Miata Mailing List: March 1993, Message #137
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   From: (none)
Subject: Re: Speaking of rattles...
   Date: (none)


Russ Croman, you had a problem with a rattle.

I do to. It seems all Miatas have a mechanical rattle from 
either the gear box or the differential at above 3000 rpm and at
light throttle (not during harder acceleration or deceleration).

First I thought I was the only one who had this problem I took it to
the dealer several times but they could never hear it, I also talked to
a few Miata owner, but they had never had that problem. I asked the
Miata list about it, but no one had the problem. I have owned two
Miatas and both had this problem (I am still driving the second one). I
have driven two other Miatas, and they also had this problem. I think
all cars have this problem, it's just that most people either short
shift or run it flat out, and under these two situations you will never
hear the noise. My driving style is kind of "nervous", i.e. I
constantly keep the rpm's around 3 to 4K so that I have instant power
available. Maybe that's why the noise bothers me more than it bothers
others.

I should say that when I took my fried out in his car and forced him to
drive like me, he could hear the noise too. Now he's mad at me for
making him aware of the noise :-) If it hadn't been for me he wouldn't
have known about it. The dealer heard the noise too, when I took him
for a drive, but they couldn't do anything about it, they said.

The noise becomes very apparent when I drive next to a brick wall or I
high curb (that reflects the sound). With the driver side window down.
With the top down I usually don't hear it at all.

All in all, I have learned to live with it. I just pretend I have a
racing gear box :-)

By the way, has anyone tried the large diameter Borla exhaust system.
Somebody wrote that it was 2.5" in diameter. That should overpower the
rattling noise, don't you think??


All the best,
Michael Englund


>From miata@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu Mon Mar 29 16:13:54 1993
>  1) In any gear, there is a faint whirring/rattling noise that seems to
>     orginate near the back of the car.  The catch is, it's only present at
>     *light* throttle settings.  It disappears at heavy or coast settings.
>     Is this just normal rear-end noise or should I be looking for metal
>     shavings?  This being my first rear-wheel drive machine, I'm not quite
>     used to the ideosynracies yet.
>
>Russ Croman