I've searched and searched, I haven't found what I'm looking for:

Had my '05 for about 3 weeks now. I bought it with a rattle. After my first round of research, I was certain it was the gear shift. Repacked it, didn't fix it. Since then I've replaced every fluid in the car, and had it at 2 different shops. NO one can figure it out.

It's a rattle that seems to come from the tranny, but unrelated to the actual transmission. Happens at idle, in and out of gear sounds like a metallic ringing. happen as I'm driving as well, through certain RPM. There are a few sweet spots where it stops totally. around 1800, for instance. The weirdest thing to me is if I take some lateral G force on the car it goes away as well. The tranny shop I had it in checked everything, couldn't find an issue. They told me they could hear the rattle with the engine off if they shook the motor. I have not been able to reproduce that. Exhaust shop checked all the heat shields and motor mounts they could find. I will try to take another recording of the sound today if I can. The last one didn't come out well enough to hear it.

Help me s2ki, you're my only hope.

 

Search lost oil cap threads...there's some pictures floating around of where it could be. Basically, comes undone and falls off between trans and frame causing a rattle

 

Awesome, I'll check that out.

One more thing I forgot to add... the tranny mechanic says he doesn't think this is the original engine and trans. The carfax didn't indicate anything weird like that, but I expect that it wouldn't if someone just did an engine swap. I'm not sure if it's true, and if it is what effect that may have on the rattle situation.

 

Check the back of the head with a dental mirror, see if the vin number there matches the car.

 

I'll check it out. I know I used to have an inspection mirror, not sure if I still do.

 

Try the top of this Forum blue stickied "Official found a rattle thread".

Utah

 

Did you jack up the car and turn the engine on? How competent were these shops? I had a jeep that rattled. It was a heat shield. The transmission shop I took it too couldn't find it. I don't they they like tracking down rattles.

 

possible bad cat.
searched high and low, wiggled everything searching. seemed to only happen when the car was at a certain angle.

 

I had something similar. Drove me nuts as well. Turned out to be jumper cable clamp bouncing around inside of spare.

 

Heat sheilds have a metallic sound to them. Check around the cat.