Squeaks and Rattles

[Kobialka]

When driving my car around on local streets, I have so many squeaks and rattles that it almost drive me insane. Once I get on the highway, or the racetrack for that matter, they quiet down, but are still there.

Since I didn't build the car entirely myself, I'm wondering if the previous owner missed something in the manual.

What are the most common sources of these noises? Someone said that the suspension bushing weren't properly greased, or that there is rubbing between fiberglass and the frame. Do either of these sound likely?

Thanks for the insight.

Shane

[Pb3]

Hi Shane,

Best buy yourself some ear plugs, seriously if it is getting too much for you.

I have similar issues, I am sure I am not alone. It is worth going around the whole car checking for anything that can generate rattles etc. I did this recently as I was sure things had got worse and I was about to embark on a 2000 mile Alpine tour. I found my dash electronic unit had come dislodged and I tied some wiring so that it could not move around. But the biggest factor seemed to be that the front and rear clips needed the latches adjusting so that the body panels could not move once latched down. Now I have to push the clips down hard to get them to latch, they push against the little rubber stops that take up any slack. It still is not perfect and without the use of those big springs you see on production cars I guess it will never be perfect but at least a little better.

But I think cars that are stiffly sprung will always suffer from this issue to some degree, I am always surprised by some production cars on this score. Happy hunting...

[dobx]

The squeaks and rattles can be eliminated. You have to drive around and troubleshoot one by one. Usually, the loudest is from the suspension bushings. Grease them and you will notice a difference. The latches can be solved by using Paul's method of putting shrink tubing over them. The tricky part is to identify which region the noise is coming from. A passenger with a keen ear will help.

[spatz]

interesting so he is using shrink tube over the nipples that sit in the latches ?

[Steve_D]

The bushes will squeak and groan but just need stripping and re-greasing.

There are many and varied places the body can rub you just have to work at tracking them down.
Good place to start is rear clip rubbing on the removable tube running down from the roll cage.

Steve

[Rusti Evo]

Renewing the rubber body stops is very helpful.

[ROWDYRENAULT]

I spent a lot of time on details to make the car as quite as possible from rattles. When I was done I had one huge squeak left, drove me crasy. I then stuck my fingers up between the body and were the cage comes through the roof and I could feel the body hitting. clearenced that hole and then inserted a rubber seal. No more rattles. At this point the car rides better then my friends GT2 Porsche, does not tramline at all, the porsche does, the Ultima is louder due to the engine and exhaust noise but a set of ANR head sets really make a difference in the noise quality of the motor. My final take on this is with a little effort you can have a Ultima that is as pleasent to drive as a GT2. We all know what happens when you get it to a track or quick piece of road. Lee

[robm3]

dobx said:

The squeaks and rattles can be eliminated. You have to drive around and troubleshoot one by one. Usually, the loudest is from the suspension bushings.

+1, mine used to squeak badly but the factory regreased the suspension and the difference is amazing!

[V8Dom]

get a louder exhaust....... and rev rev the engine rather than drive it like a granny.....

Dom