Rattle over bumps

[Sereguial]

Ok, I have had my car almost 2 months now, and about 3 weeks (or so) I had a definate exhaust rattle when going over "bumps." Took it in, and they tightened bolts up and fixed problem, then less then a week after that it came back (but this time from passenger side). Took it in again; fixed... sort of... Now the issue is that it "rattles" from the passenger front end area. The rattle is different then the exhaust rattle, not as sharp a sound and not nearly as long (time durration and # of "hits"). This happens at roughly 30-40 MPH going over bumps (filled in pot holes) or railroad tracks.

I live in SC, and this car was one of the only AWDs anywhere near (had to have it delivered from FL), and the first AWD to go through this dealer (according to multiple people in sales), needless to say it is a rarety to see an AWD period, let alone an AWD LX... (4x4 is a different story). And I have SERIOUS doubts as to the experience of this dealership's service department on AWD setups.

Now that the background is out of the way here are the issues/questions:
Wife took it in today, and took a bit but got it to do the rattle again, and the service manager and his "front end guy" both agreed that it sounded like front strut, and after a quick look said "all normal" and said this rattle is normal. It is audible over radio, so it isn't a small thing, so the first questions is, is this "normal"? If it is what is it, and if not has anyone else had this problem fixed and how?

We called the dealer and got them to agree to look further. The service manager said that the front suspensions on AWD vs RWD are the EXACT same... which I know is wrong, since there in AWD parts... and the fact that the ride height is different on AWD (1" or more higher then RWD). Does anyone know what components are different so I have ammo when i go to talk to them?

I just don't want to have something be loose (which the exhaust already was, so why not something else?) and falling off at the wrong time. If it is "normal" I will live with it, but if no one else here has had the same issue with no way to correct it then I want to bring that up to the dealer when they try and tell me it is normal, since I am sure there are more AWD LX's on here then they have SEEN (let alone worked on)

Thanks!

[LowGo]

It will be very difficult to diagnose a "rattle" without being able to hear it. But, I'm sure others will chime in with issues they have had, and hopefully that will help. I don't know of any rattle that is "normal" for an AWD though. I sure don't have one!

The only rattle I've ever had on mine was after I had the air suspension installed and they didn't tighten up the top nuts on the front struts. I doubt that's your problem, but it may be worth double checking.

As for the front suspension, there are many, many differences from the RWD. In fact, a list of parts that are the same would probably be shorter than the ones that are different. Have them look at yours and a RWD side by side.

[Turf]

unless you're absolutely sure it's coming from outside the passenger compartment, check the dash where it meets the A-pillar cover, if it's not pushed together there just right it will make a rattle-like noise. after i installed 3.5" speakers, i didn't quite get it together right, and it sounded like it was coming from the wheel area. i used a little foam rubber under the dash panel to make sure it wouldnt come back.

one thing is for sure, the suspension is very different from a RWD, for one thing it has a drive axle coming through the hub ;). but it is basically the same after that, i mean there's a wheel and control arms and a strut, etc.

[dchemi]

I had a rattle in the front end of my 05 Magnum RT and it turned out to be the tension struts. Paperwork says "tech found front lateral joints rattling." Dealer replaced under warranty.

Part# 4782613AC and 4782612AC

Not sure if the same goes for AWD but it might be worth looking into.

[Sereguial]

Thanks guys, I know diagnosing rattles are difficult if not impossible without hearing it. Buy you guys are answering my questions exactly as I expected, and they are exactly what I thought. Just wanted to have some ammo when I went to the dealer, since I think I am going to end up having words with the service manager after comments like "the front suspension is the exact same." Don't get me wrong, I am not going to start out that way, I know being nice goes a LOT further then being mean, but I hate nothing more then a dealer who really doesn't know something trying to snowball a customer (and I am the wrong customer to do that to). I am just stuck trying to get an AWD fixed in an area where there is probably not one tech who has ANY experience with them, let alone enough to diagnose something as "normal" and i need to let them know that I know that.

I will mention the front lateral joint issue to the techs, and the dash as well. I have not done anything to the car yet and as such I want them to fix any issues. I am not normally one to take anything in let alone have them fix anything I can do easily, but I don't have time, and the whole point of this car is to have a reliable vehicle I don't HAVE to do work on (I have my other vehicles that I do all the work on, and have heavily modified...)

[parawxman]

How did you make out with that rattle? Just today, my 05 AWD with 30K miles just made the same kind of rattle out of the passenger side front. Sounds like a strut or loose sway bar. Any thoughts?

[Red Zeppelin]

I have had similar issues, curious how everyone's diagnosis came out.

Mine started about a year ago and got worse very quickly. I took it in and it turned out to be the tie rod end on the passenger front. Had that replaced under warranty about 10k miles ago. Two days ago I noticed a strange sound, almost like a 'rubbing' noise from what sounds like the front pass. side. It sounds and feels different from the tie rod problem; seems like it should be a sway bar or strut kind of issue.

Any one else resolve anything like that?

[Electrofreak]

Only rattle I've got on my AWD is from the damn sunroof. If I can finally get a day off where it doesn't rain, I'm gonna get it fixed using the guide listed in the Knowledge Base... it's driving me nuts!

[alpinewil81]

I know it's a year past so I consider this the anniversary for helps sake pose...

My 2006 recently had suspension and brake work done. When completed it required an alignment. I left the shop with an obnoxious rattle over minor bumps. Turns out when I climbed under the car I noticed one tie rod not snugged up. I went back to the shop and they hoisted the car and re-tightened everything. Ironically it's still there... the rattle that is. So, I took it upon myself to jack the car and investigate. I learned two things... the first is the AWD uses an "L" shaped and lateral offset tie rod. Second, I learned that mine are very loose. According to my alldatapro.com and my LX Manual, the inner tie rod should be fastened to the power steering rack to 85 ft lbs of torque. This is something that you normally couldn't spin or move with ease. Again, my tie rods are loose at the joint for the inner tie rod... causing no resistance to the movement created when a bump is hit. The result is because the tie rods where incorrectly adjusted during alignment. In lieu of adjusting the outer tie rod, the inner tie rod was adjusted... I just hope this didn't cause any further damage.

When the clunk starts keep in mind the inner tie rod could become loosened causing the heavy offset in the AWD tie rod to simply flop around and bang of the lower control arm.

Hope this helps someone... you can easily check this with the car on the ground to without removing a wheel. It's very obvious.