B Pillar Tick

wreckdiver · July 9, 2019

4 hours ago, davidsp101 said:

Mine is doing it without running boards. I've actually contemplated getting running boards to try to curb the noise.

On another note, I sent a video in an email to GM customer service last week because my ticking is getting progressively worse. It used to only make the noise between 70-80 degrees (which is literally every morning for me here in SC) but now it can be heard periodically even when it is in the high 90s... it all has to do with whether or not it has exposure to the sun. Mine is definitely either pinch welds being bad or something inside the structure of the B pillar and the pillar where the front door hinges are connected. I'm going to bother the hell out of GM to fix it under warranty... then it's going right to a body shop.

Mine is getting worse and it happens going as low as 10 MPH. So basically it happens 95% of the time- infuriating.

wreckdiver · July 9, 2019

4 hours ago, davidsp101 said:

Mine is doing it without running boards. I've actually contemplated getting running boards to try to curb the noise.

On another note, I sent a video in an email to GM customer service last week because my ticking is getting progressively worse. It used to only make the noise between 70-80 degrees (which is literally every morning for me here in SC) but now it can be heard periodically even when it is in the high 90s... it all has to do with whether or not it has exposure to the sun. Mine is definitely either pinch welds being bad or something inside the structure of the B pillar and the pillar where the front door hinges are connected. I'm going to bother the hell out of GM to fix it under warranty... then it's going right to a body shop.

If you hear anything back, please post because my warranty is up in less than 3 months. So I'm sure someone will figure it out in 4 months.

wreckdiver · July 9, 2019

Okay my noise seems to be directly related to the body flex under the driver's side door area. It was happening to me at speeds as slow as 10 MPH so as crazy as it looked, I drove down a non level road with the driver side door OPEN and I stuck my leg out and placed it on the side step as I drove. Just a little pressure down on the side step with my leg made the noise go away completely. Good thing I didn't drive by a cop LOL. I don't know what the solution is however. Clearly, I can't drive with one leg out the truck! Maybe unmounting the step and remounting it will make a difference but it seems it would probably come back even if that worked for a while. The other thing I may consider is if I can find some strips of sheet metal that I can place between the step mount and the body that may distribute the pressure on the body mounting spot more than just the point where the bolt attaches. At this point I don't care how ghetto it seems if this stupid noise goes away.

davidsp101 · July 9, 2019

40 minutes ago, wreckdiver said:

Okay my noise seems to be directly related to the body flex under the driver's side door area. It was happening to me at speeds as slow as 10 MPH so as crazy as it looked, I drove down a non level road with the driver side door OPEN and I stuck my leg out and placed it on the side step as I drove. Just a little pressure down on the side step with my leg made the noise go away completely. Good thing I didn't drive by a cop LOL. I don't know what the solution is however. Clearly, I can't drive with one leg out the truck! Maybe unmounting the step and remounting it will make a difference but it seems it would probably come back even if that worked for a while. The other thing I may consider is if I can find some strips of sheet metal that I can place between the step mount and the body that may distribute the pressure on the body mounting spot more than just the point where the bolt attaches. At this point I don't care how ghetto it seems if this stupid noise goes away.

Can you take a video of the noise you're getting so I can compare it to mine? I'm getting a noise from the b pillar, but also an identical noise from the metal frame of the truck under what I think is the speaker in the driver's door. If I can solve this by buying running boards, it will not only solve my issue but also make my wife happy.

Thanks!

wreckdiver · July 9, 2019

45 minutes ago, davidsp101 said:

Can you take a video of the noise you're getting so I can compare it to mine? I'm getting a noise from the b pillar, but also an identical noise from the metal frame of the truck under what I think is the speaker in the driver's door. If I can solve this by buying running boards, it will not only solve my issue but also make my wife happy.

Thanks!

I'll see if I can do that but it may be quite difficult to hear in a video clip.

Does anyone know of side steps that mount to the frame as opposed to the body? Is that even such a thing?

wreckdiver · July 9, 2019

I tried torquing down the body mount bolts on my side steps and it did seem to make a difference this time. The one issue I am having is that I cannot really torque them down well because the cheap U-brackets that came with the steps only grip a couple threads on the bolts so I may have stripped them. Gonna go to the hardware store and see if I can find some brackets that have more threads and possibly have more surface area for gripping the body panel. When I move the steps, I can see a lot of flexing of the sheet metal and can hear a very distinct popping/cracking type sound. I wish there was a way to have frame mounted steps or at the very least, I wish GM made this rocker panel with thicker metal. OR just reinforced the mounting locations that they knew people are going to attach steps.

wreckdiver · July 10, 2019

I took the side steps off and my rattle is gone. I'm as giddy as a fat kid in a candy store. Now I have to perfect my vertically challenged right butt cheek shimy dance getting in and out. My truck is about 6 years old and I've been thinking about trading in for the AT4. I truly believe that the rocker panels are not thick enough for the steps that stick out from the truck all the time. They supported my 200 lbs easily. But as you drive down the road, that step sticking out there all the time is simply a fulcrum that vibrates up and down with every imperfection in the road. And with every vibration, the mount points flex the panels in and out. After 5+ years of this process, mine started popping and creeking. If it hasn't happened yet for you, I believe it's only a matter of time before it does. I think the folks that have the steps that mount directly under the door and only have the mini steps sticking out, I think you will be fine because the vast majority of the weight is more directly below the mount points. That will minimize the fulcrum effect when going down the road. For that very reason, if I get the new AT4, I'm getting the AMP steps. Those don't waste as much of your valuable clearance either. And lastly, it just looks cooler tucked under, especially when it's lifted. Good luck guys.

Take care,

Rob

Bob Miller · July 12, 2019

Its funny that I'm reading about this issue with the side steps this morning, more on that in a second...

So these days the infamous loud b pillar rattle that reverbs up through to the top by the seat belt only happens to me lately in the morning, and again only on real huge potholes or bumps. Okay, I can live with it - I suppose. And its still not as annoying as the rattling passenger seat that I have.

So last night on the way home (but not this morning on the way to work) I was hearing a distinct metallic vibration - not the loud rattle, but just a constant low dB vibration as I drove down older concrete streets, coming up from the b pillar , back door area. My street is asphalt - so I turn on my smooth street, nothing - quiet as a church mouse. Okay, great. So I get out of the truck and slam the door shut in the driveway - boom - the same exact sounding vibration that I hear on rough streets, and I hear on the outside of the truck. So I open the door up, and slam it again, but this time with my foot on the side step - low and behold nice and quiet - no sound at all. Ah ha! So of course I start tapping on the side step (I have the fairly wide chrome style ones) and as I tap it from the bottom I can hear it making that vibrating noise. So of course now I'm wondering if this is the source of the louder click I hear in the mornings too...

I got on youtube last night and there's some videos out there of guys taking off their running boards/side steps and actually beefing up the rubber padding that's applied between the u brackets and the body of the truck. Apparently torquing down the bolts doesn't really help as much as applying thick pieces of 3M rubber weather stripping on the flat surface of metal where the bracket and truck sheet metal are wedged together.

This could be of interest:

Edited July 12, 2019 by Bob Miller

Ak_grown · July 12, 2019

I guess my concern would be, debris build up and start of corrosion over time depending where you live and what is sprayed on the road during winter times. maybe use a rubber mat that covers the whole bracket where it contacts the body panel so nothing can get trapped between the bracket and body panel. but thats just me thinking out loud. glad you guys that have the rattle have found a fix.

Bob Miller · July 19, 2019

It was pretty hot here this morning and the b pillar tick seemed to be louder and more pronounced (again only on the large potholes). So annoying

I think I may try playing around with the running boards this weekend to see if that helps. I start hearing the ticking noise and I wonder if its going to come back and keep getting worse and worse...

Bob Miller · July 19, 2019

On 7/9/2019 at 10:43 PM, wreckdiver said:

I took the side steps off and my rattle is gone. I'm as giddy as a fat kid in a candy store. Now I have to perfect my vertically challenged right butt cheek shimy dance getting in and out. My truck is about 6 years old and I've been thinking about trading in for the AT4. I truly believe that the rocker panels are not thick enough for the steps that stick out from the truck all the time. They supported my 200 lbs easily. But as you drive down the road, that step sticking out there all the time is simply a fulcrum that vibrates up and down with every imperfection in the road. And with every vibration, the mount points flex the panels in and out. After 5+ years of this process, mine started popping and creeking. If it hasn't happened yet for you, I believe it's only a matter of time before it does. I think the folks that have the steps that mount directly under the door and only have the mini steps sticking out, I think you will be fine because the vast majority of the weight is more directly below the mount points. That will minimize the fulcrum effect when going down the road. For that very reason, if I get the new AT4, I'm getting the AMP steps. Those don't waste as much of your valuable clearance either. And lastly, it just looks cooler tucked under, especially when it's lifted. Good luck guys.

Take care,

Rob

Is your noise still gone with your side steps off?

wreckdiver · July 19, 2019

Yep 10 days straight with no noise and I had the noise EVERY day. There's definitely some popping or creaking sound when the rocker panel flexes. The only tie in with the sides steps is that they stick out and as you drive down the road they're vibrating up and down and flexing the mount stop over and over. So I actually didn't fix the root cause of the noise, but removing the side steps is one less thing flexing that metal so the symptoms are gone at least. When I replace this truck, I'll bite the bullet and buy the Amp Research power steps. 99% of the time, they'll be tucked under the mount point as opposed to be a fulcrum the repeatedly flexes the metal in and out.

davidsp101 · July 19, 2019

I don’t have side steps and I have the noise every damn morning.

wreckdiver · July 19, 2019

Sorry to hear that. Could be multiple different things that may or may not happen in any particular truck, and everyone is describing it as a rattle in that area. I posted a couple other noises I found earlier in the thread. They were there but not as loud as the body panel flex noise that went away when I took off the steps.

What does your sound like? Is it a metallic clicking sound or just a general vibration? If you remove the pillar cover, about half way down, there's a metal seat belt guide that looks brass. It is mounted in there sloppy with way too much play. I want to slap the guy who designed it. Bottom line is it can rattle into the sheet metal behind it.

If that happens to be your noise, all I did was put some double sided sticky tape behind it as a cushion/gasket so it doesn't directly hit metal on metal.

Edited July 19, 2019 by wreckdiver

Bob Miller · July 20, 2019

I was just laying under my truck and I could definitely replicate the popping , ticking/clicking sound. I'll maybe try and shoot some video of it tomorrow but if I push up against this strip of sheet metal that seems to be spot welded flat to the main cab and tap around or flex the side steps, it seems to either stop or really diminish the clicking.

Its just weird how in the mornings its just a really loud metallic ticking on big bumps. But in the evenings its either silent or just a slight vibrating buzzing (on rough concrete).

Edited July 20, 2019 by Bob Miller