Things I have found that rattle, chirp, or squeak

03coloradowrangler

TJ Addict
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Jun 25, 2019
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Mid Michigan
just sharing what ive found so far for those out there that are thinking of things to look at that may be the source of their unfound noises, squeaks chirps or rattles.
i know its a jeep and there's gonna be noises but i would like it to be as quiet as i can reasonably get it, basically the source of all of my noises have been coming from the front end around the hood hence all of my tinkering.

feel free to contribute what you may have come across making noises during your ownership.

1. underhood fuse box - found lots of play in up and down movement, hitting just the right bump pattern it would rattle around.
my repair - found some 1/8" thick or so rubber sheet laying around, cut 4 rectangular chunks off and slit the center open and slide over the 4 post the fusebox slides down onto clips into place. no longer makes noise.
IMG_20191209_200746.jpg

2. hood prop keeper - found slop in fitting of the rod into the catch, rattle noise on washboard roads
my repair - replaced keeper. part number J4007456. prop rod snaps in tight now, no more noise. this eliminated the majority of all noise i was getting within the cab of all my noise repairs.

3. radiator reservoir tank - found slop in mounting tabs, made a thud noise when pulling up on and letting go to drop back down in place, moved up and down about a 1/4 inch.
my repair - rubber sheet material again, removed the tank and cut rubber into a T shape to fit down between the mounting bracket and tank. noise and slop is gone.
IMG_20191209_202002.jpg
IMG_20191209_202121.jpg
IMG_20191209_202233.jpg

4. wiper solvent tank - slapping the fender with my palm the tank made some noise.
my repair - slipped some packaging foam material between it and the fender it sits on and now the noise is gone.

5. dash squeak - found 2 missing nuts, dash would chirp like a bird but at all hours of the day and night and seemingly randomly come and go but would stop for a bit when pressing onto the dash.
my repair - pulled the long plastic trim on very top of dash, threaded 2 nylock nuts down the studs onto mounts of what im assuming are for the top of the dash just below where the trim covers. sound no longer occurs
 
Every manual TJ I've owned has had a rattley clutch pedal. Just the way they're mounted. I always wanted to find a fix but then I forget about it until I'm on a bumpy road again
 
I've had a rattling sound that thought was in my dash. Almost 2 years ago I changed my heater core. I figured there was my chance to really find the source. Looked everything over, didn't find anything obvious. After it was all back together I had the same noise. More recently I think it's coming from the passengers side full door, near the front of the door. I found that one of the panel pins has broken, but haven't pulled the panel off yet to make sure. I hope it's something related to that. I put a piece of foam under the panel where the broken pin is, but it sounds the same.
 
I don't have the best hearing anymore. My left ear doesn't require a hearing aid but my right ear does and even when I use the hearing aid for my right ear it sometimes helps and sometimes doesn't.

I do occasionally hear rattling (in my dash?). My wife and/or son hear it more frequently. The best way I have found to take care of the problem is to TURN UP THE RADIO!
 
Hood latch on mine squeaked. Drove me nuts for months before I found it.
Same. I replaced the rubber strap with a daystar replacement and it solved the issue.

Another one Ive always noticed was the tire carrier, though on mine it has since been fixed with a new carrier!
 
The passenger side seat squeaked like crazy, sounded like an angry sparrow. Sounded like it was coming from underneath...
However, it was the seat tilt/tumble thing. Didn't matter if a person was sitting in it or not. Fixed it with the kit from stableseat
 
What a great thread. Inspired me to tackle the noises today.
I had a major firewall squeak after replacing the clutch. Finally traced it to a wire harness bracket at the top of the tranny that was contacting the tunnel. That bracket is at the crank position sensor. Whew what a relief.
I also found the two big electrical connectors at the top of the firewall were flopping around so I cinched those down with zip ties.
Then I just grabbed harnesses and hoses and shook them to find other rattles to zip tie down.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE. The Jeep is so much quieter and enjoyable now. Especially at idle. It feels new again!
 
just sharing what ive found so far for those out there that are thinking of things to look at that may be the source of their unfound noises, squeaks chirps or rattles.
i know its a jeep and there's gonna be noises but i would like it to be as quiet as i can reasonably get it, basically the source of all of my noises have been coming from the front end around the hood hence all of my tinkering.

feel free to contribute what you may have come across making noises during your ownership.

1. underhood fuse box - found lots of play in up and down movement, hitting just the right bump pattern it would rattle around.
my repair - found some 1/8" thick or so rubber sheet laying around, cut 4 rectangular chunks off and slit the center open and slide over the 4 post the fusebox slides down onto clips into place. no longer makes noise.
View attachment 128574

2. hood prop keeper - found slop in fitting of the rod into the catch, rattle noise on washboard roads
my repair - replaced keeper. part number J4007456. prop rod snaps in tight now, no more noise. this eliminated the majority of all noise i was getting within the cab of all my noise repairs.

3. radiator reservoir tank - found slop in mounting tabs, made a thud noise when pulling up on and letting go to drop back down in place, moved up and down about a 1/4 inch.
my repair - rubber sheet material again, removed the tank and cut rubber into a T shape to fit down between the mounting bracket and tank. noise and slop is gone.
View attachment 128575
View attachment 128576
View attachment 128577

4. wiper solvent tank - slapping the fender with my palm the tank made some noise.
my repair - slipped some packaging foam material between it and the fender it sits on and now the noise is gone.

5. dash squeak - found 2 missing nuts, dash would chirp like a bird but at all hours of the day and night and seemingly randomly come and go but would stop for a bit when pressing onto the dash.
my repair - pulled the long plastic trim on very top of dash, threaded 2 nylock nuts down the studs onto mounts of what im assuming are for the top of the dash just below where the trim covers. sound no longer occurs
I also was missing two of those four nuts for the vertical bolts that the dash hangs on. It was the two middle nuts. Without any nuts there at all, my dash not only rattled, but bounced. So easy to fix and it was instantly resolved.
 
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I also was missing two of those four nuts for the vertical bolts that the dash hangs on. It was the two middle nuts. Without any nuts there at all, my dash not only rattled, but bounced. So easy to fix and it was instantly resolved.
Mine were not missing but they were not very tight. I torqued those down also, and then did the foam tape on the fuse box and overflow tank.
 
i found the source of a terrible rattle last year was a couple of accessory wires vibrating against the air duct behind the glovebox. couple pieces of electrical tape fixed it right up.
 
i like the thought of this thread, even for myself. things others have found that may eventually help me or others out later on down the road.

i realize its not a silent vehicle but anything i can tackle to make it that more enjoyable on longer trips im all for.

i had a ticking noise that occured most commonly at cold startup for a while i pinpointed to the camshaft synchronizer, i think its a fairly common issue from what i picked up on. i replaced the synchronizer assembly and reused my mopar cam sensor and my ticking noise is gone. it was quite surprising how much slop there was in the bearings in the assembly, enough to brush past the sensor assembly and make a noise.
 
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i like the thought of this thread, even for myself. things others have found that may eventually help me or others out later on down the road.

i realize its not a silent vehicle but anything i can tackle to make it that more enjoyable on longer trips im all for.

i had a ticking noise that occured most commonly at cold startup for a while i pinpointed to the camshaft synchronizer, i think its a fairly common issue from what i picked up on. i replaced the synchronizer assembly and reused my mopar cam sensor and my ticking noise is gone. it was quite surprising how much slop there was in the bearings in the assembly, enough to brush past the sensor assembly and make a noise.
Ah-ha! I also have a ticking noise that is the most noticeable at cold startup. I'll add this to my list of things to look into.
 
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Top of my dash, somewhere under the top trim piece. Something there that slides left/right when I go around curves. My daughter calls it the nickle. I've popped that trim off many times, used a flashlight and mirror, still can't find it.