Roof bolts... creaks/cracks/...

[Harvey]

As anyone reported any cracking/poping and stuff from this area (this is behind the roof lining above driver head):





I'm just about sure my rattle is coming from up there... I wonder if some silicon grease or bolt tightening could be an idea

[Mikem53]

Check the forum for rear shelf pops and cracks.. There are some who had an issue in this area.

[Harvey]

Originally Posted by Mikem53

Check the forum for rear shelf pops and cracks.. There are some who had an issue in this area.

Yes... I know about these (well documented), that's why I had my daughter in the back to try to locate if it was behind her (trunk or shelf) or above her (roof)... I have to trust her sound localising neurons on this one, but she asserts it was above and not behind!

[Mikem53]

Originally Posted by Harvey

Yes... I know about these (well documented), that's why I had my daughter in the back to try to locate if it was behind her (trunk or shelf) or above her (roof)... I have to trust her sound localising neurons on this one, but she asserts it was above and not behind!

I understand.. But the hollow like structure resonates noise and can be misleading and hard to pinpoint. The dealer has some fancy ways of locating noises.. Maybe you can give them a shot at it..
I had some rattle coming from the drivers dash side. At least I thought that was the place.. I shifted the molding by the pillar where the seatbelt is fastened up high and my rattle seems to be resolved.. These things are a pain to track down.. Good luck.. I seem to have got lucky and eradicated my only rattle so far..

[ZionsWrath]

Are there child labor laws in France? You seem to make your daughter do a lot of work. Pay her the dealer hourly rate maybe

[Harvey]

Originally Posted by Mikem53

I understand.. But the hollow like structure resonates noise and can be misleading and hard to pinpoint. The dealer has some fancy ways of locating noises.. Maybe you can give them a shot at it..
I had some rattle coming from the drivers dash side. At least I thought that was the place.. I shifted the molding by the pillar where the seatbelt is fastened up high and my rattle seems to be resolved.. These things are a pain to track down.. Good luck.. I seem to have got lucky and eradicated my only rattle so far..

In fact I've already done the number 1 rear deck fix (spray slicon in the weld spots) and this didn't change anything. I've not done number 2 spot because I would have liked to be sure it was there before getting the shelf trim off, which seems slightly awkward. Also, the cas is sept 2012, so after the fix was introduced I believe (06/12). Talking of this I'd be curious to know if on pre 06/12 models it's possible to slide a business card between the plates at the given spots. On mine it is possible, so prying them appart seems pointless, nevertheless, I did spray some silicon while I was there, just in case.


My 10 year old mecanic assistant (daughter) actually lied in the back with the back seat down and she's sure it doesn't come from the shelf (all this was on a bumpy and empty parking sunday afternoon). Of course I understand the reasonance stuff and agree it could be sourced anywhere and diffused anywhere else... just trying to take a rational starting point.


I went to the dealer and from what I know he's "filed" a request to Toyota to see if they have any advice about this (I'll go back to see in the week)... but he didn't seem very motivated to mess around looking for the problem, he first tried to say it was normal because of the stiff/sporty chassi... then he admited it was a little more than normal and could come from the exhaust heat coming through the trunk and ... can't quite remember what. I did suggest maybe he could sit in the back and see if he can locate it, but he cas 120Kg (could barely sit in the front....) and we agreed if we went that way it would be better to get a "smaller" mecanics to avoid recking the seat back and trunk trims.... (I must say I didn't really want to see him crawling around the back of the car's flimsy trims/plastics/covers...). Then he came up with the usual "threat" about trying to fix these little noises often generate even more noises... I don't believe this, unless they make a mess out of it, which I'm frightened they could, that's why I'd like to find it myself.

[extrashaky]

Since it looks like you have the headliner out of it anyway, get a mechanic's stethoscope and have your daughter probe around up there to track the sound to its source. Stethoscopes are cheap. In the US you can get them from Harbor Freight for $4. If you have an equivalent cheapo tool store in France, I would check there first, then try auto parts stores.

[Harvey]

I'd thinking of the stetho, have to look around if I can find such a tool around here... but I should have mentionned that's not a pic of my car! My linear is still up and I'm asking the question before taking it off (I've had a peep through the back (taking the thress clips out) and it might be possible to get to this location without a full takeoff...) however, taking it off doesn't seem that hard, but a little harder than the back shelf, so in doubt I'd rather start with the back shelf fix... I mean surely she can't get it that wrong? She had her head stuck on the roof and the back shelf and she's sure it came from the roof...


I think what's holding me back (from believing my daugter's diagnosis) is the idea than no one else seems to have had a noise from up there...

[tonytduc]

Originally Posted by Harvey

As anyone reported any cracking/poping and stuff from this area (this is behind the roof lining above driver head):





I'm just about sure my rattle is coming from up there... I wonder if some silicon grease or bolt tightening could be an idea

I did, I just tighten the 6 bolts( 3 each side) alittle bit more and the noise went away. I too thought it was coming from the rear deck but was wrong. Been almost a year now and still no cracking type noise from that area.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Harvey

I think what's holding me back (from believing my daugter's diagnosis) is the idea than no one else seems to have had a noise from up there...

No, there have been others. I recall someone posting the same issue in one of the tech threads about the rear deck clicking. I think one guy actually took those bolts loose and shimmed them with rubber to get it to stop.

[Harvey]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

No, there have been others. I recall someone posting the same issue in one of the tech threads about the rear deck clicking. I think one guy actually took those bolts loose and shimmed them with rubber to get it to stop.

OK, thanks a lot, I think I'll try to get a spanner in there to tighten them... anychance someone knows what the size is (which spanner)?

[gzpermadi]

I had rattle from that area, fixed mine by slipping tape between the bolted panels.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=567

[Harvey]

Thanks a lot, I'm happy to see others have had this and solved it. I want to do a last test drive with someone else (than my 10 year old daughter) just to confirm the impression it is roof related and not rear deck related.


In either case I'll then decide on whether to do it myself (if it turns out easy, I've already peeped through the back and seen the bolts, maybe reachable from the back? I wonder...) or get it looked at by dealer so if anything goes wrong (like damaging trim, loosing clips, ....) it's his problem (the car's under 6 year warranty...).


PS: I don't think you need to take the door weatherstrip off? I thought the headliner would come down with the three pillars taken off + three back clips (it will stay attached at the front, but that shouldn't matter)

[Harvey]

OK, so I've done a last test drive this evening with someone else and he confirms the sound seems to be coming from the roof. Also, by pressing hard against the leftmost headlinear clip the noise stops, which suggests it is related to the roof moving/resonating. So my plan is to try to get enough of the headliner off tomorrow and tighten the bolts (I was thinking of a quarter turn or so).