Yet another 1st gen dash rattle (not in the usual spots) (Update!)

Hi all, longtime lurker first time poster etc. Wanna give a big thanks to the community here, I was pretty new to working on cars when I got my truck and have been able to do a ton of repairs myself thanks to the how-tos and troubleshooting people have posted over the years.

Now for the question...

I have a 2003 2.4l and like seemingly every other 1st gen Taco owner I have a very annoying dash rattle on idle and, increasingly, while driving. I read old threads and it doesn't seem to be coming from where the dash meets the windshield or the passenger airbag. I took apart the dash and removed the radio and think i pushed on every piece of plastic and wire back there without any change in the sound. It seems to be coming from near the blower motor or the equivalent position on the driver's side (or from in between there, I don't know the name of the big box in the center). Pushing on the blower motor and messing with its screws didn't help.

Has anyone experienced a similarly hard to track down rattle or have any other tips for localizing it? Thanks a ton in advance!

Update 7/29: Found the rattle, details in below post. Still at a loss for how to fix it. Thanks everyone!

 

Welcome to TW!
Did you check the blower motor for build up of lint,debris etc?
Could be the motor is off balance due to the above mentioned
Good luck

 

thanks! I'll check this but the rattle is there when the blower is off so seems like it's probably not that?

 

Can you get someone to ride along and help locate the source? I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee that developed a rattle and it took my wife and I an entire afternoon to find it. I swore the rattle was coming from the passenger side, she swore it was coming from the driver’s side. Emptied the glove box, console, door pockets and drove over the same stretch of road that made it rattle while pushing and pulling on everything in, on and under the dash. Turned out it was a pair of sunglasses in an overhead storage compartment.

 

Noises can be so tricky they can come from under the cab and you swear it has to be in the dash.

I had a friend he spent over a $1000.00 at a few different shops they all heard the noise yet could not locate it. Turns out the muffler had broken interior welds that would rattle pretty much when the felt like.

The noise was found by pure chance when the exhaust system was upgraded.

Good Luck !

 

thanks everyone!

 

post a video or pics of where u think. Some spots to look for are inside the door panel (clips or things that are loose), the plastic trim piece on the floor next to the door (sometimes the screws are loose and they rattle.. happened to me), and the screws that hold the side mirrors tight

 

Just for grins try changing to recirculation mode if you have not done already. The recirc flapper has foam on it but can wear off after a few decades. I have a 98 and I know lots of changes to the HVAC on later years so may be a different setup.

Mine had a ticking that was driving me nuts and after trying everything I changed to recirc mode and it quit.

On the 98, really easy to take the blower motor off then you can see flapper but doubt its your issue.

 

Alright, update post: I was on the verge of giving up when I finally pulled up some carpet managed to isolate the rattle to a metal plate under the center console, seemingly where there is a seam or overlap. Pics attached. I can feel the rattle when i touch it and it changes pitch when i push hard on it. Unfortunately I have no idea how to stop it or mess with this. Any ideas? Thanks so much for the help so far everyone!

 

haha i was considering it but I actually think I just found the problem which is on the other side of the plate under the hood. The bracket for what looks like the throttle control cable? (not sure what it's called) had no screws in it and was just rattling around on the cable hitting the plate. really sounded like a plastic inside the cab rattle lol. Now i just need to find the bolt size for that bracket.

 

Nice. Good find. You need like an m6 (a little small but maybe), m8, m10, m12 x 10-35 assortment kit. Or better- try to find another bolt near by that fits and then match that.. but it'll be somewhere in m6-m12 x 10-35 in length...