10 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHRattle - help needed
Reported or suspected cause
spring
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that report identifying a cause
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Reported cause · Original poster
The description in the thread was exactly the same as I described, and for that person, the issue was a spring for the parking brake.
Outcome qualification: Negation, uncertainty or missing explicit repair resolution overrides the raw extraction signal.
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Leading evidence: 'spring' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'spring' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Adjust parking brake this morning' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 1 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that report an unsuccessful attempt
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Unsuccessful attempt · Original poster
I adjusted my parking brake this morning, and that wasn't it. I know it's not the headliner, as I had that rattle and already fixed it.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
10 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 1 adjusted by outcome qualification.
1 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Outcome without a verified action link
I ended up forcing some long zip ties into the gap, and that took care of it 100%.
Picked up a 2002 C4S about two weeks ago, and love the car aside from one rattle that is driving me nuts. It sounds almost like someone flicking a spring, and it usually happens when hitting a sharp bump at higher speeds - like over an expansion joint.
The noise is coming from the passenger side near the area of the front seat belt retractor. I know these cars can trick you into thinking that noises are coming from somewhere they aren't, but I'm pretty certain on this one. I've already taken the panel off and had my wife drive the car while I squeezed into the back seat, and the sound is much louder minus the panel. Even if it isn't originating from within that cavity, the noise is certainly coming into the car from it.
The only thing inside that cavity that makes any noise is the seat belt retractor, but I don't think it is the source. If I completely cup my hands around it, the noise isn't really any quieter.
I've read every rattle thread there is, and I thought I found a winner last night. The description in the thread was exactly the same as I described, and for that person, the issue was a spring for the parking brake. I adjusted my parking brake this morning, and that wasn't it.
I know it's not the headliner, as I had that rattle and already fixed it. It's also not the metal plates that the ECM bolt to....already had them out, and they are silent. Even covered them with Dynamat just because I had them exposed.
My only thoughts now is that the problem might be under the car, and that cavity is just where the sound enters. I'm going to pull off the plastic undertray in that area in a few minutes to see if I can find anything, but I'm not optimistic.
Anyone have any guesses?
That doesn't sound like something motor mounts would fix - rainmn, it sounds like it lasts for a while - a second or two? Or did I read too much into your description?
Have you confirmed that there's nothing in the passenger-side door pocket?
Found it!!!!!
After a week of taking things apart every night, it figures I would find it an hour after posting this thread. For future reference, here's what the problem is:
There is a round structural brace that runs across the car under the rear seats, and each end is connected to some other structural pieces inside of the cavity where the seat belt retractor is. (Directly above the rear jacking points.)
Under each seat, this bar runs through another larger bar, which is about 8 inches long. The smaller inner bar is welded to this outer bar......barely. In my case, each end is welded for about 1/10th of the circumference at best. The noise is the inner bar hitting the outer bar.
Not quite sure how I'm going to fix it yet. My first idea is to try and get some expanding foam sprayed into the gaps where the weld isn't there. Hopefully, this will insulate the two enough to stop the noise.
If that doesn't work, I may try drilling through both of them and trying to screw them together.
At least I know what it is now....75% of the battle is over.
And, fixed.
Spray foam didn't do it, and I wasn't really big on the idea of trying to drill a hole in that crossmember.
I ended up forcing some long zip ties into the gap, and that took care of it 100%. For good measure, I covered the whole area in Dynamat anyway.
Now to put the car back together.....
Sadly, no, although the fix cost a grand total of about $3 for the sprayfoam. I'll take that any day.
I thought of that about 15 minutes after I got the last panel back in.
The brace in question is really obvious once the seat and carpet is out of the way though. Also, I probably removed about twice as many parts as I needed to, since I didn't know where the noise was coming from. If I had to do it again, I could probably be done in less than an hour.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
