Help me fix my dash rattle please!

[rwilner]

I've had my 84 for about a month and have put close to 2k miles on it -- 2 round trips from boston to jersey. The car runs great but there is a metallic rattle coming from inside the dash.

it's driving me

It sounds like it's behind the center AC vent / glove box area. I notice it on my daily commute when I go over rough roads or at certain speeds on the highway...I suppose when the wheel/road noise hits the specific resonant harmonic.

I opened the front trunk and found a few things not secured (lid of the smugglers box, an errant washer or two), but in general things looked quite tidy. I have yet to remove the gauges to try to get behind but that's the next step.

I did a few searches and not much came up...just wondering if others have experienced something similar and what the fix was.

thanks!
Rich

[tobluforu]

Maybe when you find what is lurking it will be a big chunk of gold that was hidden there by an old owner. For the longest, dumbest time my glove box rattled at times. Finally after many years I got under there, even though I had been under the dash hundreds of times, and realized that there were two nuts and bolts that one can tighten to make that rattle go away, duh. Could be plenty of things, but you will find it with time.

[rwilner]

toblu -- love your signature. So true...

I will start indiscriminately tightening things. Also, one of the threads buried in the past mentioned the nut holding the glovebox latch as the culprit -- i noticed this was loose on our maiden voyage and tightened it by hand only, and then subsequently forgot all about it -- perhaps it's time to take a wrench to it.

[Mitch Leland]

I had the same issue, even took my passenger door apart. Finally while waxing the car I found the antenna base was lose.

[rwilner]

Originally Posted by Mitch Leland

I had the same issue, even took my passenger door apart. Finally while waxing the car I found the antenna base was lose.

Thanks -- exactly the type of info I'm looking for -- the PO replaced the antenna so this is a likely candidate!

[kodioneill]

If you have the auto heat feature I found that the two plastic covers on the sides of the console rattle and it sounds like it's coming from the dash.

[rwilner]

No auto heat.

I took the glove box out and nothing was suspicious. So I removed my fresh air blower and also did not find anything obvious, but I found various wires and plastic connectors that were not well secured. I used some strategic zip ties will take her out for a test ride tonight.

I fear it's the dash itself rattling, as my car has a full leather dash that's shrunk around the edges.