Door Rattles - Possible Cures - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 10:50 AM

In an attempt to diagnose some door rattles, I decided to spend some time taking things apart and figure out where these noises come from. For me, this was about a distinct and cheezy sounded buzzing rattle that came from the upper front of the door every time it was shut. You could hear it on the inside and outside and easily reproduced if you pounded on the outer door shell with the side of your first just below the mirror and on the inside on that upper top left painted metal area just next to the door trim panel. I narrowed it down to the area just above where the electrical connector mounts, you could plainly hear it. However, it was curious since there isn't anything up there inside the door - or so I thought...

The first picture is the outside of the door, obviously. The buzzing metallic sounding rattle was coming from above where that connector is, about a couple of inches from above that hole where the female connector inserts from inside the door shell.

The second picture shows the inside of the door before removal of the connector from the door shell. I noticed if you pull back and let go that corner with the arrow pointing to it, it would slap against the metal of the door shell. Strum it like a guitar and sure enough, that was the same sound I heard when closing the door.

The third picture shows how I put piece of bicycle inner tube as far down as I could (by pulling the metal outward and letting the rubber slip down and then letting the metal go again).

Worked like a charm!

Spartan01 · 11-26-2014, 10:52 AM

Op-
so it was that broken clip on the electrical connector?

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spartan01

Op-
so it was that broken clip on the electrical connector?

Hi Spartan, unsure which clip you're looking at, I don't think any were broken on either side but I might have missed something. Alas, such fragile plastics these days.

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 02:17 PM

Another "rattle" I discovered is that the rubber insulator will vibrate like a drum when the door is closed. I fixed this by putting a couple of small squares of something like this on the door panel where it contacts this area:

Another noise down...

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 02:24 PM

This one was more interesting since it doesn't make a rattle or vibration/flutter sound. The sound this was causing was actually more of a "creak", like an old door opening in a horror movie, but higher pitched and quicker.

That little circular "nub" sits in a mating hole in the door cage. However, it didn't seem to be sitting perfectly centered and the ridge of the "nub" was rubbing against the metal and creating this noise (as you'll sometimes get with rubber rubbing things).

I put some silicone grease on the backside and noise gone!

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 02:26 PM

This one was subtle and I'm not 100% if it was making a noise, but this tag is pretty stiff. If I picked it up and let it go, it would hit the metal and making a light ticking noise. I wrapped it with a small cable tie

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 02:30 PM

Next up, the tweeter. This was a noise that was a 'ticking' plasticy noise when driving. I don't have a picture, but it was the tweeter itself inside the frame. There's a phone pad that pushes against the tweeter to hold it in place, along with plastic tabs - that might have been working 3 years ago

I put another piece of foam in to hold it, but there's also an issue with the tabs that hold the cover on, one side is plastic tabs and the other is a screw. Things were a little warped on the non-screw side and I had to apply liquid duct tape (super glue) lightly in a couple of spots. Plastic cement might have held better longer term, but I find it melts plastic a bit and it will be a bear to get apart in the future. Small dot or two of superglue and you can cut with exacto between the halves in the future, if required.

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 02:32 PM

PS: This is an RS and I was totally underwhelmed by the woofer. Cheapa$$ driver. The dome tweeter wasn't so bad, but it make me want to get replacements.

sbubbaklein · 11-26-2014, 04:00 PM

great information

blackswan · 11-26-2014, 08:55 PM

Thanks pleasure to help

blackswan · 11-30-2014, 02:50 PM

Another source of "squeak/creak" is the rubber along the mirror. I noticed if I push on it horizontally side-to-side I could easily make it squeak. Would benefit from a thing film of grease I supposed, there are quite a few areas like this where the rubber contacts painted finish.

blackswan · 12-09-2014, 08:50 PM

By the way I used rubbing alcohol to refresh the stickiness is that glue used on the rubber rain shield

The Flash · 11-23-2015, 07:43 PM

"...sweating the details".

What a thorough work and investigative job!

Thanks for sharing the results of your hard work and for taking the trouble to put pics in your post

I made a reference and will come back to copy/paste and save your post for future reference.

Safe driving,

The Flash

Airway Monkey · 11-24-2015, 05:22 PM

So I'm glad I'm reading this now....just started hearing a ticking and vibration from the passenger side door panel/possible tweeter on the passenger side door that will start while driving or with any volume greater than 14 (even talk shows----and that's just aggravating). And only 6000 miles.....UGH

-Matt

11-26-2014, 10:50 AM	#1
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	Door Rattles - Possible Cures In an attempt to diagnose some door rattles, I decided to spend some time taking things apart and figure out where these noises come from. For me, this was about a distinct and cheezy sounded buzzing rattle that came from the upper front of the door every time it was shut. You could hear it on the inside and outside and easily reproduced if you pounded on the outer door shell with the side of your first just below the mirror and on the inside on that upper top left painted metal area just next to the door trim panel. I narrowed it down to the area just above where the electrical connector mounts, you could plainly hear it. However, it was curious since there isn't anything up there inside the door - or so I thought... The first picture is the outside of the door, obviously. The buzzing metallic sounding rattle was coming from above where that connector is, about a couple of inches from above that hole where the female connector inserts from inside the door shell. The second picture shows the inside of the door before removal of the connector from the door shell. I noticed if you pull back and let go that corner with the arrow pointing to it, it would slap against the metal of the door shell. Strum it like a guitar and sure enough, that was the same sound I heard when closing the door. The third picture shows how I put piece of bicycle inner tube as far down as I could (by pulling the metal outward and letting the rubber slip down and then letting the metal go again). Worked like a charm! Attached Images Last edited by blackswan; 11-26-2014 at 01:30 PM.

11-26-2014, 10:52 AM	#2
Spartan01 Drives: Evil Eva, 2010 2SS LS3 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Falls Church, Virginia Posts: 3,600	Op- so it was that broken clip on the electrical connector? __________________ "You simply cannot trust quotes found on the internet." -Abraham Lincoln

11-26-2014, 02:17 PM	#4
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	Another "rattle" I discovered is that the rubber insulator will vibrate like a drum when the door is closed. I fixed this by putting a couple of small squares of something like this on the door panel where it contacts this area: Another noise down... Attached Images

11-26-2014, 02:24 PM	#5
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	This one was more interesting since it doesn't make a rattle or vibration/flutter sound. The sound this was causing was actually more of a "creak", like an old door opening in a horror movie, but higher pitched and quicker. That little circular "nub" sits in a mating hole in the door cage. However, it didn't seem to be sitting perfectly centered and the ridge of the "nub" was rubbing against the metal and creating this noise (as you'll sometimes get with rubber rubbing things). I put some silicone grease on the backside and noise gone! Attached Images

11-26-2014, 02:26 PM	#6
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	This one was subtle and I'm not 100% if it was making a noise, but this tag is pretty stiff. If I picked it up and let it go, it would hit the metal and making a light ticking noise. I wrapped it with a small cable tie Attached Images

11-26-2014, 02:30 PM	#7
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	Next up, the tweeter. This was a noise that was a 'ticking' plasticy noise when driving. I don't have a picture, but it was the tweeter itself inside the frame. There's a phone pad that pushes against the tweeter to hold it in place, along with plastic tabs - that might have been working 3 years ago I put another piece of foam in to hold it, but there's also an issue with the tabs that hold the cover on, one side is plastic tabs and the other is a screw. Things were a little warped on the non-screw side and I had to apply liquid duct tape (super glue) lightly in a couple of spots. Plastic cement might have held better longer term, but I find it melts plastic a bit and it will be a bear to get apart in the future. Small dot or two of superglue and you can cut with exacto between the halves in the future, if required.

11-26-2014, 02:32 PM	#8
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	PS: This is an RS and I was totally underwhelmed by the woofer. Cheapa$$ driver. The dome tweeter wasn't so bad, but it make me want to get replacements.

11-26-2014, 04:00 PM	#9
sbubbaklein Drives: early 2011 Camaro convertible Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: House Springs, Mo Posts: 2,002 View My Garage	great information __________________ Early 2011 LT Convertible, ZL1 bumper, hood, side skirts, belly pan and wheels, Truecarbon ECF hood extractor, K&N CAI, Elite catch can, Big Worm Bow Tie emblems, Jacfab bracket, Vitesse TC, BMR strut brace, BMR tunnel brace, NPP exhaust

11-26-2014, 08:55 PM	#10
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	Thanks pleasure to help

11-30-2014, 02:50 PM	#11
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	Another source of "squeak/creak" is the rubber along the mirror. I noticed if I push on it horizontally side-to-side I could easily make it squeak. Would benefit from a thing film of grease I supposed, there are quite a few areas like this where the rubber contacts painted finish. Attached Images

12-09-2014, 08:50 PM	#12
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	By the way I used rubbing alcohol to refresh the stickiness is that glue used on the rubber rain shield

11-23-2015, 07:43 PM	#13
The Flash Drives: Firebird 95, Equinox 05, Camaro 2SS Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Panama Posts: 287 View My Garage	You brought a new meaning to... "...sweating the details". What a thorough work and investigative job! Thanks for sharing the results of your hard work and for taking the trouble to put pics in your post I made a reference and will come back to copy/paste and save your post for future reference. Safe driving, The Flash __________________

11-24-2015, 05:22 PM	#14
Airway Monkey Drives: 2015 2SS/1LE Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: SC Posts: 175 View My Garage	So I'm glad I'm reading this now....just started hearing a ticking and vibration from the passenger side door panel/possible tweeter on the passenger side door that will start while driving or with any volume greater than 14 (even talk shows----and that's just aggravating). And only 6000 miles.....UGH -Matt