Once again, my 99 OBW (auto trans) is experiencing "noise weirdness." It sounds like a rattling hear shield, is brief in duration (a few seconds), and occurs under a variety of conditions.

 

Conditions I've heard it include:

- After backing out of parking space at work, right when I put it in drive and start to move forward (cold engine)

- Driving out of my driveway onto the street (cold engine)

- Driving straight taking off at traffic light

- Turning wheel (left and right) with car in motion (cold engine)

- I don't recall hearing it ever with a hot engine

- I can't tell if it's coming from the front or middle of the car

 

I crawled around under the car looking for something loose, rattling, scraping, rubbing, but found nothing. No signs of anything amiss.

 

Doesn't happen at all when driving down the road at any speed above 10 mph.

 

Any ideas?

Yep typical heat shield issue. On mine it was the front one just behind the passenger side drive axel, I could get to it from above and used 2 hose clamps put together, wrap around and tighten. Noise was gone!

Sorry to bump a 5yr old thread, but I've searched and searched and this is the only guy with similiar symptoms as I'm having right now..

 

Only exception is I'm pretty sure its not a heat shield. Only heat shields on my car are on my turbocharger, and for the exhaust manifold(headers).

 

I think its something related to the transmission. Appears to be coming close to the front drivers side wheel well..

 

Things that have crossed my mind but I'm not sold on them:

power steering fluid/pump

CV joint

wheel bearing

rubbing on the rotor/brakes