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Dashpad rattle?

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Old Sep 5, 2005 | 09:43 PM
  #1  
Frank_Blotto's Avatar
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From: Oakland, CA
Car: 87 Camaro Z28
Engine: LG4, CCC
Transmission: 700r4
Dashpad rattle?

I just took the 'maro on a little road trip, and thankfully had the chance to open it up a bit on the freeway. Damn it's fun to drive. However, at speed, maybe around 70-80 mph my dashpad and the center vents that attach to it shake like all hell! It's really annoying and I'm worried it'll damage the dashpad over time. Does this happen to anyone else, and how can I fix it? Happy labor day! Cheers!
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Old Sep 5, 2005 | 10:49 PM
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Z28cross-fire's Avatar
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Car: '94 Z28
Engine: LT1 350
Transmission: 4L60E/A4
Check the screws or take it off to see if the thin layer of foam is gone or something. My dash pad didn't shake (when i had my 83 that is). Maybe you have some vents lose that go to the dashpad.
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Old Sep 5, 2005 | 10:53 PM
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Frank_Blotto's Avatar
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From: Oakland, CA
Car: 87 Camaro Z28
Engine: LG4, CCC
Transmission: 700r4
I know there are two of the four screws towards the front of the car missing, but it's the side closest to you that shakes. Also, it's not just the pad that shakes, but the whole thing it's screwed into. Kinda mystifying me.
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 10:28 AM
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Z28cross-fire's Avatar
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Car: '94 Z28
Engine: LT1 350
Transmission: 4L60E/A4
Does it rattle and just make a noise or is it rattling like you can see it? If it's just noise take stuff apart and see if something is loose or broken, but if the whole thing shakes then i'd start tightening every bolt i could find.
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 11:13 AM
  #5  
Frank_Blotto's Avatar
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From: Oakland, CA
Car: 87 Camaro Z28
Engine: LG4, CCC
Transmission: 700r4
Um, yeah, the word rattle is kind of a misnomer. The whole pad shakes visibly, in a very obvious way. What bolts are there other than the ones that hold the dashpad to the rest of the dash?
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 11:29 AM
  #6  
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From: Acushnet,Ma
Car: 92 Camaro (R)eally(S)tock
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: Auto 700r4
o man, this has happened to all 3 camaros i have owned.
Cant figure out why.
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 01:27 PM
  #7  
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From: Harford County, MD
Car: camaro sportcoupe
Engine: 7.0L
Transmission: G-Force GF5R
Axle/Gears: Moser 9"
not exactly sure why, but i know that on all three cars i've owned, this was the case till i installed subframe connectors. i put some jegster subframe connectors on and now i have no issues with dash rattle/vibration.
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 06:30 PM
  #8  
scottmoyer's Avatar
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From: Florida
Car: 87 IROC-Z, 82 Pace Car
It coud also be an imbalanced drive shaft, tires or loose steering component.
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 06:46 PM
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From: So. Ohio
Car: 88 Camaro
Engine: L98 350
Transmission: 700r4
Drove me crazy too. Put a little brace on mine down to the the cig. lighter pod. Really don't notice it and the dash is 50% steadier at least. I'll take a picture of it if you want.
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 07:09 PM
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From: Northern, VA
Car: Pair of 92 Z28s
hah...i hate these dash pads...my trick which pretty much did it

folded a rag a few times stuck it under the pad and tighted down all the screws....worked like a charm

Ive had to ghetto rig so many plastic interior pieces with carpet or some type of padding to stop the squeaks its annoying as hell
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Old Sep 6, 2005 | 10:52 PM
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Car: 1987 Trans Am
You could glue subbox carpet or felt behind any panel that rattles; this works well on the backs of license plates too, esp on cars with lots of stereo equipment. The first time I rode in Redraif's car, I was amazed that it didn't squeak or rattle; that is a large part of why it doesn't. There is subbox carpet glued between the dash and dashpad, on the backs of all the plastic panels...pretty much everywhere it could rattle. Sounds crazy, but it worked, and didn't add a whole lot of weight, either.
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Old Sep 7, 2005 | 02:06 AM
  #12  
UCF1Slider's Avatar
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From: Orlando, Florida
Car: '89 RS Vert
Engine: LO3
Transmission: 700R4
Mine does the rattling thing too, right at 75mph it gets really bad to the point that it shakes the radio and makes a CD skip. I'm pretty sure it's my rotors that need turning so you probably have the same problem... either that or our tires need balancing.
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Old Aug 1, 2006 | 07:51 PM
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I have the same problem with the dashpad shaking or vibrating at speeds close to 80mph. I balanced my wheels last week and put in all new steering parts over the weekend and after my alingment i still have the same problem. I am gonna look into the driveshaft thing myself and if not that maybe make sure my wheelbearings are okay.
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Old Aug 1, 2006 | 08:44 PM
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92RS(real slow)'s Avatar
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From: Osceola Indiana
Car: 92 RS(sold) 1989 IROC-Z
Engine: 350 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: ones that turn
Hey it's a third gen everything rattles mine does the same thing I dont want to tighten it down anymore though, because I don't want it to crack
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Old Aug 1, 2006 | 08:49 PM
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From: Northern, VA
Car: Pair of 92 Z28s
sub-frame connectors. Now that i have them, my dash pad does not move. Balanced tires are a must also. Ages ago i couldnt have answered this question.

mw66nova -
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Old Aug 1, 2006 | 08:58 PM
  #16  
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From: 62656
Car: 1991 S10 pickup 2700lbs
Engine: 4.3L Z TBI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.08 7.625"
use sticky foam tape under dahs pad perimeter and around vents and such


buy it at local builders or hardware store or evne at wal mart

bye bye all noises of all kinds

use it in other places too


cheap and simple and effective


interior rattles and such drive me nutty, i cant stand any noises inside at all, i hear any squeaking or anything and i will hunt it down and kill it quick
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Old Aug 2, 2006 | 09:05 AM
  #17  
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From: So. Ohio
Car: 88 Camaro
Engine: L98 350
Transmission: 700r4
A driveshaft vibration is usually a high speed buzzing type, through the whole car. A rear wheel imbalance sometimes is felt in the seats, the passenger seatback especially will shake. The front wheels will shake the steering wheel and dash area. One thing to look for is the wheel weights only on the inside of the wheel on the fronts. This makes the wheels look better and works ok at normal speeds, at 60 or so everything is fine, but at 80 you'll get vibration from the side to side imbalance. If the wheels are balanced one side only, try a new balance with the weights on both sides as needed. Also look for the shop with a Hunter wheel balancer, seems to be a notch above the Coates and others. And there are millions of tires out there that have runout, not as round as they should be.
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