Tracking down the rattles
12-05-2007, 05:31 PM
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Tracking down the rattles
I have a 2.4 coupe, and currently trying to track down all the rattles from the sound system. I was curious if anyone had a few ideas on this. I know the sun roof liner rattles like crazy when open. Has anyone came up with a fix for this? Also sounds like the deck could be rattling as well...
12-06-2007, 04:23 PM
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mine never rattled until recently. i dunno why.
i know sometimes the door handle rattles a little.
sometimes ill have something in that little compartment on the side of the door and that rattles.
something inside the armrest does. i cant figure out what though.
i know sometimes the door handle rattles a little.
sometimes ill have something in that little compartment on the side of the door and that rattles.
something inside the armrest does. i cant figure out what though.
12-06-2007, 10:26 PM
#6
i know the covers on the child seat hook rattle, best thing to do is just glue em down with a dab of crazy glue. the parcel shelf pannel rattles, same with the trunk lid and licence plate.
best thing to do is get some sound deadener (brownbread, e-dead, dynamat) turn the stereo up and listen and fix the rattles as you find em.
best thing to do is get some sound deadener (brownbread, e-dead, dynamat) turn the stereo up and listen and fix the rattles as you find em.
12-07-2007, 03:17 AM
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i actually figured a good majority of the rattles out.
Best way to handle rear deck is by removing it and cutting down some foam**NOT THE SPRAY ****, ACTUAL FOAM** to fit perfectly in there, in fact have it provide pressure upward. From here buy some like chair/equipment supports...by that I mean those little like rubber pegs u can buy. i got clear ones. then on the very back of the deck i wedged them between the deck and the rear window. that alone cut down a lot of rattles. I found removing or opening the child safety panels cut down a persistent rattle. u could just line the inside of the child things with caulk.
as for external rattles. found the source of the persistent rattle under the antenna... there is a vent at the bottom with a terrible cheap plastic sheet acting as the vent door. i taped some cloth between the flap and the vent so it doesn't flap around and sound like a loose bolt. Also, put a piece of foam near the wedge on the antenna and other assortment of wires in that area. Then if u look up into the trunk where the very end of the rear deck sits, u'll see the white light, shove some foam in there to keep it's wire tight.
Passed that it's just finding ways to cut down the rattle. the trunk release compartment door rattles sometimes, easy fix there.
As for your sunroof liner, track it down and try to figure a way to keep it tighter in that spot or a way to widen the gap to whatever it's rattling against.
Best way to handle rear deck is by removing it and cutting down some foam**NOT THE SPRAY ****, ACTUAL FOAM** to fit perfectly in there, in fact have it provide pressure upward. From here buy some like chair/equipment supports...by that I mean those little like rubber pegs u can buy. i got clear ones. then on the very back of the deck i wedged them between the deck and the rear window. that alone cut down a lot of rattles. I found removing or opening the child safety panels cut down a persistent rattle. u could just line the inside of the child things with caulk.
as for external rattles. found the source of the persistent rattle under the antenna... there is a vent at the bottom with a terrible cheap plastic sheet acting as the vent door. i taped some cloth between the flap and the vent so it doesn't flap around and sound like a loose bolt. Also, put a piece of foam near the wedge on the antenna and other assortment of wires in that area. Then if u look up into the trunk where the very end of the rear deck sits, u'll see the white light, shove some foam in there to keep it's wire tight.
Passed that it's just finding ways to cut down the rattle. the trunk release compartment door rattles sometimes, easy fix there.
As for your sunroof liner, track it down and try to figure a way to keep it tighter in that spot or a way to widen the gap to whatever it's rattling against.
12-10-2007, 07:21 PM
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i actually figured a good majority of the rattles out.
Best way to handle rear deck is by removing it and cutting down some foam**NOT THE SPRAY ****, ACTUAL FOAM** to fit perfectly in there, in fact have it provide pressure upward. From here buy some like chair/equipment supports...by that I mean those little like rubber pegs u can buy. i got clear ones. then on the very back of the deck i wedged them between the deck and the rear window. that alone cut down a lot of rattles. I found removing or opening the child safety panels cut down a persistent rattle. u could just line the inside of the child things with caulk.
as for external rattles. found the source of the persistent rattle under the antenna... there is a vent at the bottom with a terrible cheap plastic sheet acting as the vent door. i taped some cloth between the flap and the vent so it doesn't flap around and sound like a loose bolt. Also, put a piece of foam near the wedge on the antenna and other assortment of wires in that area. Then if u look up into the trunk where the very end of the rear deck sits, u'll see the white light, shove some foam in there to keep it's wire tight.
Passed that it's just finding ways to cut down the rattle. the trunk release compartment door rattles sometimes, easy fix there.
As for your sunroof liner, track it down and try to figure a way to keep it tighter in that spot or a way to widen the gap to whatever it's rattling against.
Best way to handle rear deck is by removing it and cutting down some foam**NOT THE SPRAY ****, ACTUAL FOAM** to fit perfectly in there, in fact have it provide pressure upward. From here buy some like chair/equipment supports...by that I mean those little like rubber pegs u can buy. i got clear ones. then on the very back of the deck i wedged them between the deck and the rear window. that alone cut down a lot of rattles. I found removing or opening the child safety panels cut down a persistent rattle. u could just line the inside of the child things with caulk.
as for external rattles. found the source of the persistent rattle under the antenna... there is a vent at the bottom with a terrible cheap plastic sheet acting as the vent door. i taped some cloth between the flap and the vent so it doesn't flap around and sound like a loose bolt. Also, put a piece of foam near the wedge on the antenna and other assortment of wires in that area. Then if u look up into the trunk where the very end of the rear deck sits, u'll see the white light, shove some foam in there to keep it's wire tight.
Passed that it's just finding ways to cut down the rattle. the trunk release compartment door rattles sometimes, easy fix there.
As for your sunroof liner, track it down and try to figure a way to keep it tighter in that spot or a way to widen the gap to whatever it's rattling against.
Thanks! That is some good stuff! what type of foam is best? I was thinking about hunting down some neopreane or memory foam.
12-12-2007, 08:37 PM
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well since im cheap i didn't wanna dynamat. and i don't like how bad the cobalts rattle comparative to my old 99 civic which didn't rattle interior till it was 5 years old. lol.
memory foam works, as it will provide some amount of push out, and will act to stop the "thump" from even reaching the rear deck. under the deck there are Styrofoam supports, i was rather confused as to why they stock don't touch the metal under it. rather weird. so yea, cut the foam all around.
I know for coupes that a major rattle comes from the rear seat area, on the sides where the armrests are. Right above that you will find that there is a seam to another panel. well, if u blast your sub and separate those panels just a bit that #1 you should feel a breeze as the sub hits, and #2 you'll realize the potential for rattle. I'm again, a cheap ass. so, i cut a strip of foam really small, and force fed it into the crease, and kept it just out of notice(as the foam color matched the interior, which helped too). Towards the back seat u may find the need to force the foam in. If the foam is in there tight enough you should find the rattle disappears from there.
The clothing hooks....Those, pretty much same solution. fill the barrier where it meets the roof so its pretty tight, these you will be able to see with ease, so try to match the foam to interior so it looks like an almost stock upholstery addition.
Then the center overhead light. That is one i am still playing with. A part of the problem comes in here because the roof, like the rear deck, has those Styrofoam inserts in the center, and doesn't actually come into contact with the metal unless some sort of vibration pushes through it and reverbs. Another part of the problem is the switch unit, as it is seperate "in a way" from the light unit. I can't get in there(don't wanna risk my 07's ceiling light this early). What I have done though the taken off the light panel, popped the white/tan clips from each other, and fit foam in every opening to the rest of the roof. Then put pieces of foam so when the clips all locked in, they got that extra tightness and absorption. I'm sure if somebody had a reliable method of moving the entire light fixture out of the hole just a bit, that the roof would be an easy fix(just throw foam in).
A way you could do the rear deck or ceiling, which might help some, but once again i don't care to test as it's just fine already for me as-is, is to put some sort of adhesive substance( metal one end, poly other end i'd guess) on the foam and stick it in, that would solidify the connection)
I look into non-typical, very cheap ways of handling rattles. I've never had any audiophile complain about my stereo's or sound stage externalities, and i keep em relatively inexpensive. lol.
Another thing on those child safety's....the rattle for those mainly comes from the joints and the panel door.....i still CAN get a little rattle out of these if i'm really pushing out now....but i'm still thinking about cheap easy to do solutions. maybe one way would be to tighten the entire child panel unit by fillings the mounting area tight with foam.
I love foam. lol
memory foam works, as it will provide some amount of push out, and will act to stop the "thump" from even reaching the rear deck. under the deck there are Styrofoam supports, i was rather confused as to why they stock don't touch the metal under it. rather weird. so yea, cut the foam all around.
I know for coupes that a major rattle comes from the rear seat area, on the sides where the armrests are. Right above that you will find that there is a seam to another panel. well, if u blast your sub and separate those panels just a bit that #1 you should feel a breeze as the sub hits, and #2 you'll realize the potential for rattle. I'm again, a cheap ass. so, i cut a strip of foam really small, and force fed it into the crease, and kept it just out of notice(as the foam color matched the interior, which helped too). Towards the back seat u may find the need to force the foam in. If the foam is in there tight enough you should find the rattle disappears from there.
The clothing hooks....Those, pretty much same solution. fill the barrier where it meets the roof so its pretty tight, these you will be able to see with ease, so try to match the foam to interior so it looks like an almost stock upholstery addition.
Then the center overhead light. That is one i am still playing with. A part of the problem comes in here because the roof, like the rear deck, has those Styrofoam inserts in the center, and doesn't actually come into contact with the metal unless some sort of vibration pushes through it and reverbs. Another part of the problem is the switch unit, as it is seperate "in a way" from the light unit. I can't get in there(don't wanna risk my 07's ceiling light this early). What I have done though the taken off the light panel, popped the white/tan clips from each other, and fit foam in every opening to the rest of the roof. Then put pieces of foam so when the clips all locked in, they got that extra tightness and absorption. I'm sure if somebody had a reliable method of moving the entire light fixture out of the hole just a bit, that the roof would be an easy fix(just throw foam in).
A way you could do the rear deck or ceiling, which might help some, but once again i don't care to test as it's just fine already for me as-is, is to put some sort of adhesive substance( metal one end, poly other end i'd guess) on the foam and stick it in, that would solidify the connection)
I look into non-typical, very cheap ways of handling rattles. I've never had any audiophile complain about my stereo's or sound stage externalities, and i keep em relatively inexpensive. lol.
Another thing on those child safety's....the rattle for those mainly comes from the joints and the panel door.....i still CAN get a little rattle out of these if i'm really pushing out now....but i'm still thinking about cheap easy to do solutions. maybe one way would be to tighten the entire child panel unit by fillings the mounting area tight with foam.
I love foam. lol
Last edited by warrenb213; 12-12-2007 at 09:51 PM.
12-13-2007, 02:12 AM
#11
warren I would love to let you go for a ride in my car to see what u thought.... so far second skin damplifier pro in 85% of the trunk and most of the passenger side floor along with rear floor and passenger quarter panel area. all that covered in ss spectrum with overkill and lux liner to come
12-23-2007, 12:16 AM
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For all those that have door handle rattles, take it to your dealer and get them to fix it under warranty. Thats how I got my done. Now I gotta work on the trunk lid and inside of the trunk.
01-12-2008, 03:51 AM
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also, open the trunk. u should see like 6 or so rectanglish slots, one encompasses the light. fill that all in with the foam i described above. big diff.
ceiling rattle on non-sunroof balts......remove the clear cover, then pop off the trim. there is a clip in the front of the trim that is best handled with a small flathead from the front. after its off, push the main light unit up. now there are three styrofoam pieces up there. there is clearance between them and the roof, not much, but enough to rattle. take pieces of foam so it's tight on all three. then assemble light with foam on the lens clips. then around the trim put little pieces of foam that will cause a supported seperation. then, at the front of the car where the headliner reaches the windshield, pull slightly down on that enough that u can feel the slit and kinda feel in the headliner. put foam in that spot there so it seperates it some from the slit.
If ya did it right, looks stock and sounds great. lol. the foam in those spots in the trunk really focused the airmovement where i really wanted it to be. now even stronger bass and higher volumes are now achieved.
ceiling rattle on non-sunroof balts......remove the clear cover, then pop off the trim. there is a clip in the front of the trim that is best handled with a small flathead from the front. after its off, push the main light unit up. now there are three styrofoam pieces up there. there is clearance between them and the roof, not much, but enough to rattle. take pieces of foam so it's tight on all three. then assemble light with foam on the lens clips. then around the trim put little pieces of foam that will cause a supported seperation. then, at the front of the car where the headliner reaches the windshield, pull slightly down on that enough that u can feel the slit and kinda feel in the headliner. put foam in that spot there so it seperates it some from the slit.
If ya did it right, looks stock and sounds great. lol. the foam in those spots in the trunk really focused the airmovement where i really wanted it to be. now even stronger bass and higher volumes are now achieved.
01-12-2008, 03:59 PM
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thats pretty much the foam i was using. i found giant chunks of it at my old internship. it's just like that foam in the pic just a bit stronger. next time i get some i'll take a pic.
01-17-2008, 03:08 PM
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also, in your trunk, on the left and right side of your trunk towards the deepest part of the trunk, you will find two giant ports where your trunk releases run. stuff foam tightly into that cavern, and you got increased sound quality.
also, fill the inner of your roof liner with the foam. That further cut down on a lot of noise.
....
Now I have 2 different rattles in my dash to take care of. Too bad i hate taking dashes apart. lol
also, fill the inner of your roof liner with the foam. That further cut down on a lot of noise.
....
Now I have 2 different rattles in my dash to take care of. Too bad i hate taking dashes apart. lol
Last edited by warrenb213; 01-17-2008 at 03:08 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
01-17-2008, 04:29 PM
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You know what, when I get home I'll take pics of most of what I have done. Won't be able to show ya the rear deck or the roof liner, as I'm not taking it apart again, but I will show you pretty much everything trunk wise.
01-17-2008, 04:37 PM
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i actually figured a good majority of the rattles out.
as for external rattles. found the source of the persistent rattle under the antenna... there is a vent at the bottom with a terrible cheap plastic sheet acting as the vent door. i taped some cloth between the flap and the vent so it doesn't flap around and sound like a loose bolt. Also, put a piece of foam near the wedge on the antenna and other assortment of wires in that area. Then if u look up into the trunk where the very end of the rear deck sits, u'll see the white light, shove some foam in there to keep it's wire tight.
as for external rattles. found the source of the persistent rattle under the antenna... there is a vent at the bottom with a terrible cheap plastic sheet acting as the vent door. i taped some cloth between the flap and the vent so it doesn't flap around and sound like a loose bolt. Also, put a piece of foam near the wedge on the antenna and other assortment of wires in that area. Then if u look up into the trunk where the very end of the rear deck sits, u'll see the white light, shove some foam in there to keep it's wire tight.
01-17-2008, 09:33 PM
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I do believe I searched on the drivers side of the trunk and found nothing, whereas with the passenger side vent i spoke of, just reach under and up. it's about 4inches above where the carpet stops. and i recently replaced that cloth with 2 foam blocks.
Hey here are the pics. of course it's rough at this point, but soon enough i will make it all look beautiful
Above is the Drivers Side port in the trunk
Passenger Side port in the trunk
Hidden port on the passenger side, terrible pic but whatever, camera was about to die
Inside trunk in those 6 ports, example 1
Inside trunk in those 6 ports, example 2
Pic of backseat release
Another pic of backseat release
You guessed it, ANOTHER pic of backseat release
HIFONICS ALL THE WAY BITCHES!
Hope this all helps a bit
Hey here are the pics. of course it's rough at this point, but soon enough i will make it all look beautiful
Above is the Drivers Side port in the trunk
Passenger Side port in the trunk
Hidden port on the passenger side, terrible pic but whatever, camera was about to die
Inside trunk in those 6 ports, example 1
Inside trunk in those 6 ports, example 2
Pic of backseat release
Another pic of backseat release
You guessed it, ANOTHER pic of backseat release
HIFONICS ALL THE WAY BITCHES!
Hope this all helps a bit
Last edited by warrenb213; 01-17-2008 at 09:33 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
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