Annoying rattle, hard to pinpoint
 

It is my experience that noise sources in cars can be notoriously hard
to locate. In the past, I would swear that a noise was coming from
one place, to later discover it was coming from somewhere else
entirely.
Anyway, my E36 has a rattle that usually is noticeable when the car
is at idle, and generally louder when the transmission is engaged, i.e.
in "Drive." I ramped up both the front and rear of the car yesterday
to try to pinpoint the problem. I also took a good look under there
and saw nothing whatever that could be the cause. Everything appears
nice and tight, with nothing loose or out of place.

BTW, I only got under the car with the engine off. It would've
been great to go under there with it ramped up while the engine was
running, with the transmission in DRIVE, being held back by the parking
brake, but there was NO DAMN WAY I was gonna do it, with only a
parking brake system between me and eternity. The noise *appears*
to come from about mid-way down the exhaust system, but I don't know
for sure. Anyway, I thought I'd mention it here even though someone
could probably only guess from what I've said...

--
Graham

"Graham" > wrote
> ... The noise *appears*
> to come from about mid-way down the exhaust system, but I don't know
> for sure. Anyway, I thought I'd mention it here even though someone
> could probably only guess from what I've said...

Piece of gravel on top/lodged into a heat shield ?

Floyd

"Graham" wrote in message
ups.com
>
> The noise *appears*
> to come from about mid-way down the exhaust system, but I don't know
> for sure. Anyway, I thought I'd mention it here even though someone
> could probably only guess from what I've said...

I've just been through exactly the same experience with our E46, ramps and
all. Turns out that a strategically placed hand on the rear muffler/silencer
could change the tone of the rattle, suggesting ithad broken down inside.

As someone who remembers paying way less than 50 bucks for exhuast parts for
a variety of cars in my youth, the dealer price of 213GBP (US$400), part
only, for a replacement 318i silencer was, err, an eye opener.