Hello all, 1994 22re 5 spd manual w/4wd - I have a bizarre issue and I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction. The issue is a loud rattling sound coming from the front passenger side. The sound is more of a clanging than a rattling and I haven’t found it to be exasperated by any specific function (ie 4wd, turning, bumps etc) nor was I able to see any visual issues and interestingly enough there wasn’t any change in the drivability. The sound was on and off over the last few days, but yesterday while on the freeway it sounded like something broke off and rattled around under the passenger seat before exiting the under carriage. My wife was driving and insists she didn’t hit anything. Once we pulled over I couldn’t see anything and it drove the last 30 miles with no issues. Few observations:

1. Spent the last 4 days in sub-freezing temps which is when it occurred
2. I jacked up the front end and equal resistance when spinning each tire individually

Without any drivability issues or visible damage and the issue being intermittent I am at a loss.. Any tips? I am working the next few days so I wont be able to look closer until Sunday, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

There is a tiny exhaust heat shield forward of and above the front transfer case. When it breaks free it sits on the exhaust and rattles. Worth looking for. Otherwise no idea.

 

I'll check on that considering it certainly coincides with the type of noise I was hearing.

Would others agree, that without any visible issues and/or drivability problems it is reasonable to continue to drive it? The problem has not resurfaced for several days now, but I am concerned with safety issues…

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.kenton

I'll check on that considering it certainly coincides with the type of noise I was hearing.

Would others agree, that without any visible issues and/or drivability problems it is reasonable to continue to drive it? The problem has not resurfaced for several days now, but I am concerned with safety issues…

The heat shield sounds like a possibility. Can / did you get under and grab different parts to feel if any are loose?

 

L5wolvesf, I see you quoted my response but left no response of your own. Did you have anything to add?

 

Weird, when I quoted you and replied the words are there when I type, but are not visible when I submit it.
I wrote:
The heat shield sounds like a possibility. Can / did you get under and grab different parts to feel if any are loose?

 

I did turn the tires which turned with equal resistance and I was able to turn the driveshaft, but neither of which exhibited anything audible. Having not worked on the front end much, I am not real familiar with specific parts, but when possible I compared the play from the passenger side to the driver side and found nothing of significance.

Thanks for correcting your post. For what it’s worth, I noticed when I edited my post it defaulted to black font which was invisible with the black background.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the black vs white, me thinks there is a problem happinin.

My suggestion is to make a fist and gently pound on things like the exhaust pipe, and other components.

 

Even better than your fist is a rubber mallet. It's how I determined my entire front end was worn out on an old Subaru. Support the frame on jack stands and hit the springs, shocks, tie rods, axles and exhaust. That should locate whatever it is that's causing the rattle.

 

Update –

The noise disappeared for about a month or two but then resurfaced, coincidentally after spending 3 days in freezing temperatures. It seemed to become less frequent throughout the 3-hour drive home and now, days later it seems to have disappeared. This makes me think it was induced by cold weather because when it originally started it also after several days of freezing weather….does that make any sense? Also, it seemed to be exasperated by right turns, but no real drivability issues…I intend to try the rubber mallet approach this weekend, but curious if anyone else has any ideas.

Thanks for the help!