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TR4 Near Side Rear Rattle


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Hi Folks,

I hope someone can help. My 1964 TR4 has an annoying rattle when driven which seems to come from heelboard back and on the near side. I can't find anything loose rear suspension-wise, and the springs look sound. There was no observations as to anything of concern at the May MoT. I have tried all 27 body mounting points - all are tight. Someone suggested it could be loose exhaust box baffles - I have wrenched and thumped and hit them with a rubber mallet, but nothing seems to be loose. Even the exhaust pipe passing through the chassis tunnel seems to be OK.

 

Any thoughts? Willie [currently a "rattled" owner!].

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Window glass loose inside the channel which lifts it vertically?

I have this in the right (driver's) door of my TR4 and whenever I hit a sizeable bump (a lot of those around these days!), I hear a clang from inside the door. I've been living with this for over 2 years because I'm to lazy/busy to do anything about it.

Ian Cornish

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Many thanks to all of you for your responses. Here are my replies:

Nige - All OK, new NS shock last year.

Stuart - I've road tested the car with everything out of the boot. The sound is more of a clatter than a rattle. Difficult to precisely define, but NS behind the seats.

Ian - per reply to Stuart, the noise is somewhere behind the seats.

Pete - as above!

 

What is baffling is that there are absolutely no scrape or knock marks anywhere around the live axle or suspension bump stops. I have no reason to doubt the thoroughness of the MoT test as it led to an initial fail from movement in the OSF hub. That was resolved the same day and the car passed [May 2016]. It couldn't be anything around the brake shoes, could it? That is the only area I haven't examined since pre-MoT prep. As soon as I hit the first minor undulation along my street, the rattle/clatter is obvious. Saves on road test miles!!

 

HELP! Willie

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Check inside the brake drum for a hold down clip come off and if your running steel wheels check for a loose medallion. If you have a Surrey fitted check to see if there is a retaining bolt in the captive plate for the hood frame behind the "B" post trim.

Stuart.

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Nige - All OK, new NS shock last year.

From personal experience - I have found that the mountings of the lever arm shocks can work lose and create an irritating rattle that is hard to detect, and if your nearside one was replaced last year - that's where I would start looking.

 

They are notoriously difficult to torque up correctly - it's a simple two man job to check so get it on a ramp or over a pit and with one person bouncing the rear end from above the other can hold the body of the lever arm shock and feel for movement, no guarantee it's you're problem but I have encountered it twice now on the early cars.

 

Good luck

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I have been trying to track down a rattle from the front near side when going over small pot holes for years without success. I have checked everything, new bushes, swapped the shocks, exhaust fine, body parts firm and no MOT issues. I have just given up.

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I have been trying to track down a rattle from the front near side when going over small pot holes for years without success. I have checked everything, new bushes, swapped the shocks, exhaust fine, body parts firm and no MOT issues. I have just given up.

 

I know the bonnet stay is on the off side of the bonnet but noises can travel. I covered my stay with black heatshrink sleeving and that is one rattle removed.

 

Roger

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I recently developed a similar rattle which I thought might be a loose rear shock. A quick check revealed that the bolts were tight and no movement could be detected with a lightweight partner bouncing the rear of the car so I spent some time checking elsewhere. Eventually getting a rather larger Chilliman to bounce the car while I stood in his inspection pit with hands on the moving parts revealed the source of the noise. A big spanner on the shock bolts and got an extra half a turn on them and the noise disappeared after tightening so it seems that they need to be very well clamped down to prevent any movement.

Edited by Drewmotty
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+1 for Roger's suggestion. I used a length of rubber tubing slid over my bonnet stay and it solved a low speed rattle that had annoyed me for ages.

 

Tim

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Of course there is also the nightmare one where the captive plate for the hood frame has broken away and is sitting at the bottom of the "B" post on top of the sill and clanking around there. Believe me I have found all sorts down in places like that.

Stuart.

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Of course there is also the nightmare one where the captive plate for the hood frame has broken away and is sitting at the bottom of the "B" post on top of the sill and clanking around there. Believe me I have found all sorts down in places like that.

Stuart.

Roger

 

I told you I thought that occasional vibrating on very long motorway journeys was coming from there.

 

Sue

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Roger

 

I told you I thought that occasional vibrating on very long motorway journeys was coming from there.

 

Sue

It is quite a usual one Sue.

Stuart.

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Hi Everyone,

SUCCESS!! Spot on advice given. I jacked the car up and removed NSR wheel. Grabbed the trailing arm from the shock absorber and there was a definite slight movement. I cranked it up as tight as I could [i am certain that I was scared of over-tightening when I fitted the new unit ]. I also noticed a second problem - the shock absorber mounting bolts were not properly tight. When I examined the chassis - guess what - a slight rubbing mark under the unit on top of the chassis rail! I an certain that the mounting bolts [renewed] were tightened when I fitted the unit, so something to watch for in future. Road tested - that particular rattle has gone!

My grateful thanks to everyone who gave advice. I was impressed by the responses I got.

 

Best wishes to all Willie.

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Well done Willie, glad you're all sorted - that's a good result, - one to look out for with anyone replacing the rear shocks on the live axle cars.

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Hi All,

Good news - the rattle is cured. In the end, it WAS the NSR shock absorber and trailing arm tapered fit on the link arm. The rear shocker bolt was loose enough to turn when I tried to put on exctra torque, and I was able to tighten the arm to link taper about one full turn. I fugure when I installed the shock I was shy of over-tightening the 11/16 nut.

 

My grateful thanks to you all for helping me to a successful conclusion. Willie

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