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Old 07-24-2017, 10:40 AM   #1
Spr
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Rattle Rattle. Passenger side headliner area

On a recent trip it sounds like we picked up a new metal on metal rattle on the passenger side in the headliner area. We isolated the noise to be line with the seat belt holder but in the headliner. Before taking apart the headliner I wanted to check in with you guys to see if there has been any past experiences. I will bullet point what Ive looked at so far to help rule out some possibilities. Also, If any of you have had the headliners off and there is nothing up there that would be helpful information as well.

Metal on metal sounding rattle in a 2010 E350 with electric pop top. almost sounds like the solar panel is loose and clanking over bumps
  • Tightened awning bolt in the passenger door from behind the seatbelt cover
  • removed liner to check all pop top screws
  • made sure bolts were tightfor pop top clamps
  • Oiled pop top clamps
  • checked the pop top spring which seemed fully in tact with no wiggle
After doing the above list the noise seemed to be gone, but then magically appeared again while doing 65 on a smooth highway. Anyone have past experiences? Anyone know whats above the headliner? Any good suggestions for taking off the headliner?



As always I greatly appreciate it!!

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Old 07-24-2017, 10:43 AM   #2
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Probably the poptop mechanism.. you're not the first.

But I have no knowledge of the electric top and hence am no help at offering suggestions to fix it!
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Old 07-24-2017, 11:27 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spr View Post
On a recent trip it sounds like we picked up a new metal on metal rattle on the passenger side in the headliner area. We isolated the noise to be line with the seat belt holder but in the headliner.

[LIST][*]Tightened awning bolt in the passenger door from behind the seatbelt cover
!
Had a very-similar sound in my '95 SMB (Fresno-built) in the same area. Drove us bonkers for two years. I did much of the same stuff you did. Tightened that awning-bracket bolt (near the front passenger seatbelt retractor area) as tight as I could just like you did.

As it turned out.....that bolt that attaches the awning bracket was a shoulder bolt that *didn't have enough thread.* So when the bolt *Seemed tight*, it was actually tight because of the bolt running to the bottom of its threads and against the smooth shoulder-portion of the bolt....so it wasn't truly tightening the bracket snugly against the body of the van.

I think I solved this problem by putting in a new shoulder bolt that was the same total length, but a longer portion of it had threading on it. (So when the bolt was finally tightening down, it was truly cinching that bracket snug against the body.)

It felt SO GOOD to fix that rattle!!!
Hope this might prove to be of help for you.

I honestly have no idea how the previous two owners put up with that noise for the 20 years before I bought the van. It had to have been rattling like that since it rolled out of the Fresno warehouse.
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Old 07-24-2017, 08:27 PM   #4
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Ok. This could be way off but I had a metal on metal sound that originated at the bench seat shoulder belt attachment point (RB-50/passenger side). Awkward to get in there and tighten the nut but it was totally loose. Eliminated the sound. Does sound like yours is higher but wanted to share that just in case. Noises can do funny things.
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