# Loud vibration sound

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/loud-vibration-sound/61423>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** outback, vibration, subaru\
**Created:** [February 16, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/loud-vibration-sound/61423 "2011-02-16T18:38:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Easyaspie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Easyaspie](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Easyaspie)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/loud-vibration-sound/61423/1 "2011-02-16T18:38:32Z")

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I have a 2004 outback with just over 100k miles on it. It has been making a loud vibrating sound lately. It makes the sound when idling and even louder when I step on the gas, but at highway speeds the sound disappears. I do not actually FEEL a vibration, it just sounds as though something is vibrating/rattling. We had a mechanic check it out and they thought it was an exhaust issue. Apparently not, because the sound is still there.

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/loud-vibration-sound/61423/2 "2011-02-16T18:47:44Z")

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You didn’t tell us where the sound is emanating from, but if it seems like it is coming from underneath the car, the most likely explanation is a loose or bent heat shield on the exhaust system.

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**Author:** ![realbinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@realbinky](https://community.cartalk.com/u/realbinky)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/loud-vibration-sound/61423/3 "2011-02-16T19:18:22Z")

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“We had a mechanic check it out and they thought it was an exhaust issue. Apparently not, because the sound is still there.”

Does this mean the mechanic changed something with the exhaust?

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**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/loud-vibration-sound/61423/4 "2011-02-16T19:42:03Z")

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Let’s start with locating it. Get about four feet of garden hose and use that as a stethoscope and locate the source of the noise.

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**Author:** ![sunsetsub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@sunsetsub](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sunsetsub)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/loud-vibration-sound/61423/5 "2011-02-20T20:04:58Z")

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Sounds like the exhaust manifold heat shields have come loose. Happens frequently. First time I had them replaced at the dealer, very expensive. Second time I tied upper and lower shields together with a heavy gauge wire twist tie. Just drilled a hole in the standing seam of the lower shield and connected to an existing hole in the upper shield. No rattles since.