Front End Rattle

[NJSHO]

I know rattles are hard to pin point with out hearing them, but Im running out of things to check and need some new ideas. Im getting a rattle (kinda sounds like a big loose bracket) that is comming from the passenger side of the car. When sitting in the drivers seat it sounds like that the rattle is comming from where between the dash meets the windshield. Some times it sounds as if its a little further back, say where the strut tower is. I only get the rattle over bumps, but not every bump. I have replaced every front suspension piece (except tie rod ends, but the rattle sounds higher than them) recently and that didnt seem to make it go away. I have dropped the glove box and everything in there seems to be tight. The panel on the dash that covers where a 3.5" speaker goes is also not the culprit. The next thing I was gonna check is the hood. Has anyone ever had a rattle in this area? Any other ideas on what to check? This is driving me crazy. BTW this is a '91. Thanks.

 

[GEORGE 1992]

Is it a rumble,knocking noise or a rattle,like clinking?

 

[NJSHO]

Rattle like clinking. I tightend down the endlink nuts as tight as i could get them and no change. One thing I just noticed is that after I filled my gas tank and put 2 tires in the trunk and 2 in the back seat the rattle didnt seem to happen (for the mile or so that I drove like that), almost as if the extra weight in the back did something. Now I could go back out to my car this afternoon with the same stuff and it could start up again.

 

[GEORGE 1992]

Believe it or not, a rattle sound can travel through the car and make it seem like it is the front. Might want to check the rear of the car out, center pipe on the exhaust(under tunnel)and for that matter the entire exhaust.Also look at the proportion valve lever assembly.Being under a load in the rear, that would be affected.

 

[SHOtimer]

NJSHO, my experience before I redid my suspension my rear strut mounts (that fail commonly on Tauri) make a ton of noise. But, once a noticeable amount of weight was in the rear enough to compress it the noise would go away. If they are original on your car that is what I would be suspect of.

Doug