jacksonpt

I know this is a shot in the dark, but I'm hoping you all can help me identify a pretty bad rattle/vibration I've got. No, it's not the sunroof or something behind the dash... I'm worried that it might be more serious.

So here's the deal. Last fall while I was at Paragon, I slide down off a rock and hit pretty hard. Not teeth-rattling hard, but hard enough. That's when the rattle started. When I got home from the trip, I noticed that the tail pipe had been whacked at some point on the trail, and the tail pipe was pushed up against one of the bolts to my hitch. In a best case scenario, this is where the rattle is coming from. But I haven't been able to isolate it, so I don't know for sure. I also noticed (after the trip), that I did NOT have both of my factory skid plates on... only the front one was installed.

OK... now...

I only hear the rattle/vibration when I am in gear (Drive or Reverse) and my foot is on the break. The minute I take my foot off the brake, it goes away. If I engage the emergency brake and take my foot off the brake pedal, it goes away. It happens regardless of how warm out it is, or how warm the truck is. 99% of the time I hear it, I'm at a stop light or a stop sign. If I start the truck, put my foot on the break, and put it in drive, I don't hear it. I hang my head out the window to try to listen for where the sound is coming from (front or rear), and I can't tell either way.

What else can I do to isolate the sound... to try and find out where it's coming from? If I were deaf, I'd never know something wasn't right... the truck still drives/steers/breakes fine.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm happy to try some things on the way home from work tonight to see what causes the rattle, or what causes it to go away. Just let me knwo what I can do to help you so you can help me.

Thanks guys.