Alright guys....well for the past couple of months, when my car is idling from 600-1200 RPM's, the nastiest rattling noice comes from the engine bay. The only way I can describe it is like a hundred slinkies being dragged across something. Now lately, it's gotten much worse, as has my idle problem. (I'm thinking they're related) I'm idling around 500, and it almost sputters just before going back up to 700 then 500, etc. I have to keep my foot on the break and rev it at stoplights, it sux! I decided to jack up my car, and visually search for it. I couldn't see anything, but the sound seemed to be coming from the very bottom of the engine near the Cam(?)..I'm a newbie so I'm not exactly sure what the bottom pulley is, but I'm pretty sure it's the cam. It sounds like it's coming from that, and my car has lost tremendous power since this problem got worse.

Now I read that it could be the cat....? I'm not even too sure what it looks like :-/ but I'm assuming it's the pipe in which I installed my O2 sensor. I knocked on it, but couldn't really hear any rattling.

Does anyone have any idea's? Thanks a lot

 

btw, it sounds almost exactly like gravel being rolled around in a metal pan...

 

I had that problem, major rattling coming from the front of the car. My initial thought was one of the catalytic converter heat shields was loose. Well I had to get it inspected and have emissions done right after the rattling started, and I couldn't pass emissions. Turns out one of my cats broke inside and whatever it was, was rattling. I had just gone about 50miles on the worst possible road ever, at highway speeds. (I had no option but to go that fast, it was a highway... that's PA for you) And right after that trip the rattling began.

 

Sounds like it could be the cats.

Mine made a terrible noise (especially at idle) and sometimes caused the car to idle badly.

FYI... the cam shaft is in the middle of the motor. The crank shaft
is located at the very bottom of the motor.

Good luck!

 

hey thanks man, The guy that had the car before me took the cat out, and put a straight pipe there....so that option is ruled out

 

change your oil in a clean pan and look at it... see if there are any metal shavings... dip your finger along the bottom of the pan after it drains and see if you feel any "grit"


hopefully you wont find anything, but if its coming from the bottom half of inside the motor, thats not a good thing....


before or after you change the oil, get a short piece of hose, put it to your ear and then put the hose on various places of the engine with it running... (watch out for hot and spinning parts )
that should help you pin point where the noise is coming from...