Rattles and squeaks

[TX-TahoeLtd]

I had the dash replaced a while back and now there's a rattle under the drivers side just to the left of where the steering column pokes out.

 

It sounds like when you have a bolt with a washer on the end and the nut isn't tight enough to hold the washer in place.

 

Where can I start removing things to see where this rattle is coming from? It's not always audible on all roads. Sometimes on bumpy roads, sometimes not on bumpy roads.

 

I've stuck my hand up in there and I didn't find anything obviously loose, and if I bang on the lower part of the dash area (lightly, mind you) it doesn't rattle.

 

Also, has anyone put anything on the little plastic endcaps where the dash peice touches the part of the door to turn off the interior lights when the door shuts? That seems to be partly where this noise is coming from. I was thinking about getting a peice of felt with a sticky back on it and covering the peices. The dealer said there wasn't anything they could do about that. They also checked the rattle and it was gone for a while but came back. It was too much of a pain to keep taking it back, so now I'm trying to fix it myself.

 

Ideas, thoughts, comments?

 

Thanks for your time.

 

[chevroletmb]

the thing is about squeaks and rattles is that it could be almost anything causing the noise. the best way that i know how is to find a way to reliably reproduce the noise. then you can start searching for it. messing with things and listening for any change in the noise. other than that it's not a simple fix i'm afraid

[Wingnut]

Open your door, and grab your seat and try and move it around.

 

I had a mystery rattle in my 92 for 2 years before I figured out it was the seat.

 

More accurately it's the point where the seat "pedastal" (for lack of technical term) attaches to the seat bottom. Interior shops want around $300 to fix, so I live with it.

 

The seat doesn't move enough for me to notice when driving, or moving around, but it does rattle on occasion.

 

Just one more thing to check.

 

Rattles can come from anywhere. I had an 89 that I bought used, and the drivers door rattled for the first year I had it. The door lock busted, I took the door panel off, and there was a bolt laying in the bottom of the door.

 

As the folks at Ragu® say...."It's in there!"

 

You just have to keep digging to find it.

[jhm]

What if you take the dash off and drive around to see if it is coming from the points where the dash mounts to the metal frame. The dealer did that with my truck and put foam cushions wherever the dash made contact. Turns out that was not the source, it was the 4wd shifter. He said it was easy to take the dash off.