Annoying rattle in the rear of the GU

Guys,

For the last few weeks, I have been trying to track down some very annoying rattle in the back of my 2009 GU
It seems to come from the area around the rear barn doors but both doors are well adjusted and tight so I don't think it has anything to do with those.
This rattle (not always present) sounds like a wiring loom is loose inside some panels and almost as if a plug is banging up against one of the plastic panels

I have had the panels off the smaller barn doors and couldn't see anything there.
Thinking back to it, I think the rattle started around the time when I spaced the spare wheel carrier further back to make room for my 285/70R17 tyres. Needless to say, the carrier is well tightened down and I can't see how it could cause a rattle.
Are there looms and plugs inside the big barn doors?
Possibly the bolts for the carrier pushed something inside the door loose.


It definitely doesn't come from the rear seatbelts or the anchors. When I fitted my rear drawers, I tied up the seatbelts taught and had a drive and still had this "clunk clunk" type rattle.
The annoying thing is this comes and goes so it's driving me bonkers looking for it.

Anything else I should check?

Have you checked all your rear end bushes.

I had an annoying rattle/clunk that ended up being a shockie bush, at a glance it looked OK, but grab the shock and there was movement - rattle clunk! Sway bar bushes also chew out on a regular basis.

It's probably a GQ owner trying to get in :)

Do you have a towbar?

I had a rattle from the wires that they push the nuts into the chassis with...

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Originally Posted by happygu

Do you have a towbar?

I had a rattle from the wires that they push the nuts into the chassis with...

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Good thinking 99 ..... hadn't thought of that.
Yes, I have a towbar. The sound seems like it comes from the doors somehow but it's very hard to gauge from the front seat

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Originally Posted by TimE

Have you checked all your rear end bushes.

I had an annoying rattle/clunk that ended up being a shockie bush, at a glance it looked OK, but grab the shock and there was movement - rattle clunk! Sway bar bushes also chew out on a regular basis.

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Tim, thanks for that. The suspension is all brand new. Admittedly, the sway bar bushes are the original ones but they look all OK

Check inside the rear pull out covers both sides could be you tool kit rattling around.
X 2 in the tow bar loom they tend to splice into wires under rear right hand side and leave them there

The doors are a pain and are difficult to adjust. Get some small squares of thin rags and place them over the four contact points on the two doors and close the doors over them. If the noise stops you know it is the doors.

I had a closer look at the top latch for the big barn door.
The plastic coating is worn through in a spot so I'm going to wrap some tape around the bar and then go for a drive.
The wiring loom for the towbar is all tied down and solid so it's not there.
Will let you guys know

This is doing my head in!!! :)
I carefully checked every area I could think of. The towbar loom is well secured and the toolkit / jack are stored wrapped in foam in my rear drawers. I wrapped foam around both anchor points of the seatbelts too.
There is a small filler piece on top of the plastic rear bumper that seemed loose where the two halfs join. I tied all that down and even put tape over it to rule it out.
After suggestions from a few members here, I wrapped tape around the top latch of the bog door and shut it well.
I then went for a test drive and guess what, as I turned out of my own driveway, a "clunk clunk" was heard!!!!

The only thing I have seen that I don't like much is the plastic sheath on the top half of one of the new OME shockies seems to be scraping the side of it when the suspension is working
I grabbed it and you can turn it on the shockie and wiggle it back and forth. I suspect this could possibly cause the rattle
Should this be rubbing against the metal tube like this? (the paint has been scraped off the lower tube)

When fitting new shockers that have a larger bore diameter that stick you need to grind down the bump stop plates on the diff housing as they do hit the shocker. This maybe it. Check the upper mounts too. Make sure they are done up enough...
One other thing is to check if the back of the exhaust is hitting the cross member. Where it comes our of the rear muffler and goes up and over the diff.

Hi mudski,

I can't see any evidence the tail pipe is hitting the cross member. The more I hear it the more I think it's inside the cabin. Almost sounds like if you leave a glass bottle (that would be a beer bottle right? :) ) on the floor and it bangs up against a plastic cover as it rolls around!
I need to get someone to give me a hand getting the panel off the read barn door and see if a loom or a plug is lose and is banging up against the panels somewhere

Hey Apalsson. When I had my large rear barn door trim off, to disconnect the annoying door switch... There is a wiring connector in there, that drove me nuts for a week after I unplugged the door switch, as this connector was banging up against metal inside and got very annoying..... Had to take trim off again and secure the connector better. Issue fixed.
Just a though this may be your issue too??
Here is the original post by me with a photo to show the connector...

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...l=1#post397910

Hi Hodge,

Thanks for the suggestion. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this is the exact problem.
I haven't been able to get into the door yet because I don't have a tool to pull the pins that hold the cover.
I assume I can just pry them out with a blade or similar?
Does the panel itself then just clip out?

Here's an update to the never ending rattle saga!
Not that the outcome makes me feel particularly bright at all !!! :bowdown:

I have been through both barn doors, completely stripped down the panels, removed the plastic sheet and checked every piece of wiring and plugs.
All there was clean, well tied down and well plugged in. For a good measure, I tied better all wires that seemed like they could possibly swing and hit anything and taped around every plug that is clipped into the door frames.
Still, when I had done all of this, it was bothering me in the back of the mind that none of these could conceivably have caused such a noisy rattle!

Then I accidentally dropped a screwdriver into the rear floor and it rolled under one of the middle seat - which is exactly where I found what I believe to be the culprit
Remember the jack shaft that is clipped down into the floor just behind the pivot joint under the front of the middle seats?
Well, the bent end of it was right next to the plastic cover over one of those joints and when I rotated the shaft in the clip, it banged up against the cover - exactly the same noise that has been driving me bonkers for over two months! :furious:

Needless to say, I pulled out the clips and turned them 180 degrees. Now the shaft can't reach the cover however much you move it or rotate it!

5 Dollars say this was the issue!!! :thumbup:

You paying $5 for us to agree or what

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Originally Posted by threedogs

You paying $5 for us to agree or what

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Offering myself $5 if I'm right ;)

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Originally Posted by apalsson

Offering myself $5 if I'm right ;)

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I knew it would be the towbar ....... ;) damn it all.....




Good fix if you have found it .....

Mate I had the same prob just after fitting the 285's and carrier spacer, it didnt start staight away but raised its head on a trip north to cairns a couple of weeks later and after stopping a few times to get access to the fridge. I recond its the doors from the extra weight of the 285 on the main door pulling the top of the door away slightly and thus not fully locking then rattling.

Most carrier spacers are adjstable vertically, so try lifting the spare higher on the mount to reduce the amount of pull down on the door.

One more thing, Make sure you close the doors firmly to ensure its locked at all points. Worked for me.

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Originally Posted by Big-Job

Most carrier spacers are adjstable vertically, so try lifting the spare higher on the mount to reduce the amount of pull down on the door.

One more thing, Make sure you close the doors firmly to ensure its locked at all points. Worked for me.

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These carrier spacers are most likely not much good for the rear door and the locking mechanism. In my hunt for the problem, I noticed the plastic coating on the top striker was worn through, so I put a couple of layers of tape on it