Dash Rattle??

rdgallo

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I have an intermittent rattle that I think is somewhere behind the center of the dash. It sounds like it is coming from somewhere behind the touch screen, but I am not 100% sure. It can be rattling with every bump and then go away just as quickly. For an example, today I drove to the grocery store and about a half mile from my destination, it started rattling. I parked at the store, did my shopping, and when I started the truck and began driving home, it never rattled. One time when it was rattling, I stopped and let my wife drive while I listened for the rattle with a mechanic's stethoscope. As soon as we switched places, the rattle disappeared. She drove for about 15 miles and it was quiet the entire way. I have tried reaching up under the dash just to the right of the touch screen to see if I could feel anything loose. I didn't feel anything other than a very hot pipe of some kind. I am not sure why the metal pipe was so hot. I can only assume it is part of the air conditioning system. I won't be reaching up there again anytime soon. When it is rattling, I have pushed and pulled on about everything that could rattle and cannot make the noise go away. I read on here about the vanity mirror plastic rattles and it is not that. I also have seen the posts about the defroster duct rattling. I am not sure how to check that other than reaching up and pushing on it. I have done that with no luck getting rid of the rattle. Do any of you have this same rattle or any ideas what might be the cause? Thanks for any help.
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rdgallo

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The only solution at this point is to drill a 3/8" hole in the center of the dash and empty 3 to 4 cans of expandable foam into it. Don't pause, you have to do one after the other immediately.
Will any brand of expandable foam work? Maybe I should put the foam in my ears too just to make sure.
 

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The only solution at this point is to drill a 3/8" hole in the center of the dash and empty 3 to 4 cans of expandable foam into it. Don't pause, you have to do one after the other immediately.
Well, sounds like a loose damper nut (no, not @AzScorpion ), glove box door. You know how the tailgate ones that warp and squeek before popping off the head knuckle...:angel:

When you're doing the foam, fill the glove box also.
 

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I see you are in the mid-west Ron and cooler weather is coming on. There are a few threads on the site that talk about the rattle\vibration from the dash when the defroster is used. I know I have it on occasions. I haven't seen any TSB's or recalls about it thus far and I myself don't trust my dealer to mess with my dash.
 


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rdgallo

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I see you are in the mid-west Ron and cooler weather is coming on. There are a few threads on the site that talk about the rattle\vibration from the dash when the defroster is used. I know I have it on occasions. I haven't seen any TSB's or recalls about it thus far and I myself don't trust my dealer to mess with my dash.
It has not been cold enough to run the defrosters. So, I don't believe it is that. After reading about the defroster rattles, I did run mine for a bit and it did not change the noise or create a noise. It almost sounds like a plastic clip/wire/etc that some how bounces into a certain spot where it can rattle against another piece. It is almost impossible to see up behind the dash. I haven't mentioned it to the dealer as I am not sure I want his techs tearing my dash apart. Thanks for the information.
 

P. A. Schilke

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It has not been cold enough to run the defrosters. So, I don't believe it is that. After reading about the defroster rattles, I did run mine for a bit and it did not change the noise or create a noise. It almost sounds like a plastic clip/wire/etc that some how bounces into a certain spot where it can rattle against another piece. It is almost impossible to see up behind the dash. I haven't mentioned it to the dealer as I am not sure I want his techs tearing my dash apart. Thanks for the information.
HI Ron,

Put it up on Jack stands on the rear axle, Chock the front wheels. Have someone in the cab poised to hit the brakes just in case in the driver's seat. add an imbalance weight to one of the rear wheels. Start the Ranger and run it up the rpm range until the rattle is noticed. Have the driver hold the pedal there. Use the mechanics stethoscope and try to locate the rattle.

Have you done any mods involving the dash? A brake controller? Rattles are very hard to locate.

Back Story....thought I had this archived, but cannot find so here it is again. I had Econoline/Aerostar development area. One of my Engineers was totally frustrated with a dinner bell sound on the 460 Cid Econoline E350. It was so random that we could not figure out what was causing this. Engineer and I hopped into the truck and heard the dinner bell but were unsuccessful in diagnosis. The following week we headed to the Lorain Assembly Plant for the 4P builds. Pre Production Product Proveout. It was here we found a unit that had the darn dinner bell just off idle. So we ripped off the dog house and with some effort found the source. A new Spark Plug Heat Shield that was as thin as tin foil. Quick analysis with an FFT analyzer, we determined that all 460 builds had the problem...So back in Dearborn, I got the Engineering Manager of the 460 on the phone and sent him the FFT traces. Got a call back in about a day that they increased the metal thickness and the problem when away....the shield was vibrating against the exhaust manifold at the number 4 an number 8 cylinder...Thank god for 4P builds...customer never experienced this...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 

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I have an intermittent rattle that I think is somewhere behind the center of the dash. It sounds like it is coming from somewhere behind the touch screen, but I am not 100% sure. It can be rattling with every bump and then go away just as quickly. For an example, today I drove to the grocery store and about a half mile from my destination, it started rattling. I parked at the store, did my shopping, and when I started the truck and began driving home, it never rattled. One time when it was rattling, I stopped and let my wife drive while I listened for the rattle with a mechanic's stethoscope. As soon as we switched places, the rattle disappeared. She drove for about 15 miles and it was quiet the entire way. I have tried reaching up under the dash just to the right of the touch screen to see if I could feel anything loose. I didn't feel anything other than a very hot pipe of some kind. I am not sure why the metal pipe was so hot. I can only assume it is part of the air conditioning system. I won't be reaching up there again anytime soon. When it is rattling, I have pushed and pulled on about everything that could rattle and cannot make the noise go away. I read on here about the vanity mirror plastic rattles and it is not that. I also have seen the posts about the defroster duct rattling. I am not sure how to check that other than reaching up and pushing on it. I have done that with no luck getting rid of the rattle. Do any of you have this same rattle or any ideas what might be the cause? Thanks for any help.
I had that Too, I cycled the defroster several times and it stopped.
Regards
 
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rdgallo

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I had that Too, I cycled the defroster several times and it stopped.
Regards
My rattle is fixed (I think). I was at the dealership today talking with the service manager about something else. I mentioned the intermittent rattle and he said he would like to drive my truck and try to find it. After a short drive, the rattle happened. He reached up and touched the plastic behind the review mirror and the rattle disappeared. He released his touch and it was back. He then popped a piece of plastic off behind the mirror, took it into his office and put a couple pieces of self adhesive felt on a couple places on the plastic piece. He then popped it back in place behind the mirror and it was not not loose at all. I drove the truck a bit and never heard the rattle. I believe that fixed it.
 

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My rattle is fixed (I think). I was at the dealership today talking with the service manager about something else. I mentioned the intermittent rattle and he said he would like to drive my truck and try to find it. After a short drive, the rattle happened. He reached up and touched the plastic behind the review mirror and the rattle disappeared. He released his touch and it was back. He then popped a piece of plastic off behind the mirror, took it into his office and put a couple pieces of self adhesive felt on a couple places on the plastic piece. He then popped it back in place behind the mirror and it was not not loose at all. I drove the truck a bit and never heard the rattle. I believe that fixed it.
Just saw this post....I had the exact same thing with the exact same fix. My defroster grill was vibrating also. Removed it and put felt on it. Today it was cold and I had a bit of that annoying vibration back. Time to buy more felt!!
 

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Several times I have experienced a severe rattle (this is not like the sound of a normal dash rattle where something is loose or rubbing) and wondering if anyone has heard this. It sounds like BB's or steel balls rolling inside of a barrel and coming from behind the dash. I've never heard anything like this coming out of a vehicle. Yesterday, I was driving with the heater on and playing music through a Flash Drive and all of a sudden it started and was intermittent on and off for a few minutes. I thought it was a very loud crackle coming from the sound system so I turned off the sound system and it continued. I pulled over and shut off the motor. Started it again and it hasn't happened since. Again, this has happened previously several times. Would like to hear from anyone who has experienced this or has any idea of what it might be.

Regards,
Paul
 
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JD_CR21

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Just saw this post....I had the exact same thing with the exact same fix. My defroster grill was vibrating also. Removed it and put felt on it. Today it was cold and I had a bit of that annoying vibration back. Time to buy more felt!!
Hello everyone !

I bought my ranger 7 months ago and I started to hear a rattle behind the dash in the drive’s side 4 months ago.
I live in a ranch so I have to drive on a rough road everyday. When I drive there I hear the rattle.

I went to the dealer and they tried 2 times to solve the problem and they couldn’t so they decided to send a technician to my house to test the car there and solve the problem at the same time. At the end we did it.

We put foam between some pieces behind the driver’s side of the dash. I think it was between some pipes.
That day , the technician noticed that an engine of the A/C had a problem, then he asked for a warranty order to chance the engine.
When he did that, he had to remove the dash to have access to engine. Finally, when I went for the the car, I noticed a new rattle in the right side of the dash, to be more specific it sounds like the grill behind the dash is vibrating. I haven’t had an idea when o where it starts to sound.
Then I would like to know in which parts of the grill the dealer helped you to adjust with felt in order to try the same with my car.

thank you,

Pd: I live In Costa Rica...

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Sabertooth

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I am not sure if it is the same noise but I had a rattle that drove me crazy for months. It would come and go and I would press on different parts of the dash to make it stop to no avail. Finally I was driving and heard it again and happened to put my hand on the large black plastic cover behind the rearview mirror and it went away. If I tapped on it I could make it rattle. I stuffed some napkin under one edge between it and the windshield to put tension on it and it has not come back. I plan on replacing the napkin with some type of foam eventually.
 
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rdgallo

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I am not sure if it is the same noise but I had a rattle that drove me crazy for months. It would come and go and I would press on different parts of the dash to make it stop to no avail. Finally I was driving and heard it again and happened to put my hand on the large black plastic cover behind the rearview mirror and it went away. If I tapped on it I could make it rattle. I stuffed some napkin under one edge between it and the windshield to put tension on it and it has not come back. I plan on replacing the napkin with some type of foam eventually.
That was where my rattle was.
 

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That was where my rattle was.
Hi Ron,

File a formal complaint with Ford...this needs a factory fix...should not be happening...

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
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