Stripped an interior? Plz help with this mystery "click."

[Bob Prosser]

Friends, if you have ever stripped the interior of your 911, I could use really your input:

I hear a tiny metallic "c-click" sound coming from an area under/behind each seat, and/or near the base of each B-pillar.

.
The sounds are triggered by inertia, and heard only during stop-and-go situations:
- At rest, the clicks happen the moment the clutch is released and the car moves.
- Once rolling (under 10 mph), the clicks happen the moment the brakes are applied.

It sounds like two BB's inside a small tube. Tip the tube and you'd hear "c-click" as the BB's roll/hit/stop the end.

I've searched high and low and find nothing obvious. Seat belts work fine and their ratchet mechanism makes a different sound. I tried isolating the jump seat's seat belts, by stuffing the area with towels, but there was no change.

This is my daily driver, so it's getting to me. ANY ideas are welcome. Thanks!

[oldE]

There should be a little pendulum in the seat belt retracting mechanism which locks the belts during sudden velocity changes. I suspect these are the sources of your mystery 'clicks'
Les

[Bob Prosser]

Thanks Les. That's the sort of thing I have envisioned. I've had this car for a very long time, with no sound. Now they started "clicking?" Maybe they require some kind of maintenance.

To investigate, I need to find an exploded view of the device (inside the B-pillar's base) or photos of a B-pillar after a stripped interior. If any of you have such, I'd appreciate a copy.

You can email me directly at e-mail@autoworldmarketing.com.

As always, THANKS!

[Porschekid962]

Could also be something loose inside the door rolling around on the bottom or something made its way into the rocker panel duct for the heating but unless you took something apart then I cant see how.

[CliffBrown]

Could it be the sound of something rolling around in the heater tube inside the inner rocker?

That used to be a trick the guys on the assembly line at Detroit would do for fun.

[Bob Prosser]

Thanks P-Kid and Cliff. I thought of that, but these are VERY sensitive objects. In other words, whatever it is that is makes the noise requires very little change in momentum, or beginning of movement from a steady state.
It's not the same as a small nut or bolt knocking around inside both doors. I'd hear that more during hard acceleration or braking. Plus, these are simultaneous clicks: one on the left, and one on the right of the cabin.
The seat belt suggestion sounds like the right direction since those are motion sensitive, but how do I get to it?

[oldE]

DON'T mess with it. Unless you want to give up the inertia reel feature of your seatbelts.
Your choices are three:
1/ Fit a set of belts which hold you in place at all times.
2/ Add some sound-deadening material around the take-up reel of the existing seat belt.
3/ Put up with the noise, knowing those little pendulums are on guard allowing you to reach the dash easily but ready to keep your chest out of the steering wheel if bad stuff happens.
Your choice.
Les

[Bob Prosser]

Les, I understand. Thanks. You state my concerns as well. If this is in fact the problem, maybe the sound deadening material surrounding the device (inside the B-pillar) has started to break-down so the sound absorbing qualities are gone? That would explain why it has come to my attention after all these years AND why I hear it in stereo.

[javadog]

Bob,

I don't know what car you are working on but I have three cars from the mid-eighties and none of them have this clicking noise that you describe. Perhaps I am hard of hearing, or there are too many rattles elsewhere.

The seat belt inertia reels do sound like a likely suspect, as there is nothing much in the area you describe with any moving parts, apart from the reels. I have been fooled by such sounds before, though. Something I'd swear was coming from point A was later found to be coming from point B.

If it was my car, I'd pull the passenger seat out of the car and postion myself where I could get my head close to the driver's side seat belt anchorage. I'd then have someone drive me around so I could more clearly hear the noise. If it still sounded like the inertia reels, I'd remove the panel covering them and go for another ride.

If they are found to make the noise, I'd suggest replacement rather than trying to open them up.

Good luck,

JR

[Bob Prosser]

JR, thanks. Yup, sounds are hard to track -- especially higher frequency metallic clicks that can can reflect. Tried getting one of my daughters to help me ID the sound, but they all started complaining about getting car sick. What wimps. As for pulling the seats, ugh ... I hate that job ... but I may have to. Perhaps I will cram my big butt in the back and get the wife to drive me around. That should be fun.

[javadog]

Pulling a seat takes all of five minutes in these cars. It's only 4 bolts. Plus, you really need to get your head down low, close to the source of the sound.

I can't fit in the back any more. The last time I tried to clean a rear window....


JR

[Jeremy Cottrell]

I have the same click on my 85. It seems to be coming from the drivers side door panel/door area. I was going to remove the panel and drive the car to listen if the noise was inside the door, but have not had time to mess with it. Try that first.

[dsmeyer]

My 911 made a sound just like that.

I had taken the seats out and cleaned everything very carefully.
The seat tracks have ball bearings in them and I cleaned out all
the dirty old grease. This allowed the ball bearings to roll too freely in the seat tracks.
When I started moving they would roll to the back and click.
When I stopped they would roll to the front and click.

Once I figured out what it was, I put some heavier grease back in and the clicking is gone.

[Bob Prosser]

Jeremy, yes, that's probably the same sound you hear. You're in LA? Well, I got stuck on the 710 on Monday (due to the recent Mexican/High School walk out), and had to crawl along for for miles. That click was so annoying, I decided it was time to find it.

I too could say it's down low on my left/left rear (and same for the passenger side). But as for your thought, well, if I swing the door back-and-forth abruptly, or when I close it, there is no rattle -- nothing is loose.

[black993]

You need a "sportier" exhaust, the problem will go away!

[Bob Prosser]

DSMeyer: That sounds promising. Come to think of it, the clicks aren't as noticable when its cold (thicker grease?). Any way you can elaborate a as to exactly where I can place new grease? Are the arrows the track where the ball bearings are? *Maybe* I can add grease with them in place?!

Black993: Cute. You forgot to mention ear plugs or my switching to decaf.

[dsmeyer]

Those arrows are pointing to the right place.
Just move the seat all the way forward and apply the grease in the back. I think there is a stop on one of the front mounting
bolts that you can remove to get more travel without having to take the seats out.
Then move the seat all the way back to do the fronts.
Then move the seat back and forth a few times to work it in.
I used a Q-tip and wheel bearing grease.

[Bob Prosser]

Got it. If that doesn't do it, then it's time to buy the 997 I have been thinking about. Guess I'll trade a few small rattles for electronic gremlins.

[rw7810]

bob - I hate to say, but i think everyone is off base on this one. I experienced the exact same thing a few years back on mine. Believe it or not, the issue is in the doors! At the bottom of each door there are about three rectangle type nuts enclosed in an envelope with a hole through it so the door panels can be attached. I hope this makes sense. If your door panels are not using these for what ever reason, these nuts will slide back and forth and cause this exact same noise. I can only imagine they were desihned this way due to the lack of precision in manufacture of the panels.

[Bob Prosser]

Bob, thanks. You had it in both doors? I'm not exactly sure what you are referring to, so if I simply pulled-off a door panel, and felt down low behind the steel door structure, think I'd feel it?