Annoying Rattle/vibration.

[SimonNI]

Hi can anybody help. My 2006 Avensis has an an annoying rattle/vibration which seems to come from under the car when driving low speed on an estate road or car park where tarmac is a little worn. I have had the suspension checked, had the car looked over to see if anything is loose underneath or in engine bay but still it drives me mad. My only consolation (if you can call it that) is that I have spoken to a work mate who says he has the same problem but has put his through 2 MOT's. Any ideas?

[Jombob]

My avensis had a rattle when I first purchased it, it took a while to find but behind the rear bumper the metal bar was vibrating against the bodywork. I put a couple of cable ties around to hold it in place and then a few self tapping screws to secure it. It's worth a check to see if you have the same rattle.

[SimonNI]

Thanks for that Jombob, will check it out.

[alan333]

Does the noise stop when you press the brake, even a light press on the brake? If so then it's worn slide pins on the calipers. I've had this on two Avensis's (maybe that should be Avensi?), both times were the fronts. Beware if buying the kit you only get enough for one caliper in the box.

[SimonNI]

You got me thinking now Alan. Will check that out tomorrow. Thanks for the info. If this is the case where do you get the kits, what price and are they easy to fit?

[alan333]

You got me thinking now Alan. Will check that out tomorrow. Thanks for the info. If this is the case where do you get the kits, what price and are they easy to fit?

To check it - remove a front wheel, grab the complete outer section of the caliper - where the pads are, and see if there's any movement when pushed in towards the engine, or out towards you. There should be none, or very little. If there's movement it makes the same noise during testing as it does while driving, but to a lesser extent. It's a Toyota only part, IIRC about forty quid per side, and the work is similar to changing pads but without the need to actually remove the pads. Make sure you get the correct guide pin kit for your car as there's at least two different ones. The eBay ones were the wrong ones for mine. Filling the worn slide pin guides with high melting point grease will get rid of the noise for a while if you don't want to risk the cash.

[ChrisNOR]

Hello.

I made an account on this forum for the sole reason of replying to this post, as i have had similar problems with my own car and know how annoying it is!

I don't know if this is the case with your car, but after hours and hours of searching and looking around, i finally tracked down the problem to be in the "plastic intake" that goes into the airfilter box.

The problem was that this tube that feeds the airbox unit with fresh air had come loose due to its stiff plastic and were making rattling noises in the box.

I solved this simply by pulling the plastic tube into the box and i put a screw down between the two pieces to hold them in place. I made a quick drawing in paint to try to show you what i'm talking about.

Hope this helps!

-Chris

[SimonNI]

You got me thinking now Alan. Will check that out tomorrow. Thanks for the info. If this is the case where do you get the kits, what price and are they easy to fit?

To check it - remove a front wheel, grab the complete outer section of the caliper - where the pads are, and see if there's any movement when pushed in towards the engine, or out towards you. There should be none, or very little. If there's movement it makes the same noise during testing as it does while driving, but to a lesser extent. It's a Toyota only part, IIRC about forty quid per side, and the work is similar to changing pads but without the need to actually remove the pads. Make sure you get the correct guide pin kit for your car as there's at least two different ones. The eBay ones were the wrong ones for mine. Filling the worn slide pin guides with high melting point grease will get rid of the noise for a while if you don't want to risk the cash.

Sounds like a job for the bank holiday weekend. Will keep you posted. Thanks again.

[SimonNI]

Hello.

I made an account on this forum for the sole reason of replying to this post, as i have had similar problems with my own car and know how annoying it is!

I don't know if this is the case with your car, but after hours and hours of searching and looking around, i finally tracked down the problem to be in the "plastic intake" that goes into the airfilter box.

The problem was that this tube that feeds the airbox unit with fresh air had come loose due to its stiff plastic and were making rattling noises in the box.

I solved this simply by pulling the plastic tube into the box and i put a screw down between the two pieces to hold them in place. I made a quick drawing in paint to try to show you what i'm talking about.

Hope this helps!

-Chris

Thanks for the info Chris. On my air filter box the hose is connected externally rather than internally and seems to be quite tightly fitted. Or do you mean the actual part of the filter box that the hose clips onto?

[Roker]

I had problems with the front brake pads rattling, it sounded like anti roll bar bushing starting to wear. M T greased the ends of the pads which cured it.

[SimonNI]

I had problems with the front brake pads rattling, it sounded like anti roll bar bushing starting to wear. M T greased the ends of the pads which cured it.

Thanks, I have had all suspension and bushings check on a rolling road and had all pads greased but the nnoise is still there.

[ChrisNOR]

Hello.

I made an account on this forum for the sole reason of replying to this post, as i have had similar problems with my own car and know how annoying it is!

I don't know if this is the case with your car, but after hours and hours of searching and looking around, i finally tracked down the problem to be in the "plastic intake" that goes into the airfilter box.

The problem was that this tube that feeds the airbox unit with fresh air had come loose due to its stiff plastic and were making rattling noises in the box.

I solved this simply by pulling the plastic tube into the box and i put a screw down between the two pieces to hold them in place. I made a quick drawing in paint to try to show you what i'm talking about.

Hope this helps!

-Chris

Thanks for the info Chris. On my air filter box the hose is connected externally rather than internally and seems to be quite tightly fitted. Or do you mean the actual part of the filter box that the hose clips onto?

I'm sorry for the late reply, but this is the part I'm talking about:

-Chris