I'm new on this board and it is really cool, I also have a question.

 

I drive a 92 loyale wagon with 138,000 miles, Manual 4wd. I noticed a rattling noise coming from the rear driver’s side of the car. I took it to a shop and they said I needed new bushing on my crossmember where it connects into the frame. I had the bushings replaced as well as a worn bushing holding the rear diff. The rattling is still there. I can only hear it when driving under 40mph. I can't replicate the sound by jumping on the car or shaking any of the rear suspension or exhaust parts. I have also taken everything out the trunk and secret compartments in the back. Any ideas on what this rattle could be?

Some possibilities:

 

• I know you said you've checked, but I'm still voting exhaust ... not just up/down or side-to-side - try forward-back. You might be surprised.
  
• Try driving with the hatch propped open with a towel or something soft. Same thing with the rear doors.
  
• You've looked @ Struts?
  

Do you have something to record it with? ...

I checked the exahust and doors/gate. They all seem good. How do I check the struts? They pass the bounce the car test and don't make any knock or rattle type noises when I bounce the car or when I grab them and shake.

They all seem good. How do I check the struts?

 

On the rod that goes from the top of the strut to the mount in the top of the wheel well there is a hard plastic / rubber bumper. I found one had broken loose and was rattling. It can be hard to see, there is a plastic shield over the piston rod, and all this is inside the spring.

million bucks says its a piece of aluminum trim along the windows somewhere. that took me two years to trace down, and all i had to do was have someone in the passengers side back seat roll the window down on my sedan, and put their hand on the piece of painted trim surrounding the rear quarter window. I dont know what kind of trim like this you have on your wagon, but theres gotta be something surrounding the rear side windows, right? tap on that piece and i guarantee itll rattle a little bit. right at about 40 mph. sometimes, not other times, and its hard to "make" it happen. it just kinda starts a mild rattling.... because whatever retainer clips it has are 20 years old, petrified, and have no spring left to them.

 

if I am wrong about this I'm going to stop posting on this board for a while.

 

in other words, im so sure im right, if im wrong, im just going to shut up on principle.

if I am wrong about this I'm going to stop posting on this board for a while.

 

Drumroll, please ....

My drivers side lap belt mechanism rattles. Took me forever to figure out where it was coming from cause it was always behind me. It is where the belt rolls up on the floor boards. Just a little metallic rattle and doesn't affect the belt as far as locking and unlockin. Just annoying.

My drivers side lap belt mechanism rattles. Took me forever to figure out where it was coming from cause it was always behind me. It is where the belt rolls up on the floor boards. Just a little metallic rattle and doesn't affect the belt as far as locking and unlockin. Just annoying.

 

heh, yah.. anyone with a four door loyale/GL, try this.. roll the back passenger window down about 4 inches, and roll the driver window down all the way. on my car, at least, it makes the dang seatbelt itself just start flapping against the plastic finishing plate, and makes a REAL annoying sound. easy to identify, i mean i knew what it was before i looked at it.. but annoying.

I'm still waiting to hear if Daeron is right ...

I'm still waiting to hear if Daeron is right ...

 

me too. that rattling drove me nuts for MONTHS.

 

and the metaphorical duct tape is ready. if needs be :-p

Bump ...

 

Rattle Rattle Rattle

 

C'mon, Dude - what's the verdict? We're dyin' over here. We're holdin' hands getting ready to start singin' "nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah Hey hey ... goodBYE!" hehe

If it is happening while engine is running only, could be inside the muffler. Last stage before they fall apart. 40mph has engine in an rpm speed that may cause it...? I had bizarre noise there too, the whole time it was the muffler vibrating to something. maybe the rear end vibrating metal?

Couple of similar problems that I`ve had in the past with my wagon were exhaust making contact with the rear driveshaft (4wd). The other was heat shield loose.

If it is the muffler.. try maintaining 40 while going through all of the gears..except first...well you can... if you want to see a subie die!!! and if you do.. dont tell us.. it will make us cry!

I have narrowed down the rattle but now I think it is more of a light knock. The sound is deffinatly coming from under the car from the drivers rear wheel well. I sat in the back of the car with a long screwdriver and listend to where the nosie was coming from. I removed the strut in that wheel well and there is nothing I can do to it to get any sounds out of it and all of it's components seem fine. I did notice that when the first bit of weight is first but on the car I hear a small klunk noise that comes from both rear wheel bearings but since i only get the sound out of the drivers side wheel I figured that was normal.

 

Also the noise can only be herd from the interior of the car. If I stand on a bumpy section of road and the car drives by I hear nothing out of the ordinary but the driver hears the noise.

 

One other potentally helpful pice of information. When I increased the air pressure in the tires the noise got louder.

 

Bizangous

Muffler is a possiblility. My tail pipe fell out some time ago

Sit in the back seat and have someone else drive. It'll add some weight & get you closer. Go over bumps, shift/lurch, etc. Then YOU should jump up & down to make the struts earn their pay ...

Sit in the back seat and have someone else drive. It'll add some weight & get you closer. Go over bumps, shift/lurch, etc. Then YOU should jump up & down to make the struts earn their pay ...

 

I can duplicate the sound when the car is parked by jumping up and down in the back. It is still only coming from the dirvers rear wheel well.

Okay - process of elimination ...

 

With the car cold, slip some carpet padding, old blankets, or whatever you can stuff in there above the pipe between the pipe & the body - anything to keep the exhaust from knocking directly with the body.

 

Then jump up & down & see if you get the same thing.

If the strut lost all of its oil (like mine has) it can start to make a light knocking noise when the strut is forced to move from its static position. Mine makes noise over light bumps where it moves above & below its static position quickly.

 

This was explained to me by a mechanic that checked the car over for me. The strut is definitely gone (all leaky) and he test drove the car and said the noise fit the description.

 

Just a thought.

If it comes to that ... I was VERY amazed at how easy it was to reaplace the rear struts ... Took me like all off 15 minutes.

have you tapped on all the trim pieces around the passenger side rear windows?

 

i know you said you came to the conclusion that its under the car, but so had I.....

 

i still bet one of them is a little loose.

 

ive yet to see one of these plastic retainer clips that didnt show its 10, 15, 20 years of age...

If the strut lost all of its oil (like mine has) it can start to make a light knocking noise when the strut is forced to move from its static position. Mine makes noise over light bumps where it moves above & below its static position quickly.

 

This was explained to me by a mechanic that checked the car over for me. The strut is definitely gone (all leaky) and he test drove the car and said the noise fit the description.

 

Just a thought.

 

Still the same noise with the exhaust padded.

 

I tend to think this internal strut rattle is the problem, I contemplated this but didn't know if this could happen but I guess it can.

 

My question is... IF this is the source of the noise is it ok to still drive on the strut or do I need new ones. It will be time soon because the car has 130k on it but I would like to hold a bit.

 

By the way, no loose trim or decoration stuff that I know of but I will keep looking.

Okay ... next test then ....

 

Load this baby-up, fill'er up. Sandbags, Rck Salt, whatever it takes. See if you can get it to visually sag. Then do your past 40mph test. See if she bottoms out or stops making noise...

the strut cartridge is there to dampen the shock. if there is absolutely no strut cartridge in the design in the first place, the rear end will bounce on the springs, and eventually setllte out... until you hit another bump. Blown out strut cartridges have some minimal effect on dampening the bouncey bouncey.. but very little. However, it should not cause some catastrophic suspension failure if you want to put it off a bit. just be careful going over bumps, etc.. and be aware that there is the nonzero possibility of bouncing so severely youre rear tires (MIGHT) become airborne i HAVE seen it happen before...

 

but you certainly wont be the first car in america driving around with dead rear shocks.