1993 Camry rattle

The Show
1

I have a 1993 Toyota Camry V6 SE.

Within the past couple months I have developed this “rattling” sound when I am accelerating. I noticed the sound the most between 1500-1750 rpms. To me it sounds like a loose exhaust pipe, some recommended heat shield.

At a recent inspection, I had the guys look under the car and they did not find any loose exhaust pipes or heat shields.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

2

It may not be a loose heat shield but it might be a BENT one. I have owned enough Toyotas to know that you need to check to make sure that none of your heat shields are pushed in or bent. If any have been pushed in then when you accelerate the engine (due to torque) rotates slightly in the motor mounts and pushes the exhaust pipe against the offending heat shield and, presto magico, you get a rattle. I’ll bet you a jelly donut that this is your problem.

3

  • Knocking sometimes sounds like that.

  • If the motor mount is loose, something on the engine could be hitting something it is not supposed to hit.

  • A loose fray on a belt.

  • A worn water pump bearing.

  • A worn air conditioner clutch.

  • If the radiator fan is on the engine (most aren’t, nowdays), it could be hitting the shroud.

  • Something else might have a resonant frequency at that RPM range. One time, I had a the radio antenna that buzzed when the engine hit certain speeds.

4

I mentioned this to my mechanic and he didn’t find anything (bent or loose) with the heat shield. He said something in or around the catalitic converter was rattling and said it could be pretty expensive to fix. Also said it wasn’t anything pressing to fix.

In response to “troubleshooter” it sounds more lick a rattle than a knock. My belts have been replaced not that long ago, but my guy said my water pump is starting to go.