I know this sounds odd, but I don't know how to quite describe it. When I go to 3rd gear or above, sometimes, the motor is accompanied by a light clatter/rattle sound - doesn't happen all the time, which is the odd part. I asked a mechanic at a Soob dealership and he said it might be a bolt, or rocks in the heat shield (?). It doesn't seem to affect performance any, so I'm not sure where to start looking.

 

Any ideas?

Heat shielding would be my first guess.

 

Does it sound like metallic pinging? Maybe run some higher octane or seafoam through the pcv to clean out the upper engine stuff.

any chance its coming from behind you and not the engine bay?

 

The "intermittent rattle" that I chased for about two years turned out to be the plastic trim piece behind my rear passenger door, surrounding the rear quarter window on that side. However, it took me having passengers in the back seat for me to even localize the sound; it sounded like it could be coming from anywhere, honestly.

 

However, catalytic converter heat shield is the first thing that comes to mind if its an engine bay rattle.

Since it's the consensus here and from others that it might be the heat shield, I'll have that checked first. Geez....I'm such a n00b when it comes to Soobs.....time to get that manual. LOL

 

Thanks for the help!

My 87 still has the original funky plastic hub caps that rattle all of the time. I learned about this from the person I bought it from. A good palce to start looking.

 

Bill the t man.

Yeah i've got a little something like that too! Only after you drive the car long enough and when you take off then it does it! I looked at the heat sheiled by the driver's side exhaust monifold and i don't think it's it!?? And i know it's from the front! It strange!

Heat shield around the cat should be checked too. I wouldn't have suspected the shields on mom's car just by looking either. They may look good, but thats probably the culpret.

The cat has a heat shield too?? I dident see one! I'll look tommorow!

They had one stock. If its not there it's been yanked off in its lifetime for this reason.

I have a simmilaer sound in third but mine does come from the engine bay and only in third gear and the heat shield has already been removed.

Now wich one is the Cat?? Is it right after the Y-pipe come's down? Of is it the 2nd one??? Closer to the front door?

Cat is where the pipes joint. The second is a resinator to help keep things quite. And since I fixed my blown exhaust manifold gasket today, i noticed my cat heat shield was rattling, and I've got a leak at the resinator:dead:

Ok! Well i guess someone took it off or it rotted off!? Too bad!

 

Yeah as far as i know i don't have a leak in the resinator.. It's pretty quite!