Broad question about misc. noises

OK, so, in the garage I can hear a faint rattle coming from under the truck. mbeach suggested this might be a loose or corroded heat shield. I plan to look at this soon.

I also notice, that when I go over bumps (like a speed bump or nasty crack in the dilapidated concrete) I can here another sound coming from what I believe to be the driver's side rear end. It just sounds like something knocking around....something loose or something. The suspension feels tight but I am still wondering what the heck this is. Any ideas?

I am going to head over to my friends shop soon and get down on the creeper and look around, but if anyone has any pointers of what to look for, that would be great, as I am still a noob VX owner and a wannabe gear head.


Thanks - Bart

A common source of rattle being experienced by more and more VX'ers is the exhaust contacting the right-side torsion bar. As our vehicles age, the hangers are giving a little which lets this occur. Typically it's most common while in drive with the brakes on, as the driveline is shifted a little with the load.

If you're getting noises while the suspension is traveling (bumps, holes etc.) it'll be hard to ID while flat on the ground. A good way to check is to put the VX on a lift and raise off the ground about a foot and then put a floor-jack under one wheel at a time (with a wide board or similar between the jack and tire) to lift so you can observer the full range of travel repeatedly.

Another source of noise during suspension travel can be CV joints, as I recently discovered on the IronMan. After over 120K miles it's about time I reckon! :rolleyes:

Tracking down noises in a mechanical system can be frustrating, but if you take a patient and methodical approach you'll get 'em sorted out.

knocking noises in the backend:

I went nuts trying to pinpoint a "plastic-on-plastic" sounding knock when I went over bumps. Turned out to be the wire inside the back cladding that goes to the red light on each side. I secured the excess slack with a ziptie and the knocking sound went away. Also, I put some shop rags in the compartment with the tire wrench because it'll make some noise when going over bumps as well.

Hey guys, thanks for the quick replies. My first step to figuring this out will be to tighten up an loose items I can find. While it does sound like it is coming from outside the truck, I suppose it could be my jack or the spare tire is a little loose. If that is all it is, great.

We shall see!

Bart

PS - There is a big difference between driving a vehicle that you like vs. driving a vehicle that you love.