Battery Tray Bolt Size / Rattle / Crank Cancer!?

[JRA2000TL]

I know they are 10mms, but what's the exact size (M10x??). The bolt on the side (across the from the a/c compressor) is missing and I only have the top bolt (the one that sits directly underneath the battery). I am wondering if this is causing my rattling noise in that area. Also, the 2 long bolts on either side of the tray for the "hold down part" are just hanging there because I have a Duralast Gold battery; therefore, the OE bracket won't fit over it.

What all do I need to do to totally secure the tray and the battery? I need to do it anyway, but I'm trying to isolate this noise I'm hearing in that area. It's weird in the fact that you can only hear it in the cabin if you rev the engine but can't hear it if you rev the engine from the TB outside. I'm thinking it's not really the battery tray since it's been loose for awhile. It's alot worse when the car is moving and at 2500 rpms or more. I can get it to rattle at a stand still if I hit the gas hard really quick and when the idle jumps, it rattles a bit. I'm thinking TB tensioner now; if that's the case, it will have to wait until winter. I'm not doing another front 60k right now. I hope it's not crank cancer! I guess I need to pull the top timing cover, and just re-torque the crank bolt just in case.

I drove from VIR to Charlotte and back home with it making this noise.

 

[kevinspann]

Hopefully your tray doesn't sag and let the battery hit the idler pulley. I trimmed the sides of my battery (where the handles go though) to get my hold downs to fit, not sure if you can do the same.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Hopefully your tray doesn't sag and let the battery hit the idler pulley. I trimmed the sides of my battery (where the handles go though) to get my hold downs to fit, not sure if you can do the same.

I'm wondering if the loose battery/tray "rocks" around at certain rpms/loads and bumps up against that, creating the noise.

After doing some reading, I'm worried about crank cancer too. If I can get my breaker bar down to the crank bolt w/o removing the splash shield (should be able to w/ the battery removed), I will check to see if it's loose and re-tighten anyway. The only other thing I can think of is the TB tensioner. I can stand at the front of the motor and rev it at the throttle, and I don't hear anything at all, but as soon as I get in the car and tap the gas quickly at a stand still, it rattles and quiets down when the rpms drop. I get in it and drive, and you can definitely hear it loud on the inside--worse when you get on the gas.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

They have 10mm heads, but they are 8mm bolts. Probably M8x1.25

 

[kevinspann]

Honestly, it probably doesn't move around. Hood up, with you in the car does it make the noise? Or only hood closed?

 

[JRA2000TL]

Hood up too.

 

[ShadetreeSHOguy]

Hood up too.

It might be the heat shield on the y pipe, is this thing an mtx or atx? i forgoted

 

[JRA2000TL]

It might be the heat shield on the y pipe, is this thing an mtx or atx? i forgoted

It's a MTX.

I think I'll post a video clip when I get home. I'll have to be inside the car revving or driving it for it to make the noise. I'd like to find out if it's serious or not before I attempt to drive it another 700 miles on a trip.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

RPM-specific rattles are almost always bad timing belt tensioners.

 

[JRA2000TL]

I cut a piece of loose heat shield off and now I don't hear it at a stand-still when I rev the motor, still rattles when I accelerate and at about 5k rpms, it really rattles. I revved the car at the TB and I heard no unusual noises at all and no rattle. Time to cut the whole damn heat shield off and go from there.