Unknown Front End Rattle

T

tylerTJ03

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Joined
Jan 16, 2022
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17
Location
Knoxville, TN
I have an 03 TJ X. It’s got stock everything except for the radiator, exhaust, and some other non-performance items.

A few months ago, I noticed a feint rattle that would happen only when beginning to throttle under load. It won’t rattle if I’m lightly pressing the pedal and keeping speed on a straight road in any gear. If I was driving 65 on the freeway and needed to pass someone, I’d press down a little heavier on the pedal and it would faintly rattle until I passed the car, and then would go away once I backed off the pedal again. I began to hear it more and more, all the way into 3rd gear if I needed to throttle under strain going up a hill or just throttling to get up to speed to get on an on-ramp, things like that. Within the last few days, it’s gotten to where I can hear it pretty clearly and it sounds more aggressive. I wish I could get a video of it but these cabs are so loud, I’m thinking it’ll just get drowned out. I’ve banged on my cat and exhaust to see if it’s rattling in there, but I’ve got no noise. I’ve got a bad TOB but I don’t know if that would be the cause of my rattle or not. Anyone have any ideas? I don’t think it’s me putting too much of a strain on the engine because it’s happening in higher RPMs? I am lost right now.
 
MutantNinjaTJ said:
Damn, let me get this right, you have an unidentifiable rattle in your 20 year old Jeep? We're stumped, we've never heard of such a thing, I think you're trolling us, This just doesn't happen, it doesn't sound right......:cool:
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Real helpful! Thanks for the advice! Some of us don’t like new noises that could lead to a more serious problem later on down the road. If you have any serious suggestions, I’d appreciate those more 😉
 
Try capturing it on video, even if you think it will be drowned out, it might surprise you and be audible anyway.
Also, when's the last time you replaced your air filter?
 
Go back out to the garage and keep looking. Are any heat shield tabs broken? Stuff loose under the hood or in the tub? It could literally be anything. Your post doesn't help us help you.
 
Pascal25 said:
Try capturing it on video, even if you think it will be drowned out, it might surprise you and be audible anyway.
Also, when's the last time you replaced your air filter?
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I’ll see what I can get tonight on the way home. I changed the air filter about 20k miles ago.
 
Rickyd said:
Go back out to the garage and keep looking. Are any heat shield tabs broken? Stuff loose under the hood or in the tub? It could literally be anything. Your post doesn't help us help you.
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I don’t have the resources to really jack it up and get all up underneath and into it so I do what I can. I’m young, recently married, and renting a house with a crappy slanted driveway. I’m just trying to learn and get some ideas on where to start because I know it could be a multitude of things. I’ll check and see if I can find anything when I look up underneath the hood or in the tub.
 
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tylerTJ03 said:
I don’t have the resources to really jack it up and get all up underneath and into it so I do what I can. I’m young, recently married, and renting a house with a crappy slanted driveway. I’m just trying to learn and get some ideas on where to start because I know it could be a multitude of things. I’ll check and see if I can find anything when I look up underneath the hood or in the tub.
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We have all been there, but forthcoming honesty helps illuminate your situation

I would recommend getting a friend over to assist
Perhaps jack up the rear end , put the axle on 2 jack stands and run the vehicle in drive with a friend either revving in gear, and you search under the vehicle or vice versa

Use wheel chocks too
Dont get under the vehicle til its safely secure
 
My wife's WJ has a rattle on both sides up front. I believe it's the axle side upper control arm bushings because of the location and it does it constantly. She said she doesn't even notice it. I told her, great, I just won't ride in your Jeep. Problem solved. That saved me money from buying her a really nice stereo. 🤫
 
CreepinDeth said:
We have all been there, but forthcoming honesty helps illuminate your situation

I would recommend getting a friend over to assist
Perhaps jack up the rear end , put the axle on 2 jack stands and run the vehicle in drive with a friend either revving in gear, and you search under the vehicle or vice versa

Use wheel chocks too
Dont get under the vehicle til its safely secure
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This is helpful. Thank you for the advice. I’ll see about doing that sometime soon when I’ve got some free time and actual daylight after work or on a weekend now that the days are getting longer!
 
TheBoogieman said:
My wife's WJ has a rattle on both sides up front. I believe it's the axle side upper control arm bushings because of the location and it does it constantly. She said she doesn't even notice it. I told her, great, I just won't ride in your Jeep. Problem solved. That saved me money from buying her a really nice stereo. 🤫
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I’ve now added the control arms to my check-it-out list. I want to replace the whole front suspension system at some point. Hopefully you used that money to invest in a nice stereo for yourself! haha
 
Could it be pinging from detonation? Or are you sure it's in the front end?
 
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B1Toad said:
Could it be pinging from detonation?
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To be honest. I’ve never experienced the detonation pinging noise before in other cars I’ve driven, but after looking up the symptoms, it sure sounds like it could be. I’ve got normal oil levels, I’ve always used 87 grade gas, and my engine temps have been normal. Do you suggest that I use a higher octane gas to see if the noise dissipates?
 
tylerTJ03 said:
To be honest. I’ve never experienced the detonation pinging noise before in other cars I’ve driven, but after looking up the symptoms, it sure sounds like it could be. I’ve got normal oil levels, I’ve always used 87 grade gas, and my engine temps have been normal. Do you suggest that I use a higher octane gas to see if the noise dissipates?
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You could try that as a test, but normally when things are working as designed the ECM will adjust to prevent pinging. It used to be fairly common before cars were computer controlled. There are a number of things that can cause it including a lean condition, timing and carbon buildup but lets wait and see if some of our resident experts show up with better advice.
 
B1Toad said:
Could it be pinging from detonation? Or are you sure it's in the front end?
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I just knew the sound was coming from the front end of the jeep. I just watched a video showing detonation ping. Sounds horrifically similar to what mine does when heavy throttling. This is a first for me. Here’s a link to the video I watched. The rough gravel metal sounding noise is pretty much what mine does when throttling heavier.
 
I took a video on my way home from work. The link to the video is here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DTkv6xMqdY6Vaxu7A.
The very beginning is how it sounds when not under load. Once I press the gas harder in 4th and begin to prep for shift into 5th, you can hear it pretty clearly in 4th and into 5th. This sounds almost if not exactly identical to other pinging videos I’ve listened to so far. Anyone else agree?
 
tylerTJ03 said:
I took a video on my way home from work. The link to the video is here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DTkv6xMqdY6Vaxu7A.
The very beginning is how it sounds when not under load. Once I press the gas harder in 4th and begin to prep for shift into 5th, you can hear it pretty clearly in 4th and into 5th. This sounds almost if not exactly identical to other pinging videos I’ve listened to so far. Anyone else agree?
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It's really hard to pick out over the normal engine and cabin noise but I think I hear a faint rattle. Best way I can describe detonation (also called pre-ignition or spark knock) is that it sounds a little like a diesel engine, sort of a knocking rattle.

Seeing that you have over 200,000 miles brings to mind piston slap as another possibility. :(
 
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