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plastic rattle help

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by 08Priusguy, May 19, 2018.

  1. 08Priusguy

    08Priusguy Junior Member

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    I have a plastic rattle sound emanating from the lower front passenger side of the vehicle, I believe in front of where the passenger foot area is, in the lower part of the engine compartment.

    It sounds like a cylindrical plastic piece rattling on a metal rod and is very sensitive to any kind of road bump. It comes and goes throughout the day in spring, summer, and fall depending on the outside temperature.

    Has anyone else had this issue?
     
    #1 08Priusguy, May 19, 2018
  2. DangNabbit

    DangNabbit Junior Member

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    I was going to post about the same exact noise! I’ll follow this thread and hope someone has a fix.
     
    #2 DangNabbit, May 19, 2018
  3. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Can you do a short video pls? That might help us over here.
     
    #3 Dxta, May 20, 2018
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I think you should get under the car and look for a loose plastic cover under the engine, or a loose plastic front fender liner.

    Or, maybe a suspension part is loose.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, May 20, 2018
    ITBland and PAUL SCHULTZ like this.
  5. PAUL SCHULTZ

    PAUL SCHULTZ Member

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    ^^^^^ Do this! There is a lot of plastic undercarriage shielding that gets detached due to road debri etc. over time.

    Paul
     
    #5 PAUL SCHULTZ, May 20, 2018
  6. 08Priusguy

    08Priusguy Junior Member

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    Location:
    South Dakota
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Whenever I do oil changes I will search in the wheel wells or in the space between the engine and the cabin for the source of the sound and haven't found anything yet. And I've had the suspension checked here and there because I do a lot traveling in the summer months and want to make sure everything looks in the spring. This noise has been an issue for probably 3-4 years now.

    I found a thread on this site once that may have been the source of the noise, but I lost the link and have not been able to find it since. I remember it was a white plastic piece somewhere in the area I am describing.

    I will try and get video posted on Youtube in the next week or two here.
     
    #6 08Priusguy, May 23, 2018
  7. Don Shouse

    Don Shouse Junior Member

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    a long shot, but there is a plastic "kick plate" on the bottom of the dash and it came loose once when my passenger caught a backpack on it. When I snapped it back into place the rattle ended. Well, that rattle ended, there are of course many others.
     
    #7 Don Shouse, May 28, 2018
  8. DangNabbit

    DangNabbit Junior Member

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    I found my rattle during the recent oil change.

    The front air dam near the oil pan was the culprit. It looks like this vehicle was missing 2-3 10mm fasteners to hold the trim piece.

    It looks like there are 2 pieces that join together under the front bumper. My passenger side was missing a couple.

    See if you can get your car on ramps or crawl underneath. You can move the plastic trim around if it is loose. It created the rattle I heard inside but at a louder volume.

    I used zip ties to hold everything together. So far no more noise.
     
    #8 DangNabbit, Jun 8, 2018
    Don Shouse and ITBland like this.
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