Fixing Interior Rattles Anyone?

[benl1981]

Anyone know the best way to fix a few rattles in the R33

When I hav ethe stereo off I can hear a noise around the console and another near the air vent on the drivers side - the one above and on the dash - to the right. If I put pressure on that one the noise from there stops. It doesn't appear to be loose though.

Just wondering if anybody had embarked on a de-rattle program for their car. Its th only thing tha makes it feel old - as the performance and comfort is pretty good.

CHEERS

Edited December 19, 2005 by benl1981

[RANDY]

Check that all the proper screws are where they should be. Failing that, take off the offending item, and put a thin strip of rubber (self-adhesive) along the inside of it, then screw back in.

Just make sure the rubber is thin enough that it seals the gap that is vibrating, but not too thick that it seperates the two peices of plastic noticeably.

[sl33py]

The rattle from the air vent area is actually the air vent. I have it too in my R33 (from the driver side vent and sometimes from the middle too as well). The little A/C vents that you can change the angle of are guided by a small, loosely held plastic bar at the back of the vent "box" which moves the angled 'slats'. I think to stop the rattle, it could mess up the vent working properly. But you could try. Alternatively, just block up the A/C vent and not hear anything at all from all the sweat clogging up ur ears

All car's make road noise. Even Ferraris, Lambos and BMW's the same age as our cars (and some younger!) will rattle. Obviously some can be fixed/dampened (ripped my old Civic apart trying), but some can't be found because they are caused by interaction between the trim and the chassis or whatever and you won't see the cause when u open her up cos u can't reproduce the sound. Many a time I had my bro monkeying around in the Civic pinpointing noises while I drove over a bumpy stretch of road And often to no avail.

BTW, Honda's are the WORST for rattles. Go ride in a 10 year old honda then get back in ur R33 and u'll stop complaining

[benl1981]

Thanks guys. Some good ideas there. The old mazda doesnt have as many rattles as the skyline which is strange because the skyline feels a lot more solid. I'll try and fix some of them but in the meantime will listen to CDs.

[RANDY]

lol... it usually gets noisy because someone has pulled it apart to fit a stereo, fix a wire, fix the A/C blower, etc... Then there's the stiffened suspension, doesn't help.

Most cars that i've been in that are totally stock are dead quiet apart from whatever is in the glovebox moving around.

If you can pop the vent out, you should be able to reattach the brace along the back of the sliding adjuster. Put some clear bike grease along where the slider runs. It's sticky to the point that it won't allow the plastic to touch and rattle, but will make the vents glide better than standard.

[benl1981]

Randy - I just popped the top vent that doesn't have any mechanism on it (near derivers side door in dash and put some double sided tape around.

It's a bugger cause I just had all the vents out for when I did the stereo - could have lubed them then...oh well.

[sl33py]

ben.. you're looking at the fixed vent(s) that cycle air through the cabin regardless of the A/C settings.. I was talking about the 4-direction adjustable A/C vents on the front face of the dash. There is the box that holds the vent. Then there is a bunch of "fins". And holding those fins is (I think it's just one) a piece with the little handle u push/pull which connects to a bar holding the rear of all the fins. It's THAT part rattling against the fins. Greasing/whatever will probably work as mentioned before. Just checking you were looking at the right part(s). Sucks to be annoyed by the little things, eh

[GIR]

benl1981 is the noise you're talking about the one that sounds like something's bashing from side-to-side inside the central vents? I get the same problem, not very often, but it seems to go away with a small hit to the top of the vents or by turning the climate control off, and then back on again. So I'm not so sure its an adjuster... it's more like something's flapping around inside. I haven't had a chance to pull anything apart, but I'm thinking the actual vent connections themselves might be the answer (the tubing).

Sorry, speculations are all I have at the moment

[Cubes]

Stiffer suspension ALWAYS causes rattles.

My then 3yr old VS V8 Commodore was perfectly silent, dropped it with a Whiteline kit and within 6 months it was starting to rattle around the dash and door trim.

My little R32 is now 13-14yrs old, still the stock sloppy jaloppy suspension and ZERO rattles.

[GIR]

Yeah I'd have to agree. When I first bought my 33 it was quiet as, but now after driving around on bumpy roads, it's starting to get a few rattles here and there.

I guess sometimes these things are just inevitable.

Stiffer suspension ALWAYS causes rattles.

My then 3yr old VS V8 Commodore was perfectly silent, dropped it with a Whiteline kit and within 6 months it was starting to rattle around the dash and door trim.

My little R32 is now 13-14yrs old, still the stock sloppy jaloppy suspension and ZERO rattles.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[wez004]

I too have a rattle around that area, one weekend i took the fascia and dash all the way out. Checked the parts i had pulled out, no loose bits, stuck my hand into every nook and cranny under the dashboard, again no loose bits.

So went for a drive with all the stuff out. The rattle was still there but sounded more like metal on metal, stuck my head outside the window while drivin and it sounded like it was comin from under the hood, checked under there but no loose bits either. Pulled the grill off (where the water runs down into off the windscreen) no loose wiper motors or bars or anythin).

So im guessing its inside the car, right up under the dash, something banging on the chassis for it to be audible outside the car.

Im positive thats where the noise is, but cant get to it with taking the whole dashboard off, which is a big project. So if anyone has any ideas what it could be lemme know before i got writing off my car

cheers :-)

[benl1981]

I havent found my issue yet..but theres been a few good ideas here.

One noise I did have Wez was a piece of rubber that is under the bonnet to sort of seal and stop water from windscreen going further into engine bay. Runs across near the shock towers. This goes a bit hard and squeeks a bit as it rubs on the bonnet. Put some tape around there or something to stop it rubbing on the bonnet. That stopped one of my noises but then you find another!!

Doesnt realy sound mechanical though.

Edited January 2, 2006 by benl1981