The rattles wont stop!

[Zero]

Ok, so after doing some off roading, lifting the truck, and putting on some really stiff aggresive tires. i have started to hear a lot of new rattles. i understand that to a certain extent this is expected. but i honestly cant stand the rattle i have.

1. both windows unless comepletly up or down rattle like an SOB. you can actualy see the amazingly large amount of play. the glass will rattle left to right.

2. my passenger seat has some play in it. i think it may be the mount on the passenger side front seat rear bolt.

3. the pasenger side of my middle bench(60/40) fold down rattle quite a bit. infact the little rubber pad on the rear right foot of the seat that is supposed to rest on the floor has play as well. it travels up and down.

i have a few ideas about how to fix this all, and will post them when i figure out what works. but i wanted to see if anyone else has these problems and found a way to fix them already.

so please, any help and sugestions would be great. i want to try to fix these issues before my cross country drive from toronto ontario canada, to los angeles california.


Z

[Philberto]

My best solutions for you: Take a ratchet to all those areas you mentioned, tighten up those bolts with plenty of threadlocker, and then drive some more with a passenger to locate the exact areas of rattles. That's how the pros do it. I am lifted with nubby tires, and only notice rattling when I'm offroad.

[MrSmithsTB]

this will eliminate the rattling, when it makes you deaf.

[bgwolfpack]

I'm going to parse this with your question on the Skyjacker thread.

Weight in the rear of the truck may help alleviate some of the rattles and stiffness in the truck. Have you tried adding a couple hundred pounds to the rear? You mention you will be going on a trip, a long trip. How much added weight will you be carrying?

You've said since the first few days of the lift and larger tires that you don't like the ride and drive ability of the truck as much as when it was stock. What are the air pressures you're running in the tires? If your tire pressure is too high the bounce will exacerbate the rattles within the vehicle.

[HARDTRAILZ]

this will eliminate the rattling, when it makes you deaf.

That is a valid point.

bgwolfpack --Good Point on the tire pressure. I buped up some psi to see if it affected mpg, but the in-town ride was not worth whatever mpg I may have gained. A little less makes me a happier driver with a smoother ride.

I dont have much in the way of rattles since i finally took out the extra change, screws, junk from the door panels and console. I did when I forst got the truck before lifting, tight the front seats down since I have to add a washer to keep the seat trim in place. I would say, tighten everything daily for a few days, you may not feel it getting tighter, but it cant hurt if it is that big of proble for you already.

[The Roadie]

Shouldn't those speakers be facing out, not in?

[MrSmithsTB]

Sure, if you want to hear the music. Actually some people invert their speakers for more bass. It allows more airspace for a more obnoxious and deafening sound.

[foosh]

Ha, I'm working on getting rid of the shakes too, whenever i have people ride along they're like theres something wrong.

[Trail X]

Why would speaker orientation make any difference? Don't you get the same waveform on either side, just inverted?

[MrSmithsTB]

I'm not that into the sound thing, I just know it has an effect. Given other design circumstances. The coil is the exposed part of those speakers, which is where all of the sound is generated. If they are facing out, they are louder because of more free airspace. But the sound is also more distorted. Facing the speakers the right way, in a properly sized box, tunes the sound. Or something like that. It is a whole crazy world of people spending more money than anyone here just to turn up the volume.

[The Roadie]

I know very little about speaker theory, and zippo about the high dB car stuff, but I always thought that having an exposed voice coil mount between your ears and the membrane would interfere with the waveform and cause diffraction effects. But for bass loud enough to melt glass and break body panel welds, I suppose it doesn't matter. Just another thing to mock.

[bgwolfpack]

Boy we really are a great source of help around here aren't we.

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[MrSmithsTB]

We totally are. Honestly, what kind of answer is there to give. I have the same problems with rattling. I think it has to do with GMs sub-par standards concerning materials and assembly. I have tighten what I can with reasonable effort. Everything else is drowned out by the radio. So my advice is to tighten what you can and turn up the radio....

[bgwolfpack]

Granted anyone who beats the hell out of their truck and expects it not to have rattles is an idiot. But I thought some of the idiots here in this forum might be bright enough to recount some things they have done to alleviate this problem.

So as it turns out this vehicle is really just a rattle trap and there is nothing that can be done.

Out of all the people I've heard that lifted their truck Zero is the only one, I know of, who has complained from day one. Sorry but this bothers me.

It just concerns me that this is his issue and it's held with such little regard. (I want to make a joke here about Roadie and his teeth rattling over the rattles in his truck, but I won't)
I don't mean to come off sounding pissed but the posts previous to this one, I think, should be left to the idiots on the OS.

[Philberto]

Possible sources of rattles (and solutions):

*Change and other shit rattling around in your truck (happens many times that people don't check)

*Loose parts (locate and tighten with loctite)

*Interior/Exterior trim pieces rubbing (locate and either secure the pieces away from each other or use some felt/weatherstripping)

*Moving parts rubbing (relocate and/or grind parts for clearance if necessary)


The main thing here is that if your truck rattles and it bothers you, track down all the little rattles and do what it takes to fix them. My truck only has one rattle and a little knock, and I haven't gotten around to fixing them yet, but I plan on doing it. The rest of us, who aren't bothered by rattles that aren't indicative of mechanical problems, just turn up the stereo and live with it.

Wolfpack, I realize that you feel we aren't being helpful, but we've given quite a few general guidelines for locating and fixing noises, and have also had some viewpoints on the "if it makes noise, turn up the stereo" front. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I haven't heard a single "google it yourself" post yet. I haven't heard Zero complain about us being less than helpful, and his opinion is the one that matters on this subject most, since he is the OP. We are all here on this site with the understanding that it is geared for the more hardcore offroading scene with the GMT360, a scene that is much more tolerant of squeaks and rattles than the OS, and so some of these responses are expected.

/end rant

So Zero, the items I have posted above are how all service departments and dealers approach what we call NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) problems in cars... basically the hardest part is finding what the noise is coming from, and once you do that, tightening/adding felt/grinding (in the case of modified vehicles) fixes the problem. Another thought is that maybe adding the beefy tires increased the vibrations, making squeaks and rattles that were already there more apparent. If this is the case (most likely) then just find them and fix them. I know when I lifted my TB, I had to go back and make sure that everything was sufficiently tightened, and the rear shocks shimmed properly, before all the noises went away.


Good Luck

-Phil

[MrSmithsTB]

Either that or convert back to stock.

[Excell]

As you find the rattles and squeaks you'll surely discover panels held in with clips. To fix these panels, line the squeaking parts that touch with bits of electrical tape or mastic tape. Fix many of the rattles by expanding the clips slightly with pliers so they engage firmer, and then either cut rectangles of electrical tape or even better thin'ish felt (get a roll at a fabric store) and slit them so the clips engages through the material.

Make sense?

[janesy86]

With what everyone else is saying... I have had not one issue with my TB since being lifted, just occasionally Iget a rock stuck in between the tire lugs and it make a claping sound every revolution, which I just stop and pull it out..

[bgwolfpack]

Hey Zero, been searching for ya.

This is the best I could come up with. Enjoy

http://ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/c ... ypromo.php

[Zero]

thanx for the suggestions guys. i know this is a hard topic to give a perfect fix for. just wanted to see if anyone else had these problems.

i have been designing and building custom rides for over 7 years, so i am not un familiar to these problems. i have been checking to make everything tight. and will be trying to find some of that felt liner stuff mentioned.

ill keep you guys posted on what i find.

to answer a question above, my tire preasure is at 50psi front and rear. going to try 48 front 46 rear today.

no for the weight question. yes i have weight in the back, rigging gear, and tools, as well as my spare tire, and carrier.