Tracking down annoying hatch rattle

2000 XJ, 4.0, AW4, NP242, desert pinstripes, etc.

My XJ's developed an annoying hatch rattle over the last few months that I'm utterly failing at tracking down. It happens at a range of speeds on varying road surfaces, and sounds like it's coming from the area up around the top of the D-pillar on the driver's side. The best description I can give of the sound is that it's an occasional metal-on-metal tap-tap-tap rattle whose cadence changes with speed; here's what I've gone through so far on trying to track it down:

- Replaced the hatch bumpstops with new OEM rubbers and adjusted the stops out and in
- Removed and refastened both interior and exterior trim pieces and lights
- Pulled all the junk under the back seat out except for the factory amp (was tightened to the body OK)
- Checked rear wiper motor mount and armature, also latching mechanism; nothing unusual there
- Checked suspension bolts (shackles, U-bolts, and eye bolts) and bushings
- Checked rear shocks; other than the usual ovaled-out bushing at the top on the passenger side, everything's OK
- Checked the speakers and soundbar (did not pull the headliner)
- Checked rear shoulder belt bolts at the roof (they were OK)
- Checked latch at both the tailgate and body; came up OK
- Checked tailgate hinge bolts and welds; came up OK
- Checked rear bumper bolts; nothing out of line there
- Checked bolts on OEM gas tank skid and towbar; both were fine
- Hardware for holding the spare in the factory location has long since been removed, so shouldn't be a factor

At this point I'm out of ideas. The only thing I didn't give a seriously thorough check on was the soundbar because I didn't want to pull the headliner, but when I checked the speaker screws there was no movement in it.

Has anyone else run into this or have any ideas for what it could be or something I've missed? I don't expect the XJ to be Rolls-Royce quiet, but this noise is driving me up the wall.

I guess it could be the luggage rack if you still have one of those. I would try pounding around on the outside of the Jeep and try to recreate the noise.

I've been trying to slowly eliminate all the rattles from my hatch and I am still not done. The best thing I have done so far is pulled all the press in plastic fasteners and replaced them with some reusable toggle metal toggle clamps from McMaster that hold the trim piece on. It sounds like you've eliminated the trim as a possibility though.

OkieXJ said:

I guess it could be the luggage rack if you still have one of those. I would try pounding around on the outside of the Jeep and try to recreate the noise.

Click to expand...

That is what popped into my mind.

Hey, casm, do you have a RR?

OkieXJ said:

I guess it could be the luggage rack if you still have one of those.

Click to expand...

Good point - that was actually included in 'exterior trim', but is unique enough that I should have mentioned it specifically. Everything seems to be OK up there, FWIW.

I would try pounding around on the outside of the Jeep and try to recreate the noise.

Click to expand...

Yep, gave that a shot and am so far batting zero at getting it to do it at rest. Unless it's in motion, it just doesn't happen.

It sounds like you've eliminated the trim as a possibility though.

Click to expand...

As far as I can tell, yep. It's kind of looking like the next step is going to be putting a passenger back in the cargo area and heading down a bumpy road while they try to pinpoint the noise.

joe_peters said:

Hey, casm, do you have a RR?

Click to expand...

Nope, I've never owned a Rolls-Royce or Bentley. We've had a couple (mostly pre-1970 Bentleys) in the family at one time or another, though.

How do you know its coming from the upper d pillar? I had my wife drive me around once while I rode in back listening. I was wondering since I could never figure it out while I was driving. Another thought is I'm pretty sure my rear shock has come apart internally and thumps when I go over bumps. You seem to be pretty thorough so its probably something that doesn't normally rattle.

P.s. - your family owned a RR? What do you guys do up there in VA?

My '94 used to rattle until I started locking the hatch. Unlocked it rattles.:rattle: Locked it doesn't. Go figure!

Bob

On my 96, the braces that support the roof came detached from the roof skin allowing the sheet metal roof to move up and down. The roof vibrated like a drum going down the road. Looking at my 98, they used a boat load more sealant/adhesive to keep that from happening.
Have you checked for cracks around the hinges, either in the hatch or body? Or maybe a bad hinge?

It's probably easiest to have someone ride back there and pinpoint the noise.

Re-check the hinges,thats been the issue with my 2000.

OkieXJ said:

How do you know its coming from the upper d pillar?

Click to expand...

Good question. In all actuality, I don't know for certain that that's where it's coming from, just that from the driver's seat that's where the noise seems to be located. Note that I'm not dismissing the idea that it's really being conducted or reflected through the unibody to what sounds like that point - just that I haven't been able to pinpoint it more precisely while driving around.

I had my wife drive me around once while I rode in back listening. I was wondering since I could never figure it out while I was driving.

Click to expand...

Yep, seems like I'm in the same boat at this point. And I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to get someone to do the same for me; it's the one thing I can definitively think of that I haven't tried yet.

Another thought is I'm pretty sure my rear shock has come apart internally and thumps when I go over bumps. You seem to be pretty thorough so its probably something that doesn't normally rattle.

Click to expand...

Shocks are good, other than the one bushing I mentioned. That one I can make clunk without any trouble on one particular railway crossing in town, so I know that sound pretty well

P.s. - your family owned a RR? What do you guys do up there in VA?

Click to expand...

Oh, we've never owned a new one. What happened was that my dad bought one (actually, a MK. VI Bentley) back in the '60s when they had zero value, and through horse trading and a couple of lucky increases in value during ownership was able to make them a self-sustaining hobby - at least in the purchase sense; running costs are another matter, but as we typically don't buy new cars in my family the lack of payments on the daily driver helps to offset the running costs on the older stuff by quite a bit.

cwvsbob said:

My '94 used to rattle until I started locking the hatch. Unlocked it rattles.:rattle: Locked it doesn't. Go figure!

Click to expand...

Tried that. If only it were that easy

Ronbo said:

On my 96, the braces that support the roof came detached from the roof skin allowing the sheet metal roof to move up and down. The roof vibrated like a drum going down the road. Looking at my 98, they used a boat load more sealant/adhesive to keep that from happening.

Click to expand...

Interesting, and wasn't something I would have considered in my desire to not take the roof liner apart I'll have to look into that.

Have you checked for cracks around the hinges, either in the hatch or body? Or maybe a bad hinge?

Click to expand...

Yep, checked for the above. The unibody seems surprisingly solid back there around all the points of failure you'd expect, and the hinges and struts are in the same state.

It just occurred to me that there's one thing I haven't re-checked: the cargo tiedowns in the rear floor. The factory ones were replaced with beefier units from an S-10 Blazer a couple of years ago; it's possible that one or some of them have worked loose over time. I'll have to give those a look when I get home again this evening and see what's up.

OK, found it. More precisely, found all three of them.

1) Removed the shield protecting the fuel filler tube from underneath. Found a loose bolt in the process of doing that; hadn't checked that one in my earlier goings-over.

2) The cargo tiedown directly above that location also had a loose nut - not loose enough that you could really turn the base of the tiedown from within the cargo area (the carpet prevented that), but enough that the bolt could vibrate. Skipped that one earlier, too.

Those fixed probably 80% of the noise. This one was fun: it took repeatedly going back-and-forth over a speed bump at a 45-degree angle and about 20mph to figure out roughly where it was.

3) Reopened the driver's side rear quarter interior panel and looked in with a flashlight and a mirror. Found a 16mm deep well socket in the cavity. Don't think it was in there from when the Jeep was new, but I have no idea when I would have managed to get it in there either. Free tools FTW.

So, problem solved. Now back to enjoying all the usual squeaks, creaks, and groans in all their glory.

What make is the socket--I'm missing a couple.

Found a 16mm deep well socket in the cavity. Don't think it was in there from when the Jeep was new, but I have no idea when I would have managed to get it in there either. Free tools FTW.

Click to expand...

Awesome! So glad you were able to figure it out. I thought about posting the story I heard about someone who worked on a Buick assembly line. A guy bought a new buick and there was a loud rattle from the rear of the car. He took it in several times before the mechanics took one of the body panels off where they found a wrench with a note on it that said "rattles don't it?" Maybe you had an angry union worker too.

OkieXJ said:

Awesome! So glad you were able to figure it out. I thought about posting the story I heard about someone who worked on a Buick assembly line. A guy bought a new buick and there was a loud rattle from the rear of the car. He took it in several times before the mechanics took one of the body panels off where they found a wrench with a note on it that said "rattles don't it?" Maybe you had an angry union worker too.

Click to expand...

Can top that story--Pacific Coast Interprises (yeah, with an "I"--used to be Pacific Coast Imports until they took on Chrysler/Plymouth)--one of the early K cars, customer complaint of rattle under the dash. My buddy Tim got the job and ended up pulling the whole dash out. Two steel ball bearings in a little plastic box duct taped to the body up near the windshield--that was NO accident.

joe_peters said:

What make is the socket--I'm missing a couple.

Click to expand...

This is definitely one of Harbor Freight's finest, hence why I'm fairly certain it's my fault it's in there to begin with. Still want it?

Gotta love line workers sticking things that will make noise in inaccessible locations - you'd think they'd figure out that union job security only counts if people are buying your employer's products (and not sending them back under lemon laws), but maybe that's more of a mental leap than I should be giving them credit for being able to make.