Rattling Noise (Doesnt Sound Good)

[Memfis]

Ever since i bought my explorer about 6 months ago it has randomly had a rattling noise when i start it up. I believe it goes away after the car warms up and i take it to higher speeds. But when i first start it up and when im going low speeds after that it makes a rattling noise. I have had the car checked out and they didnt find anything that would contribute to that. Unless the need for a new catalytic convertor would cause that. Anyone got ideas?

 

[410Fortune]

yes the heat guards on your cat converter are loose, yuo likely dont need a new one. The tach welds break and they rattle like a sonofabitch.
You can re-weld them, rip them off, secure them with large metal clamps, or replace the cat converter.

The metal guards are there jsut to keep components around the cat from getting hot, removing them will not cause any problems.

this is a very common issue on this board.

it is possible the catalyst inside the converter is loose and rattling, but you would likey see a loss in performance as well.

Start truck, get under truck and it should be obvious the source of the rattle.

 

[Blee1099]

Can you be more specific on the noise? Also what type of motor? V6 OHV or SOHC or V8?

 

[Memfis]

The Cat Converter problem seems right ill check that tomomrow thanks. And i have a v6 SOHC 4x4.

 

[exploded99]

I had the heat shield rattle on my x when it was under warranty - the dealer gave me a big work order when they fixed it - welded this, replaced that, tightened the other thing, billed Ford 400.00 bucks for the repairs.

Looked underneath it later, it a had big dam* steel hose clamp on it. I think it is a 400 dollar hose clamp.

Anyway, thought you would like to know what the dealer did to fix it - might just be that easy.