canbaufo

Let's start a thread on how to reduce annoying rattles and squeaks and other annoying vibrations/resonations (predominately 4th gen). I'll start with what I've found and some ideas I have:

Problem # 1 = "Clunk in rear":

Fix #1 = Most of us know that some cars didn't come with isolators for the rear springs, so if you have none (if you have them they will be on the top) wrap some rubber hose or use GM isolators around the springs. You may want to isolate the bottom as well.

Fix #2 = Consider that these are hatchback cars with suspension mounted high relative to the body, so of course rear-end noise is going to come into the interior. There are a variety of things you can sound deaden with spray or matting or foam. It's easy to remove the right rear panel where the spare tire and jack are stored. You may find a rattle right there ...as in they are loose. Remove the tire and jack and you have a BIG empty space. I sprayed the inside of that fender with sound deadener and part of the trunk where it's "tinny" and right next to my exhaust. I also sprayed the outside of the trunk with sound deadener ...you can tell the whole thing is rather "tinny"; after spraying there is less exhaust resonation inside. Also the piece that holds the power hatch release is very tinny, spray it and even the power release as well....it is a rattley POS.

Fix #3 = Ever wonder what the weird "popping noise" is coming from the rear ...yet you've checked your suspension out, isolated the springs, sound deadened inside and out, etc ...yet the mysterious popping continues? Yes, it could be your exhaust banging on the axle, check that. But I found a culprit I hadn't suspected so much. The hatch shocks! They are easy to pop off and inspect where they mount in the hatch (on the other hand where the mount further in the car you'll have to remove the sail panels of the interior to get to it). I noticed mine screw into a piece of metal in the hatch that had been tack welded to other metal in the hatch. It had come loose. So every time I hit a bump it was "metal on metal". Also where it connects in the interior it needed some rubber shims to take up clearance where it could wobble and rattle. In the hatch where the metal was no longer tack welded I just made space for vacuum tubing and stuffed it in there with some clear RTV so the metal on metal clanging couldn't happen anymore ...also filled that space with clear RTV. Major difference!

Fix # 4 = seat belt bundles in rear. Mounted via metal on metal and they clang. Remove and replace with rubber underneath (again, vacuum tube worked very well for me). You'll have to remove sail panels to get to them but it's easy to figure out IMO.

Fix # 5 = Don't forget the torque arm! It sends lots of harmonic vibrations into the interior ....sound deaden that sucker! If you're careful you can spray the driveshaft after removing it (very evenly and gradually so as not to induce an out of balance condition). The driveshaft is rather easy to remove, four bolts from the yoke and it just slides out of the tranny.

Fix # 6 = Wrap black electrical tape or rubber around the pins that the rear seat latches onto. Note the play between the latches and pins and the clunking sound they make.

Fix # 7 ? ...I'm entertaining the idea of spraying most of the rear suspension parts with undercoat / sound deadener (there is a special type of undercoating that is suppossedly more effective at sound deadening than regular undercoating). ...maybe even where the shocks mount since they come so close to the interior (actually my Koni SA's are accessed via interior for adjustment).

Just remember sound deadener can get heavy after awhile. I'm not worried about it and won't add more than 15 lbs worth to the whole car. You definitely don't want a lot on the driveshaft as that will add rotational mass which is more significant (to acceleration at least).

Problem #2 = Squeaks

So far I only have ideas for this that I'm about to try. I've noticed the hinges for the front AND rear seats are very dry looking, I plan to WD-40 them in the next few days. What else have you all discovered?

Problem # 3 = T-top rattles

Fix # 1 =

Ever get tired of your T-tops rattling? Easy fix. Take them off and put them on a work table. Remove the cotter-type pins that hold the handles on. Remove the screws that hold the plastic panels in. Remove the panels and put duct tape on the inside of the panels where they contact the tops or sound deaden them however you want to.

Fix # 2 ? =

I only have ideas for other stuff but I think I will try adding foam or stuffing of some type between the interior panels and body. Also spraying sound deadener on the inside of the panels and/or body may help.

Problem # 4 = Dashboard rattles

I haven't tackled this yet either, please share your ideas/fixes.

Please share your problems / fixes in general and/or quote-add them to my post.

bombebomb

EDIT: I totally did not read the *fix* part of the thread title. Fail

johnny6

450+rwhp, all mounts are polyurethane, so my case is: What doesn't rattle/squeak/shake?

MustangEater82

Squeks from the rear...

-make sure your spare tire is in properly and tight properly. If its not in right the rubber from the spare will rub the inside of the quarter panel and "sqeuk"

-Rear hatch... make sure your little little rubber bumper things are in good shape and adjusted and maybe wrap your latch with tape, to avoide metal/metal and have the hatch move and vibrate.


Loud thuds over bumps, check to make sure your bumpstops are still there, older ones rot out.

DonHood

He's probably making more rwhp than that and he's fixed his squeaks. You got no excuses.

Hank Hill

A strategically placed piece of rubber (from a bike tube) between dash pieces on the '96. Nothing needed for the '99.

Slappy3243

My fix? Never drive the car! Seriously, my Firehawk is rattle free after all of these years. Why? Because I have only put 20,000 miles on it. I am not kidding when I say that the car feels rock solid.

mdenz3

If it squeaks and is essential, ignore it. If it squeaks and isn't essential, remove it.

97QuasarBlue3.8

My method was to turn up the radio and drive it like I stole it. The faster it went, the quieter the noises got, and the better it looked.

1995blackttopta

I don't have a fix but my passenger side t-top plastic is rattling. *edit* i see there is a fix for that. i tried tightening the screws to no avail. is it true you can use a window crank removal tool to remove the pins?

TMDZ28

my dash also creeks every time i go over bumps or road imperfections. i narrowed it down, and the culprit is the center, where the center ac vents are. not sure what to call those.

94307

From all the 4th gens I have driven or ridden in, it seems the early cars (especially 94) seem to hold up the best. I have over 300k on my 94 firehawk that makes over 400rwhp and has a killer stereo system. Worst and only bad rattle was from the center console. I put dynamat all on the inside of the console. It seemed to double the weight, but no more rattles.

canbaufo

Great tips! Thanks for the useful info!

lol well more RWTQ (445) but about the same RWHP (446 in 93* heat running lean) ....I still don't see this as a reason to put up with unnecessary annoying noise though. I'm pushing 40. It's not that I'm getting "older" and "changing" but just that I've had enough years of hearing **** and am finally tiring of it.

You don't need anything fancy for that. Just carefully use a small flat head screwdriver or an awl and they'll pop right off. They're hard to see so use a flashlight to assist you. Once you get the plastic trim off you will notice places of contact and then all you have to do is find a way to cushion them. I didn't but probably should have ...used sound deadener on them. I may take them off again and do that later on.

canbaufo

btw I haven't started yet but to save time .....anyone have any tips on how to take the dash apart?

TMDZ28 and Hank Hill?

Thanks for your tips too btw.

MarcR94v6

How about the a4 shift ****? Min rattles/vibrates a lot. Will a new one fix it? Because I swore it didn't do that when stock. Ever since it became a "built" car, more rattles came about, especially the shift ****.

I have squeaks from the rear somewhere and some rattling from the hatch, haven't found a solution yet, I've tried most things in this thread and more. I moved the hatch striker around as well as the rubber stoppers. Sometimes it would work but it would be so far down that it would take 5-6 tries to shut the hatch.