# Annyoing steering rattle



## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

Has anyone else had this rattle from beneath the steering column. I have go to get this fixed or figured out. I hate little things like this.


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

*Yup!*

Yes, I did...about 2 hours after delivery. If it's the same noise that I had: Pull off the lower dash section below the steering column, you can look up at the bottom of the column. There are 2 plates that lay, 1 on each side, beside the bracket that holds the column. If you lightly bump your fist on something solid you will hear the rattle. I had to slip a piece of thin foam, sticky on one side, between the plate on the drivers side of the column and the column bracket. It was tricky since it is VERY close, hence the rattle, and the foam is sticky on one side. I took a BIG flat bladed screw driver and opened the gap up enough to slide the foam in with another flat screw driver.

There isn't much room to get in there upside down, so it's pretty tough. My arms were killing me afterwards but no more rattle. 

You can get the foam at any Hobby Lobby or the like.

Good luck...

P


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

I will do anything to get rid of the sound. Thanks for the write up, I'll be doing it as soon as the rain stops. Don't want my baby to get wet.


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

LIVEVIL said:


> I will do anything to get rid of the sound. Thanks for the write up, I'll be doing it as soon as the rain stops. Don't want my baby to get wet.


I know what you mean! It was about 3-4 days before I could get mine fixed and it about drove me nuts!! Hopefully it's the same rattle and you can fix it the same as I did.

P


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

Seems kinda common. I'll tackle it this weekend


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

Got this fixed with the help of you guys. No more rattle


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

LIVEVIL said:


> Got this fixed with the help of you guys. No more rattle


Sweet!  Glad I could help


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

Thanks so much man. I am now very happy to drive here again


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

LIVEVIL said:


> Thanks so much man. I am now very happy to drive here again


Cool!


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## tano (Oct 6, 2005)

*Same issue*

got my new goat... found a new rattle... same one you guys are talking about.

Silly question... how did you get the panel you're talking about off?


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## SJAndrew (Sep 28, 2004)

I have a rattle in my steering column too - I can really only hear it when my turn signal is on...

I may have to crack open the panel and see what I can see.


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

I had no choice but to fix mine and the car had no miles on it at all. Annoyed the sh1t out of me.


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## tano (Oct 6, 2005)

I hear you... it's driving me nuts... it's well described above what to look for but I'm curious how you removed the panel without breaking anything...


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

Once you get that seat slid all the way back, which BTW will take 5 minutes with how slow our seat motors are. Take the underpanel off. Just pop it out towards you from the top and then remove the lower portion. Get into a position that will hurt your back worse than you can believe. Something that even Jenna Jameson wouldn't be happy about. Just bump the under metal cage made up of 3 plates with 10MM bolts, under the steering. You should hear the rattle. I took my bottom plate off, then jammed a screw driver up between the 2 plates inside the dash, This move seperated them enough so that the rattle was now gone. I hit everything with my portable impact gun to make sure it was all nice and tight again. Good luck.


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## tano (Oct 6, 2005)

thx for the detail.... I'll give it a try this weekend.


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

tano said:


> got my new goat... found a new rattle... same one you guys are talking about.
> 
> Silly question... how did you get the panel you're talking about off?


It has 2 or 3 screws and the it will just drop out.


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

LIVEVIL said:


> I had no choice but to fix mine and the car had no miles on it at all. Annoyed the sh1t out of me.


yup mine too..about 45 miles...

I also had a rear seat rattle that was almost more like a scraping sound. I narrowed it down to what seemed like the headrests on the rear seats. After a trip one weekend it about drove us NUTS, I took the back seat out to check it out. Very easy to do BTW.

It turned out to be a crappy design of how the seats actually attach to the inner body. The seat backs are connected in the middle with the center section and all is framed with 1/4" steel rod stock. This rod stock is framing the whole rear section and then run up to the top and forms 4 hooks at the top of the seat back, 2 on each side, and basically just hangs on the inner body in oval holes in the inner panel. The noise we were hearing was the rod hooks slipping back and forth against the sheet metal. I couldn't believe that had NO padding to keep them from touching!! Just pretty crappy build quality IMO. It's pretty bad that a car with less than 3000 miles and I had to take it apart twice to fix something that should have never left the Engineering department.

I ended up using some of the same adhesive sided foam I used on the column rattle. No rattle at all now!! :cheers I wish I would have taken pictures now, because I'm sure it won't be the only car with that rattle/squeek with that design.


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## slonlo_350 (Sep 22, 2005)

Wow, I just thought I was an anal little prick hahaha. Mine does it too, but I only notice it when someone is riding with me, and I just figure it was gonna do it. This site REALLY IS helpful!! I'll get out there tomorrow and fix it. My mom noticed it to when I let her drive it. I never hear it because the windows are down or the stereo is up (I am used to it though, I have/had to do that to drown out all the crazy squeaks, rattles, etc. in my truck).


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

LIVEVIL said:


> Once you get that seat slid all the way back, which BTW will take 5 minutes with how slow our seat motors are. Take the underpanel off. Just pop it out towards you from the top and then remove the lower portion. Get into a position that will hurt your back worse than you can believe. Something that even Jenna Jameson wouldn't be happy about. Just bump the under metal cage made up of 3 plates with 10MM bolts, under the steering. You should hear the rattle. I took my bottom plate off, then jammed a screw driver up between the 2 plates inside the dash, This move seperated them enough so that the rattle was now gone. I hit everything with my portable impact gun to make sure it was all nice and tight again. Good luck.


Yeah maybe it did just pop out...I was thinking it had screws but I might be mistaken...


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## michaelskier (Aug 29, 2005)

I was so excited to see this thread. Thought this was only on my car. Started hearing a little tap/rattle on the way home when I got it. It is intermittent. The car has been in twice to try and fix it, but they could not find it. I am going to try this for sure. THANKS!


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## tano (Oct 6, 2005)

Took a look after work today... it does just pop out (and back in for that matter), found the rattle... won't fix it till this weekend though. 

You guys are awesome...

I have the same issue towards the rear pgorman... though I was tackling the steering column first as that is driving me completely crazy while the rear metal on metal sound is very intermittent and usually only very large bumps...now I'll tackle 'em both this weekend. ....Can't wait to get rid of both.

After that... last issue... shifter knob rattle at 2500-3000 rpms... (I'll probably take it to the dealer for this one... Did you guys have this issue as well?


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

I am glad this is the last of the rattles, for now I hope. I have MAJOR OCD. I would actually not drive the car if I coudln't fix this. Things like that piss me off. The other day a quater fell between the seats and the console. I am waiting for the weather to get better so I can go fishing for it. It bothers the hell out of me that is is just floating around in there. My car sleeps in the garage till the sun comes out.


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

tano said:


> Took a look after work today... it does just pop out (and back in for that matter), found the rattle... won't fix it till this weekend though.
> 
> You guys are awesome...
> 
> ...


Glad to post what I can. :cheers 

The rear seats are easy to remove.

Push both front seats up and tip the backs up as far as they'll go. On each side of the seat bottom is a small handle on a cable. Stand on the rear floor and pull each handle of the rear seat latch release. Once they are loose, lift up as if to open a chest and the seat bottom will pull away from the seat belt recepticals. Set it aside. At the base of each seat back is a bolt in the floor, 13mm if I remember right. Remove both bolts and lift straight up on the bottom of the seat backs, it will come out in one piece not two like it appears. Once out you will see the hooks on the backs and the oval holes in the rear inner panel.

I used a thin (1/8" thick) foam that was sticky on the back I picked up from a craft store(Hobby Lobby or Micheal's if you have either). I cut strips as wide as the hooks and as wide as each hole and put a strip on each.

Watch the metal behind the seat and the area around the bolts, it is very sharp. While turning the bolts out once loose, I sliced my thumb open.  

I almost forgot, reverse the above to put it back together.  

Hope this gives you a heads up on your fix.... :cheers


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

LIVEVIL said:


> I am glad this is the last of the rattles, for now I hope. I have MAJOR OCD.


What's "Major OCD"?


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

haha, if you move something on my desk at work, even a 1/4 of an inch, I'll notice. Trust me.


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

LIVEVIL said:


> haha, if you move something on my desk at work, even a 1/4 of an inch, I'll notice. Trust me.


Ah Gotcha!


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

Let's just say the last time my girl rode in the GTO, I adjusted the seat back to match mine when she got out. She like to lean, I'm not for that.


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## tano (Oct 6, 2005)

Fixed!!!!! Thanks.... :cheers


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## LIVEVIL (Sep 9, 2005)

Great, nice job


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## Pgorman (Sep 1, 2005)

tano said:


> Fixed!!!!! Thanks.... :cheers


Great! As far as the shifter rattle, I don't have that but I also have an Auto...as I assume you must have a stick.

I'm sure you're glad to be rid of that torture....I know I was!  

Glad to help....


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## shawnz28 (Nov 17, 2005)

wow, thought this one was just me. i have been dying to fix this as it has been driving me up the wall but with the weather have not had the chance so i just leave the radio on all the time LOL. Now if I could just get rid of this new creaking coming from I think my driver seat around turns


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