My VX is a rattle-trap!

Now I only ask frivilous questions because this is a new car to me, and I want to get it right.

I've got a plastic knocking when I go over bumps coming from the rear right quarterpanel somewhere. Its not the jack bay door or the one on the other side. Its something INSIDE the panel. How do I get in there to see what it is?

When at idle, with the A/C on, my dash makes an annoying rattle. Can't narrow it down, but its driving me insane. Anyone have any experience tightening down the dash at all? Nothing I press on or put pressure on seems to make it stop.

There are a couple ways to get into the far rear right interior panel(s)... here's the way I'd do it:

Open the rear hatch. Unscrew the screws holding on the bottom plastic sill cover and pop off the plastic "vent" looking cover on the ceiling. Unscrew (twist) off the net holder on the rear panel, by the hatch. Now, open the jack door and remove the jack. Pop off the outer cover on the rear seatbelt upper mount to get to the bolt and unbolt it. There may be some screws holding the interior panel to the frame in the jack compartment... those need to come out.

After all this, it is a matter of popping the panel away from the sheet metal (plastic plugs). There will be a screw holding the panel to the metal under the right edge of the rear window. The other panel will also insert into the panel here using a clip.

It seems like a lot of work, and I wouldn't want to do it every day, but once you start to do it you see what does and doesn't need to come off to get to where you want to go.

I have pried the rear of tha panel back enough to get a good look in there. Besides a lot of dog hair and some old receipts from the previous owner, there wasn't anything in there that would have made that noise. I'm thinking its underneath the cladding or IN the body itself.

I also think it may be behind the panel that houses the backseat speaker. Any tips on getting to that one?

Thanks for the help.

Are you sure the jack is tightly set against the base and the bar going over it? That could make a noise if rattled a bit.

I'm not sure what the prevsious owner may have done underneath the panels, but it is possible that the metal mounting bracket frames behind the panels aren't screwed down tight enough... including the speaker mounts.

To get behind the other panel to the speaker is another "chore", unless you just want to pry it out enough to stick your arm back there. I would take off the grab handle on the upper panel by the roof. If I remember correctly, there is a round screw cover on the upper panel by the roof that needs to be popped off to get to the screw. Most of taking this panel off is popping the plastic plugs out... although if you REALLY want to get in there, you'll need to take off the front seatbelt... but to do most of the work back there, there really isn't a need.

Hello everyone,

Maugan, I am getting the exact same noises you are. I feel you, but I am tired of dealing with it, so they'll stay where they are...

Goodd luck

Check this thread for possibilities:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...ack+door+noise

The rear seats may also be rattling a bit. You may want to adjust them up or down and see if different positions make a difference.

I found that the passenger seat rattles around when only the driver is in the car. If you adjust it more upright it seems to help.

I too have dash rattle..it happened directly after Isuzu dealer kept my Ironman for a month and a half to fix a mechanical issue.

I think they broke more than they fixed and had to keep it for the extra time it took to get the parts to fix what they broke...and also they did not know what they were doing either.

I told them and they turned me away. BBB didn't help out at all.

get a Power vault it will drowned out all those noises.;Dp;

Dallas: I'll check the seats. I did notice that they shook a bit, but I swear that noise is coming from inside the panel. Its almost as if whats making the noise is swinging from a thread or something, as the noise will knock a couple times back and forth after I've gone over a bump.

Hard to describe. Nazrat's heard it, he agrees that it sounds like something INSIDE the body of the car.

mine rattled somewhere in the back too, then i put my dog crate in the back which rattles all the time and covered up the origional rattle with a louder one so i dont notice it anymore :)

i think theres some logic in there!

Pete

Quote:

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Originally posted by Maugan_VX
Dallas: I'll check the seats. I did notice that they shook a bit, but I swear that noise is coming from inside the panel. Its almost as if whats making the noise is swinging from a thread or something, as the noise will knock a couple times back and forth after I've gone over a bump.

Hard to describe. Nazrat's heard it, he agrees that it sounds like something INSIDE the body of the car.

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That is exactly right, because I thought the same thing and then noticed that it was still happening with my kids sitting in the back also...

Check you Rear Seat tie down strap .. the one that i used to hold the seat forward in the " flipped up " position ... make sure its snapped inplace... certainly could be a " noise is swinging from a thread "

I found the rattles in the back right to be the latch for the rear seat. Find something to rap around the metal latch on the floor so it does not make direct contact with the metal latch on the bottom of the seat.

To fix the plastic sound near the right / rear quater panel, check the seat belt buckle and make sure it is not hitting the plastic interior trim. My buckle on that side for some reason is turned around so it is easier then the other side to touch the plastic trim.

Good luck :)

I think I had the same rear rattle. Very hard to pin down, very frustrating. I got in the back while my wife drove and waited like a patient hunter. It was the rear door latch. Not the rubber coated peice that aligns the door but the latch it self. I had to play with it a bit but problem solved. Friday I go in for new headlight gaskets - but thats another story. Good luck.

Are you sure it's not the wheel wrench inside the cubbyhole? There is a foam pad underneath it, but it doesn't silence it at all... I had to wrap mine in about 10 plastic grocery bags to quiet it down.

I jammed bubble wrap inside both the jack access bays.

I'm putting a solenoid in the rear latch soon.

Dealer says it was the exhaust. (getting a new muffler out of it so I'm not going to debate that)

I basically ripped apart the inside of the truck from the bumper to the door and didn't find anything loose. I readjusted the door jam in the back in, its more snug now but it still persists.

Its worse when the inside of the car is hot. Doesn't do it in the morning when its nice and mild.

The easiest cure for all odd VX noises is to....



...minimize the load resistance through the potentiometer in the VX pre-amplification section!








In non technical terms...TURN UP YOUR STEREO!!!!
;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy; ;Dy;

The "potentiometer" thing always works for me.

Rattles I know about in mine right now

Front hood is so far off adjustment of the bump stops does nothing. Oiling works for about 3 to 4 weeks if it doesn't rain or get cold.

Window rattle, some how when they replaced the window regulator they forgot to attach somthing cause its been rattle ever since they replaced it.

Spare Tire, I placed carpet in the back to surround the tire and it damped the noise quite a bit. But, when I go over a really major bump it still makes some noise. I thought about getting some gel packs and placing them under and above the tire, but I havn't had a chance to try that yet.

Seat belts, seem to bang up against the side panels every once in awhile. Not that big of an issue cause it doesn't happen all the time and its not really loud.

I'll get around to fixing all of these eventually, but I litterally have no time at all to work on my vx :( I havn't had a chance to detail her in like 2 months, she's "crying" out from neglect :( I still have dirt crammed in my calipers from the last MWIOR run at the badlands I havn't had a chance to get out yet.

working on putting the pioneer headunit in today.

Soldering up the wiring harness.

I finally got around to figuring out what this damned noise was.

Took off the rear quarter cladding, and there was nothing that I could see that was rolling around in there. I looked at the wire leading up to the red fender light on that side and there was a lot of slack in it. I reattached the cladding and had my roommate wiggle the wire around inside the cladding while I sat in the cab. it was the exact noise that was driving me neurotic. It was getting close to dinner time so all I did was zip-tie off the slack and screw the light back in. I still get the noise on more pronounced bumps, but just going down the road its nice and quiet. I'll have to tape the rest of the slack to the metal inside body to completely silence it <unless someone has a better idea>

Now to get to the vent fans noise. :angry:

I have a solution to all VX rattles (besides the overpowered stereo system to drown out the noise)....

Fold up the back seat and install a pet seperation cage. The rattle from that will surely give you a new annoying rattling, but it will cover up all those other unsettling car noises. The one I have should have shipped with a bottle of Advil.

I need to get a dog first to get the cage. Working on that part. The folks have two goldens that I still adore.

Think of the chicks I could get with a dog in the VX.

I'd be fending them off with a breaker bar.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Maugan_VX


I'm putting a solenoid in the rear latch soon.

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That will DEFINITELY give you a rattle! Mine drove me crazy until I put some insulating material around it. Still rattles on hard bumps, but not nearly like it did before! The cylinder that moves to pull the latch bounces up and down on bumps giving you a heavy metallic knock.