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Help: Rattle!

17K views 41 replies 14 participants last post by  GROOVY2 
#1 ·
Ok - I know this is a shot in the dark, but I'm at my wits end.

I have a very loud very repeatable 'thunk' noise that comes from my rear interior. Anyone have any diagnostics tips, personal experience, or even - who to turn to.

Here's what I know:

If you jump in the back of the van [weight over the rear axle] either on the bumper, over the wheels, by the sliding door - anywhere - on the up of the bounce you get a very noticeable thunk. When driving this equates to a drum roll every time you go over a bump. I've lay on the bare metal floor and can't find it. Stuffed my hand into all of the crevices in the side walls and can't find it. I jacked up the rear so the wheels were off the ground [no suspension being moved] and when i bounced in the van it still had a thunk. I've crawled all around the underside of the van and there is nothing that moves or even makes a sound under there.

To describe the thunk - it's pretty low. Not something like a screw laying around or even a socket. it's larger than that.

Any ideas on how to find it / fix it? If not, is this something you go to a dealer over? My fear is that I did thinsulate the interior cavities. My guess is a dealer would just say, "You broke it" I'm going crazy here.
 
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#4 ·
Video confusing - what motion were you doing to cause the sound? Was the vehicle moving? In the video it is rhythmic and consistent like the sound of driving over pavement dividers or something?
 
#5 ·
Dust Boy: It's certainly not liquid / fuel. I've spent some time underneath with my wife bouncing in the back and I can't find anything moving. I will raise / lower the spare just to be safe to see. It's certainly not loose, but maybe it's wiggling.

BabyBuffy: In the video I'm jumping up and down [but not lifting my feet off the ground] if that makes sense. The vehicle is parked. The sounds is very obvious when you drive over bumps though. The video is rhythmic just because it's me jumping up and down in that rhythm.
 
#6 ·
BabyBuffy: In the video I'm jumping up and down [but not lifting my feet off the ground] if that makes sense. The vehicle is parked. The sounds is very obvious when you drive over bumps though. The video is rhythmic just because it's me jumping up and down in that rhythm.

OK, thx.

Hmm, that is some mystery. You can't even localize it?

My first wonderment is if you have added your own layers to the floor and maybe somewhere around the perimeter there isn't just enough tightness from something pressing against the wall or wheel well and making a slight rub caused by movement.
 
#7 ·
It is one heck of a mystery. I can't localize it at all - if I were to take a guess it's like the whole floor of the van is thunking. It defiantly comes from both sides of the van. [wheel well ish] but I can also hear it in front of the wheel wells too.

DustBoy - I dropped the spare tire to the ground and it still made the sound - good guess though.

BabyBuffy - I lifted up the floor, literally crawled under it spread out eagle while my wife jumped up and down on the bumper and I still heard the sound to either side of me. I'm pretty confident that it's not the carpet / wood / or foam of the floor. [it's still bone stock too]
 
#8 ·
Check the upper mounts for the swaybar end links, where they connect to the frame. Mine were a little too loose when I installed it and made a clicking sound like that when going over a bump, but not jumping.
 
#10 ·
This may be a little off topic but ~

A week after I installed the Ford rear sway bar on my T150 van ; I wondered if I should have greased, siliconed or lubed the D bushings that attach to the sway bar at the shock mounts.

Every so often I get a thunk. Bought the cargo van new and did not have it before the install of the factory sway bar. All bolts in attachment points are snugged up fine.
Many aftermarket D bushings have a grease fitting on the D bracket.

Suitcase

Anyone else notice this situation after installing Ford rear sway bars on their not sway bar equipped from the factory vans?
 
#12 ·
Hmm - Maybe a little closer to a solution?
So In the sleet as I was staring up at my sway bar, there is zero play zero movement - however, when I push on it with all of my might I get the thunk sound. However, the van doesn't 'jump' like when I'm inside bouncing up and down.

So I played around a bit more and here's what I see. I can push REALLY HARD on the rear side of the passenger springs or the rear side of the sway bar and get a thunk noise without any movement in the van. I am ASSUMING that this means when I jump up and down inside the van, all I am doing is putting pressure on / off the passenger sway bar / spring mount and the real noise is from this area.

so - since it's under warranty and I have done zero modifications to the springs / sway bar - I guess I have at least a good argument to go to the dealer and get them to check it out.

Thoughts? Any holes in my logic? Other things to test for?
 
#21 ·
I concur. I discovered a few things on my NEW van that weren't tightened, at all. Some things you have to do yourself, because UAW is too busy.
 
#17 ·
Ok - I'm going to jack the van up by the body tonight to make sure it's a suspension noise and then I'll call up my dealer and see what they say.

Orton - I appreciate the idea - but if I can 100% isolate it to the suspension, I'm just going to fire it off to the dealer.
 
#27 ·
So, did you find the noise yet? I'm still betting on a bad shock. If it lost pressure it would wear out the rubber bushing in short order and produce a noise similar to what yours sounds like. I've blown out a few gas shocks in my days of off roading and this is pretty much what happens.
 
#24 ·
Some dealers are OK. All should not be classified the same.

Had a problem with my Transit front end alignment due to a factory build issue. Took it to dealer and they could not get the right front wheel into spec. They called Ford for help and Ford engineer gave every excuse he could think of to deny it was Ford's problem. Did not want to argue so decided after the conversion was completed I would take it to an independent shop.

When Ford sent its happiness survey sent to check on the repair I was very honest about the results. That triggered a response from the dealers "customer satisfaction" specialist. After replying to her she turned it over to the service manager. He was very competent and had started at the dealer doing alignments. Easy to talk to and no BS. He wanted it back to work on it again. They did get it in alignment by modifying the sub frame mounting holes and relocating the top strut mounting holes on the right front. It now drives correctly.

So some times the dealer can do a proper job.
 
#26 ·
It is too consistent to be anything other than a tire. I'd take it to a tire shop and see if you have one separating.


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#28 ·
Geez guys - you know how cold and wet it is in the north east right now? Can't a guy get a few nights without having to crawl under a van in his driveway?!

This weekend I'll be getting it up on jacks off the suspension and touching one more stuff.
In order of research:
- Check to see if any bolts are loose in the suspension
- disconnect sway bar to see if that fixes problem
- Check shock [How do you check to see if you have a blown shock?]
- Tire separating [Again, any test I can do? Maybe I'll mount the spare on and see if that fixes it]

I'm willing to give it a bit of a college try, but if I get in over my head, I'm going to take it to the dealer and keep my fingers crossed.
 
#31 ·
Ok guys - I hate to be a defeatist, but I'm taking it into the dealer. I was under the van in the rain and I couldn't for the life of me figure out where it's coming from. Everything is tight in there, but it's definitely a bushing of some sort. As soon as you take weight off the suspension [under the van pushing up] you can hear the click/thunk and that's the only noise. I put my hand to everything I could think of to see if I could feel the thunk, but no luck.

Keep your fingers crossed for me at the dealership.
 
#32 ·
So status update - but no real help / update.

The dealer looked [or rather said they looked] and deduced that the aftermarket 'generator' I have installed [I'm assuming they mean my inverter behind the driver seat] must be the culprit and that the noise is coming from under the floor. If you've been following my story, I have already lay on the floor trying to find the noise and no luck.

But - since I'm stubborn, I removed the stock wooden floor last night and low and behold the noise is still there under the metal of the floor. I've officially given up because in the process of playing with the floor I have now broken almost all of the clips that hold on the front sill plate behind the drivers seat and have created a new creak / issue because of that. Needless to say I am angry, defeated, and morose.

If anyone has any idea where to buy those white insulated clips that hold on the front sill behind the drivers seat, I would appreciate it. Ford only sells it as an assembly and I've been looking for a while with no luck on replacement clips.
 
#37 ·
If anyone has any idea where to buy those white insulated clips that hold on the front sill behind the drivers seat, I would appreciate it. Ford only sells it as an assembly and I've been looking for a while with no luck on replacement clips.
Sorry to hear about this Ben. Hope you find the noise. I too broke a couple of those clips and ended up putting some screws through the trim and into the carpet floor to hold it down. I can't recall which white clip it was, but I think they had a foam gasket? Check out these, but also search in the Ford section and you'll likely find them:
http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/Ford_Trim_Panel_Retainer_White_Nylon_p/a21654.htm
 
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