I am at a stop light or in other idling situations, there is a loud rattling sound?

1996 TOYOTA TERCEL

REDKRYPTON

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My tercel (96 / 166K miles / 4 cylinder) appears to run as normal (there is a subtle hesitation) however when I am at a stop light or in other idling situations, there is a loud rattling sound. I tried to listen to where it appears to be coming from and it sounds as though it is from the front left (passenger side) area under the hood. The past few days, the rattling has died down after driving a couple of miles or so, however it invariably returns. Please advise what it could possibly be and what I can anticipate reasonably to pay for repair. Thanks.

Aug 14, 2007 at 12:29 PM

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JACOBANDNICKOLAS

CAR REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
110,190 POSTS

Hi,

The most common cause of this type of rattle is either a loose heat shield on the exhaust system or a catalytic converter with a loose internal component.

The easiest thing to do is this. Take a rubber mallet and tap on the exhaust to see if you can recreate the sound. Do this when the vehicle is cold. Have a helper listen to see if he can identify what is causing the noise.

I was able to find a technical service bulletin (TSB) related to the heat shields making noise. I attached the information below. The TSB explains what to check and how to fix the problem. I have a feeling this is the problem.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below.

Images (Click to enlarge)

Aug 19, 2021 at 3:55 PM