Something started rattling under the hood

It never ends. Apparently, at 13 years, shit starts to fall apart.

Anyway, something started rattling under the hood under hard (but not reckless) acceleration. It *sounds* like it’s coming from the middle left area of the engine bay.

I did a basic visual inspection and didn’t find anything.

What’s the line-up of usual suspects?

Thanks.

 

Are you running regular fuel, as in low octane? If yes, something you could try is treating her to a tank of premium and a can of good quality in tank cleaner, I like Jectron.

I only use premium because I don’t like hearing rattling under acceleration. Everyone, or most would say I like to waste money, which is fine with me, mine to waste.

 

Get a good grip on things and start shaking them. You'll find it. Maybe the battery tie-down is loose/broken?

 

Thanks for the reply. I run Costco 93.

 

Good thought, I’ll check it out.

 

How many miles do you have on your truck?

 

Cat cover

 

115k

 

How do I check it? Hard to replace? Thanks.

 

I thought the same. Not really a replacement part. The aluminum “shield “ by the cat, next to the firewall might be loose. It’ll be leaning on the cat if it is. Take the bolt off the bracket under it, put a washer bigger than the hole the bolt left, and tighten. Check the cats under the cab as well, that’s where my rattling was.

 

Air intake where it enters passenger side fender foam insulationwears and then the plastic intake rattles.against fender cutout

 

Have you taken a look at your idlers and tensioner pulley? Saw a neat trick in the past. Take a small plastic cup and cut a hole in the bottom. Feed a loooong extension through the hole. When you push the extension against the pulley bolt at idle the cup will act like a speaker so you hone in on bearing noises. I had a pulley failing and had a rattle only at certain rpm which sounded like a bad engine rattle . Be careful when working around moving accessories.

 

I like this idea much better than the wooden dowel. Imagine oops my hand slipped and the wooden dowel hit a moving pulley and drove it 6” into my ear.

 

Well u probably wouldn’t hear the rattling anymore