take the same path back to it's resting position that it took during the torque swing.
If it's not touching the steering column to start with, it won't touch on the return trip either.
I also told him that if that were the case, it would be most evident from a dead stop since that is when the engine applies the most torque in order to overcome inertia. I told him the rattle was caused by bumps in the road not engine movement.
cc
