rattlin in reverse

[redneckd out]

i have a problem. when i put it into reverse and back up a hill there is a rattling sound coming from behind the dash on the passenger side. please help!!!!!

[trickc]

not a whole lot over there, is it coming from inside or outside the vehicle? inside the only thing I can think of is the heater core box, underneath could be exhaust,tranny inspection cover plate??

[redneckd out]

its coming somewhere from the engine compartment and its only when there is load on the engine.

[Joe H.]

Gotta be an exhaust pipe...check underneath for loose hangers, etc.

[JINGA]

Also take a look at the shield around your disk brake.

There's a spot on mine (1979) that broke loose on each side. Made a nasty rattle that took me forever to find. It was only detected by flexing the plate by hand. Then you could easily see the gap and the source of the rattle.

I took mine off and brought them to my welding class where my welding instructor ran a quick bead on them for me. Not hard to weld, he just wanted to do it.

That was 5 or 6 years ago and they're still together. Anyway, have a look at those plates.

[Sitting Bull]

I had this happen to one of my Wags after I got a new exhaust. After hours of noise-hunting, the shifter rod in reverse position (from the steering column) would touch the exhaust just enough to produce a rattle when the throttle was applied.

Hope this helps...

[redneckd out]

thanks everybody
sitting bull: when is it gonna be run a bull???????

[redneckd out]

i went out and checked it. wasnt exhaust. nothing is touching any of the pipes. all the guards for the disk brakes were secure and arent broken. i checked the shifter rod. not it either. it is annoying though. :(

[Millerluck]

This is a long shot.

But is the heater on when it makes this noise? I had to play with my heater motor/fan. It would make some noise pointing down a hill or hard breaking.

I lossend the screws for the heater motor, and tried to reposition it differantly. Then tightend it back up.

Just a thought.

Later

Larry Miller

[ September 25, 2001: Message edited by: Millerluck ]

[jeepbob]

Could be a bad motor mount.

[ExpandingMan]

I've had this problem for a while now, too. I once had heater problems, which would be in that area of the passenger side(fixed the core, then replaced a shorting fan)...still makes the sound in reverse. I had a problem with my t-case not fully disengaging, which made a ratcheting sound (adjusted that)..still make the sound. Where once lived a cat-converter, now lives a piece of straight pipe. Twice it has wiggled its way off, and during those times, the rattling-in-reverse sound got worse and worse until it fell off. If you want to really hear what your engine sounds like, drive around with the exhaust pouring out under your feet! Every knock and ping, etc is amplified.

In conclusion, what I'm trying to say is that I think that my rattle comes from the exhaust pipe being loose and either amplifying engine sounds or somehow vibrating just the right freq or something...and Blake, does this location not match your problem (sorta under the feet on the passenger side)?

Just my experience...