This is sort of an old one that I first experienced on my 88 BII but just recently got burnt by it again when my 87 BII started making the same noise. In both cases manual trans with manual transfer case.
The noise would occur when I would have the trans in neutral and I let the clutch out. Pushing the clutch in it would go away. It would also occur at certain gear/speeds. The pattern isn't so clear, sometimes at lower gears at lower speeds but mostly would occur when in 5th on the highway.
The noise sounds a bit like a washer sitting on a bolt where the nut is a couple turns loose and vibration causes the washer to rattle around.
With my 88 BII it turned out to be the little metal insert at the top of the shift knob with the shift pattern printed on it. There was enough space where the insert was that it was rattling around in the plastic. Just touching it lightly it would stop. I don't recall exactly what I did to resolve it. It obviously wasn't a serious mechanical problem but it was annoying. I couldn't remove it to put some glue behind it. I think I eventually put a little silicon adhesive in the crack around it, pressed the silicon in as best I could and wiped off excess.
When my 87 started making a very similar sound at first I thought there was some mechanical issue going on, but then remembered the problem on my 88, but it clearly was not the shifter on this one. The plate was in there tight and it continued to make the noise even when I held the shifter. Darn!
So after a few days of this bothering me I traced it down to the transfer case shift knob. Not the metal insert though. It was the entire knob that was loose. I could rotate it. The plastic was no longer tight where it was pushed onto the lever. How this plastic knob made this metallic rattling sound I dunno. I suppose it could be something further down the lever arm that just stops rattling when I touch the knob because I keep the whole shaft from rattling. I guess I will find out when I put some silicon adhesive on there to keep the knob in place. I am pretty confident it is coming from the knob itself tho.
The noise would occur when I would have the trans in neutral and I let the clutch out. Pushing the clutch in it would go away. It would also occur at certain gear/speeds. The pattern isn't so clear, sometimes at lower gears at lower speeds but mostly would occur when in 5th on the highway.
The noise sounds a bit like a washer sitting on a bolt where the nut is a couple turns loose and vibration causes the washer to rattle around.
With my 88 BII it turned out to be the little metal insert at the top of the shift knob with the shift pattern printed on it. There was enough space where the insert was that it was rattling around in the plastic. Just touching it lightly it would stop. I don't recall exactly what I did to resolve it. It obviously wasn't a serious mechanical problem but it was annoying. I couldn't remove it to put some glue behind it. I think I eventually put a little silicon adhesive in the crack around it, pressed the silicon in as best I could and wiped off excess.
When my 87 started making a very similar sound at first I thought there was some mechanical issue going on, but then remembered the problem on my 88, but it clearly was not the shifter on this one. The plate was in there tight and it continued to make the noise even when I held the shifter. Darn!
So after a few days of this bothering me I traced it down to the transfer case shift knob. Not the metal insert though. It was the entire knob that was loose. I could rotate it. The plastic was no longer tight where it was pushed onto the lever. How this plastic knob made this metallic rattling sound I dunno. I suppose it could be something further down the lever arm that just stops rattling when I touch the knob because I keep the whole shaft from rattling. I guess I will find out when I put some silicon adhesive on there to keep the knob in place. I am pretty confident it is coming from the knob itself tho.