Strange rattle/tapping

January 18

So my iQ has developed this strange rattle/tap/slap noise in the engine bay. I’m not sure if this is piston slap or something else. It does improve slightly after the car warms, but does not go away entirely and can barely be heard if standing further away from the car or if the hood is closed. Also, it does not get worse or change tone with acceleration.

I’ve tried to isolate the location sound, but it’s very difficult to do so. It sounds low in the engine bay and I can also hear it from underneath.

Here are two recordings I took. The sound sounds much more pronounced and louder on these. Maybe someone more experienced can help with identifying what this could be.

Just to add: This is a 2014 1.3L Scion iQ.

January 18

7 hours ago, ondrej said:

So my iQ has developed this strange rattle/tap/slap noise in the engine bay. I’m not sure if this is piston slap or something else. It does improve slightly after the car warms, but does not go away entirely and can barely be heard if standing further away from the car or if the hood is closed. Also, it does not get worse or change tone with acceleration.

I’ve tried to isolate the location sound, but it’s very difficult to do so. It sounds low in the engine bay and I can also hear it from underneath.

Here are two recordings I took. The sound sounds much more pronounced and louder on these. Maybe someone more experienced can help with identifying what this could be.

Just to add: This is a 2014 1.3L Scion iQ.

Hi Ondrej, is it manual or automatic? If manual have you checked for any changes while pressing / releasing the clutch? (I'm not sure why I'm asking this, but it might provide some clues to a more experienced member...). Good luck!