97 Avalon Exhaust rattle - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

2000-Avalon · 09-07-2007, 01:27 PM

Hey fellas,
ever since I purchased my avalon I get a rattle in the exhaust. This is most common when the car is still cold. When I drive off after warming the car up for about a minute I hear it even when I'm real easy on the gas pedal. I lifted the car up today thinking it might be a loose heat shield but there are none. Anyone know what the problem could be? Car drives perfect and everything just the sound is a little annoying. The sound is coming from the front of the car for sure.

avalontom · 09-07-2007, 06:17 PM

My '95's rattle was cured by stainless steel hose clamps around the heat shield and converter - had to hook several together and applied more than one set.

Tom

2000-Avalon · 09-07-2007, 09:20 PM

can you explain that a lil more? I dont understand what exaxtly you are saying.

pedro2u · 09-11-2007, 09:02 PM

I just had this problem on my 97. I actually bought a universal rear hanger (rubber) and had to drill holes in it to drop the exhaust about a 1/2 inch so that it wouldn't hit the rear heat shield. Remove the rear hanger, see if the rattle is gone with a slight lowering, and if so, then head to you parts store and ask for a universal hanger

avalontom · 09-12-2007, 05:12 PM

Jack the front of the car up high enough so you can slide under it just behind a front wheel. Be sure to use jack stands for support.

Locate the thin metal shield covering the catalytic converter; it will be loose to the touch. Run 2 or more sets of stainless steel hose clamps around the shield and the converter and tighten each set. The shield should now be tight.

Tom

2000-Avalon · 09-22-2007, 03:38 PM

ok i'll try that. IDK though, when i jacked the car up i saw no shields anywhere. Which cat are you talking about and what side of the car is it on?

avalontom · 09-22-2007, 05:42 PM

The catalytic converter is aft of some stainless steel f lex hose, if I remember correctly.

2000-Avalon · 09-23-2007, 11:28 AM

what does that mean? "aft"?

pedro2u · 09-23-2007, 07:31 PM

aft in this case means "after" or "behind", but nautically means:

Aft: An adverb, meaning "toward the stern," as in "lay aft to the boiler room," from the Anglo-Saxon aeft, meaning "rear,"

It's exhaust manifold, flex hose, cat converter, bunch a pipe, muffler.

By the way, when I lowered the rear bracket to kill the rattle, it's because there is also a heat shield over the muffler in the rear of the car, which is where my rattle was. It's common to get a rattle from the heat shield that's above the catalytic converter too (middle of the car), which is what avalontom is referring to. So it depends on where the noise is coming from

2000-Avalon · 09-23-2007, 11:33 PM

ok ill check it tomorrow.

2000-Avalon · 09-24-2007, 12:40 PM

ok, i just looked under the car. I could only see 2 heatshields. One over the cat which definitly is not loose. And the obvious one is over the front header which also isn't loose. Flex pipe looked good so I doubt it's that. Only thing I can think of now is it could be the heatshield for the back header but there's no way i can check without a lift.

2000-Avalon · 09-25-2007, 11:26 PM

This rattle now evolved from only being present when the car is cold to a permenant thing. Still don't know what it is. It's not too loud but definitly there and really noticible in stop and go traffic.