Engine rattle at mid revs under load.

[SilverCamry]

I hope someone can help me with this.

I have looked through a lot of the threads here with not much help. I have a 1991 SE Camry that has developed a rattle under accelleration which is less noticable if I rev the engine more when taking off at lights for example. It seems to coming from the engine area at my feet (right hand side of the car in Australia).

I have had a number of mechanics look at it with no clear answer as to why it is doing this. The only thing one guy said it could be was the exhaust rattling against a cross member of some sort under the car.

A friend who used to own a similar model camry said that he had the same problem which was fixed simply with a replacement ozone filter. Now I'm thinking it can't be this simple can it?

Thanks

[wiccanferret]

Does the clatter go up and down with the rev?

[Kep]

Is an ozone filter the same as what we call a catalitic converter? If so, that is a good thing to check. The interior can fall apart and rattle. I believe you can tap it with your palm or gently with a hammer to check it. I have also heard of the heat shield coming loose and making odd noises.

If you can't isolate it you might consider getting 5 or 10 feet of tubing (I tend to think 1/4" but a piece of garden hose would work). Tie the tubing off near something that may rattle and route it to the cab. Put the tube up to your ear and listen when the noise is occuring. You should hear it very well through the tube if you have it tied close to the rattle source.

Kep

[SilverCamry]

Originally Posted by wiccanferret

Does the clatter go up and down with the rev?

No it goes away when i go over a certain amount of revs. It only rettles when I accelerate from a stand still or accellerate from a low speed.

[boi_si]

somethings loose...

[redpilot13]

Had something similar on my 1988 LE, it was happening for about a year or so and no mechanic could pin-point it. It would only rattle/squeak while sitting at a light with the engine in gear, once I put the car in neutral it would go away. I thought it was a heat shield on the catalytic converter but it was tight. I finally found out this summer what the rattle was - I was rudely awakened by my exhaust opening up. The main exhaust pipe under the car that connects at the front at the engine and goes all the way back to the muffler had finally rattled itself loose and broke off just under the floor at my feet where it connects to the engine. You can imagine how loud the engine was after that! Also it heat up the floor quite a bit under my feet.

It seems that the support brackets that hold the pipe at the front of the car are not engineered well enough to handle the torque of the engine over a long period of time. The is the 3rd time this car has had to have the main exhaust pipe replaced. Now I'm about to install the 5th muffler as we speak (got a hole in it). These cars are brutal on exhaust parts. Still have the original catalytic converter though.

If you want to pinpoint your rattle I would recommend you have someone sit in the car have it running and you listen from the outside walking around the car. Definitely check under the car.

Cheers!

[fredk]

how many miles are on it?

[mk2-1jz]

redpilot do you happen to do a lot of short trips? like under 5 miles? This could be the reason your going through so many exhausts and mufflers, short distance driving doesnt let the engine heat up enough to expell all the moisture in the exhaust pipe and muffler, so it sits there and rusts the pipes out!