Strange rattling vibration from the rear of the cab.....

[Duane867]

On my way to the store to get some stuff tonight I started backing down the drive way. I stopped short fairly hard because a lady walking her dog walked behind the truck with out a care. ( blind spot and idiot trusting person... he wont hit me..... yeah if I don't see ya I might bitch ! ) Any way I heard a little thud like something shifted. I just associated that with the cab brackets in the rear and the bad bushings in the front ( core support to fender apron bushings are shot too). You that pivot action you get when the bushings go up front and the brackets have given way in the back...
SO any way after that I started down the street and then came a really pronounced rattle and banging noise from underneath just behind the cab. Almost like something had wrapped around the drive shaft or something or maybe something hitting it.
When I got to the store I got out the flashlight and kneeled down to have a peak under there. Didn't see a thing. Baffling the shit out of me so far.. but I haven't had time or light yet to look really really well under there yet.

Have any of you experienced this yet ? Any thoughts of what it may be ?

The trans shifts fine (93' 2wd. reg cab 2.3L 5spd. ). I did change the radius arm bushings by grinding off the rivets and all that Jazz but every thing it solid still there. The exhaust is bad from the cat back. The tail pipe side flange that bolts to the cat flange has completely rusted through. That "may" be where the light thud I am hearing is coming from when I stop short ? The hangers are all but gone as well so the exhast does pivot so that the exit pipe hits the side of the bed. Stays there all the time basically because the hangers have all rusted off but two.
It shows at about 10 mhp or so and get worse over bumps. Clutch engaged or not makes no difference. Could be the heat shield has come loose again and is hitting but it didn't look like it when I peaked under there with the flash light. Its coming from dead nuts center rear of the cab though so I guess its possible. The previous owner used bailing wire to strap the heat shield in place. I suppose it could have finally rusted through as well ?
Having a mini spaz attack here LOL ! Need my truck...

[DarkMax]

These are the simple things i would check.

Do you have a toolbox? Could be something in there/not closed properly.
Have you had your spare tire out recently? The spare tire carrier can make some noise if not secured right.
Did the jack behind the passenger seat come loose?
How is your tranny mount? if its worn out it could be rattling.
Take your exhaust and move it up and down/side to side and see if it rattles.
Is there anything in your bed? Ive had an acorn rattle in the back of my bed and it was one step short of makin me pull over to find the thing.
Get in the bed of the truck and rock it back and forth, see if you can imitate the noise without having the truck in motion.
Or you can put a buddy in the back of the bed and see if he can locate the noise at low speeds.

[Duane867]

Its definitely not a foreign object in the bed noise, nor anything in the tool box, or a rattle as in.. some thing just simply vibrating. It actually sounds as if some thing is hitting an object in motion like a baseball card in a wheel only hitting every few spokes sort of thing.
I tightened the spare tire down snug in the summer actually. Its not coming from the tail gate any way its coming from literally under the cab where the bed and cab meet.

Thank you for your suggestions though. I'm off to go out in the cold and have a look right now. I'll report my findings this evening.
T/Y

[doorgunner]

Wonder if it's the old heavy-duty zip-tie around the driveshaft trick...naaaa....you'd need a piece of flimsy aluminum to get enough noise above 10 mph......


also...don't tell anybody about tying a empty softdrink can to the frame with a 2 foot piece of speaker wire....then attach the soft drink can to the exhaust pipe in front of the muffler with a heavyduty rubber band.


About 5 miles down the road, the rubber band lets go....the can attached to the wire attatched to the frame drops & starts bouncing all over the place...waaaahahahahahaaaaa



sorry.....i got carried away........

[modelageek]

Originally Posted by Duane867

Its definitely not a foreign object in the bed noise, nor anything in the tool box, or a rattle as in.. some thing just simply vibrating. It actually sounds as if some thing is hitting an object in motion like a baseball card in a wheel only hitting every few spokes sort of thing.
I tightened the spare tire down snug in the summer actually. Its not coming from the tail gate any way its coming from literally under the cab where the bed and cab meet.

Thank you for your suggestions though. I'm off to go out in the cold and have a look right now. I'll report my findings this evening.
T/Y

maybe its that "harmonic balancer" thing that is on the tranny output shaft...........if it is just drop the drive shaft and take it off.....

[Duane867]

Doorgunner called it !

My neighbors son got me with the old zip tie around the drive shaft and a piece of vinyl siding left over from the window I put in his fathers house last summer. Little bastard ( 16 year old ).
I am SOOOOOOoooooo going to plow his car in the 1st good snow we get. I bought a plow for the Polaris last winter to clear my drive and do some good for a few elderly neighbors. This year it will be used for evil. Not to mention I poured hot water over all four door seals, handles and locks about an hour ago. Did I mention it was hot water ? and its in the low teens right now ? MUHU HAHAHAHAHAAAAaaaaa !!


That was the baseball card in the spokes sound at least.
The vibration was pure coincidence. It happened that at the same time the exhaust spring bolts on the manifold collector to intermediate pipe gave way a little and caused the pipe to twist enough at that connection to allow the cat to hit the cross member.


My vengance after plowing his car in will extend to blocks under the subframe just enough to cause the front tires to sit and scuff the pavement when he takes off, then on to something more sinister like a hot seat.

[ASMODEAN]

O.k heres the "short" list...

Horn under the seat wired to the brake switch, Baby powder in the air vents, Vaseline on the wipers, Rainbow sticker on the bumper, BURY the car in snow and give it a good glazing with water,
cooking oil in the washer reservoir, small rock in the valve stem of one tire, glue rocks or weights to the inside of the rims, fill the car with blow up dolls, dip cotton balls in water and stick them to the car when its below freezing.

IF you need more ideas just ask.

[Duane867]

Oh I got it covered I think.


Modelageek, Why on earth would I want to remove the shaft balancer/inertia wheel ?
If it wasn't fooked up real good before it would be after trying that I am sure.

[modelageek]

Originally Posted by Duane867

SO any way after that I started down the street and then came a really pronounced rattle and banging noise from underneath just behind the cab. Almost like something had wrapped around the drive shaft


Have any of you experienced this yet ? Any thoughts of what it may be ?


It shows at about 10 mhp or so and get worse over bumps.

this was your problem............notice how you said "almost like there was something wrapped around the DRIVESHAFT........and it gets worse over bumps"

Originally Posted by modelageek

maybe its that "harmonic balancer" thing that is on the tranny output shaft...........if it is just drop the drive shaft and take it off.....

This was my thought about solving it..........the balancer can fall of the end of the Driveshaft/Yoke and bounce around

Originally Posted by Duane867

Oh I got it covered I think.


Modelageek, Why on earth would I want to remove the shaft balancer/inertia wheel ?
If it wasn't fooked up real good before it would be after trying that I am sure.

I DID NOT KNOW IF IT WAS "FOOKED" UP. I WAS JUST TRYING TO GUESS FROM YOUR DESCRIPTION
The "counterweight" is connected to the yoke by rubber. The rubber disintegrates and the "counterweight" falls off the yoke and bounces around ................It separated on my truck and I removed it with no ill effects.................."that is why on earth you might have wanted to remove it".....I would not remove it if it is not detached........obviously...........DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW?......maybe the reason your neighbor was crapping on you is that you are kind of a jerk......................


here is a link about the "counterweight".......... http://www.therangerstation.com/foru...shaft+balancer

[modelageek]

For future members that stumble upon this thread........here is a pic of my driveshft/yoke missing the "counterweight"



*I did not have an issue after mine was removed and when I searched I found that most people did not have an issue with theirs removed........I do think there might have been a one or 2 people that thought they had a problem and had there DS balanced.......

[hondaxr650]

Originally Posted by ASMODEAN

O.k heres the "short" list...

Horn under the seat wired to the brake switch, Baby powder in the air vents, Vaseline on the wipers, Rainbow sticker on the bumper, BURY the car in snow and give it a good glazing with water,
cooking oil in the washer reservoir, small rock in the valve stem of one tire, glue rocks or weights to the inside of the rims, fill the car with blow up dolls, dip cotton balls in water and stick them to the car when its below freezing.

IF you need more ideas just ask.

A jumper wire from one of the turn signals to the horn works good too. One of our guys did that to the service manager's F250 when it was in the shop for some warranty work.

[KARMAN]

Originally Posted by modelageek

For future members that stumble upon this thread........here is a pic of my driveshft/yoke missing the "counterweight"



*I did not have an issue after mine was removed and when I searched I found that most people did not have an issue with theirs removed........I do think there might have been a one or 2 people that thought they had a problem and had there DS balanced.......

Thanks for the pic.
To quote the OP: "I started down the street and then came a really pronounced rattle and banging noise from underneath just behind the cab. Almost like something had wrapped around the drive shaft or something or maybe something hitting it."
.
When I got underneath, lo and behold it looks exactly like your picture.
My first attempt will be to re-attach it with silicon rubber RTV, but I doubt that will last.
I will cut it off when my glue job gives out.
You info was was very important for me as a "future member".