Weird rattle at idle when cold...

[chris_flies]

It's not the lifter tick issue, and I'm not complaining about noisy injectors, either.

It's a rattle sound coming from the back (I think) of the engine. It's really apparent at a cold start idle, and when driving for a few minutes after.

I initially thought it was the airbox hitting against the bumper rail, but I lifted it off the rail and played around with it to no avail. I also thought it was the engine trim cover, but I pulled that off and the sound remained. Could it be that my DMFW and clutch are totally, and utterly toasted? The clutch does feel immensely grabby when it's cold, too, so

You have to listen past the injector ticking. This is with the car in neutral with the clutch engaged (obviously). The sound also kind of "phases" between being quiet and being loud.

Thanks in-advanced for any help or insight you can offer...

[asbrr]

Does it go away when you push the clutch in?

My car has a noticeable noise when the clutch is engaged, most likely DMFW and transmission rollover noise.....

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by asbrr

Does it go away when you push the clutch in?

My car has a noticeable noise when the clutch is engaged, most likely DMFW and transmission rollover noise.....

Nope. Turning the A/C off does, though...

[asbrr]

Hm that's odd - almost like the extra load from the AC is causing some kind of harmonic vibration somewhere...sorry, no idea at this point.

[Zombie_Head]

Go to a shop, or get the car lifted and running.

Underneath you can check to see if the noise is coming from the bell housing/clutch or not.

Check for play on any of the pulley as well.

[printerror]

I had a rattle like this recently that I couldn't find... right up until the accessory belt blew off on the highway. I coasted it to a safe place to find a shredded belt and the power steering pulley had broken off. I guess a PO had replaced it and not loctited the bolts. Luckily my dad wasn't busy and we picked up a pulley, bolts, and a belt, and fixed it roadside. Wasn't hard but definitely look deeper into it before something breaks.

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by printerror

I had a rattle like this recently that I couldn't find... right up until the accessory belt blew off on the highway. I coasted it to a safe place to find a shredded belt and the power steering pulley had broken off. I guess a PO had replaced it and not loctited the bolts. Luckily my dad wasn't busy and we picked up a pulley, bolts, and a belt, and fixed it roadside. Wasn't hard but definitely look deeper into it before something breaks.

Thanks for that, now I'm going to worry

Everyone seems to be pointing at the belt and pulley area, so I'll poke around there with a stethoscope and see if I can't find an answer. Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it all!

[chris_flies]

All fixed! Turns out that one of the aluminum bolts holding the P.S. pump to the block snapped a head (just like a cylinder head bolt I fixed a while back), allowing just enough movement to rattle against the block, which then amplified it for the world to hear (explains the sound coming from the back of the motor).

Got a 4-bolt replacement kit from the dealer, and a replacement coolant overflow hose (a pinhole opened from abrasion). Now it's all fixed and topped-up with coolant.