Minor rattles - mainly from the front of the car

[mt308]

Hi

Nothing major but I'd like to lose some of the rattles, knocks, rubbing and other noises mainly coming from the front of the car.

There are so many things that potentially could make a noise, I wondered if anyone has any suggestions for the more common ones?

Mainly over bumps rather than anything mechanical - i.e. likely to be caused by things that move around a bit.

I have a feeling the bonnet hinges could be one source but pretty difficult to confirm/fix.

Mark

[T-Rev]

Hi Mark, mine rattles like hell both front and rear but I don't worry about it as I hardly use it on the road these days. I've tried all sorts to reduce the noisy rattles in the past, but getting the latches set correctly with at least some compression on the stops is probably the way you need to go, but also the most difficult to achieve - there is very little adjustment and it's very easy to go too tight and you then struggle to close the clip. Pay particular attention to the front clip bump stops on the shut panel, gently try shaking the clip at that point when closed to see if it is loose? You could also put various types of adhesive seals anywhere the clip might come into contact or rub the tub and side pod sections. Try CBS at http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/self-adhesiv...
The stops on the rear clip are actually small cotton real rubber mounts cut in half, I've tried replacing these and being more generous with the cut with limited success as it made it more difficult to shut the clip?
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to this as every Ultima will be very slightly different in it's location and fit of the clips. It's going to be down to gradually trying different things until you get your desired result. Best of luck.
P.S. Great to meet you and see your car at Silverstone - I still can't get over just how clean and tidy your LS7 engine bay looks? Very nice. Cheers, Trevor.

[F.C.]

mt308 said:

Hi

Nothing major but I'd like to lose some of the rattles, knocks, rubbing and other noises mainly coming from the front of the car.

There are so many things that potentially could make a noise, I wondered if anyone has any suggestions for the more common ones?

Mainly over bumps rather than anything mechanical - i.e. likely to be caused by things that move around a bit.

I have a feeling the bonnet hinges could be one source but pretty difficult to confirm/fix.

Mark

I had a really annoying creak / rattle normally when over bumps and rises when the suspension un-loaded a little and settled again, at first I though it must be some friction between metal and bodywork.
I also had a suspicion it could be the suspension bushes.
As it turned out I had all of the bushings and bolts replaced this year........ no more creak / rattle (so far).
I was a little surprised as the car has very low mileage (for its age).
The wear was most apparent on the rear bushings, I suspect from the engine loading up the suspension and trying to twist the A arms around.