annoying noise / long shot

[fenrisx]

I know this is a bit of a long shot, but I figured I'd see if anyone else has had this..

At some point this winter I've developed an annoying noise in the cabin. It sounds like a bolt that has a loose nut that allows the bolt to just spin in it's hole under vibration if that makes sense. It also (kinda) sounds like speaker static when the signal comes and goes. (Both the sounds I'm describing have similar qualities IMO.. I wish I could describe the speaker description a bit better though.)

My first thought was the control box for my Cobra 75wxst, which is behind the dash (behind where the cig lighter is). However, when I'm driving I can reach around and fidget with that, and the sound persists. So, I know that isn't the problem.

The hardest thing is trying to pinpoint exactly where the noise is coming from, which isn't easy to do safely while driving. Tonight, I got the best 'listen' and it seems like it's actually right where the shifter is, or maybe behind it. I didn't see anything loose there today when I had everything taken apart though.

It drives my wife and I nuts, and we're going to be leaving to a 1k mile trip to GA in a few days. I hope I can figured this out in the next day or two.

Anyone else experience this? Ideas?

 

[fenrisx]

bump

 

[michael833]

maybe try taking the trim around the shifter/e-brake off and see if you can find it? when i took my trim off i found some plastic pieces and chump change that could have caused some racket if the car vibrated just right.

 

[fenrisx]

Yeah, I've had the plastic off from the eBrake forward to the dash. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I was focusing more around the dash area itself though because at the time I thought it was coming more from there than the shifter area.

I think I'm going to take all of that off today, and drive it to work without the plastics to see if I can pinpoint i tmore precisely.

 

[fenrisx]

Well I found the culprit. I took the center console out today because I determine the noise was coming from the area around the e-brake.

Turns out it was the ebrake lever itself causing the noise. It wiggles side to side some, and if I pushed on it to take out the wiggle, the sound went away.

As a temporary solution for my 1k+ mile drive tomorrow I shimmed it with cardboard. That took the play out, and I can still yank the eBrake up if I needed it for whatever reason.

Hopefully the shims actually work.

 

[quicksilvr]

Wanted to post this in here, even though you found your fix.

One of the most irritating rattles can develop from the side mirror's coming loose. It is hard to diagnose, because it always sounds like it's coming from somewhere else.

Just a note to everyone with a rattle: check both your side mirrors....the nuts come loose. Super easy to do too....just pop off the inside trim that covers the mirror base, and there they are. Put some blue loctite on them and re-tighten!

 

[fenrisx]

Wanted to post this in here, even though you found your fix.

Given the ease of this fix, it might be something for us to check the next time we're doing any detailing or maintenance on our 4Runners.

 

[dgarci24]

Check the inner part of your rear axle

 

[quicksilvr]

Since we're on the "annoying sound fixes" topic, here's another:


The rear seatback latches rattle. Put a couple wraps of electric tape around the catch, and then slam it shut. Rattle gone.