Squeaks Dash rattle under acceleration

[St3ph3n]

Hi folks,

I hear a very annoying vibration/rattle sound from the left hand side of the dash area (passenger side in RHD car) when I accelerate - only under acceleration, and only apparently between approx 1800 and 2500 rpm. At all other times its silent.

Car is a 2 month old 1.8 i-vtec ES. I have checked for any loose stuff that might be bouncing around in the glove box and there's nothing there that could account for this noise.

Anyone have any idea what's causing it?

[Kremmen]

You'll need a passenger to pinpoint it.

If it's location is still uncertain then you will need a passenger with a length of tubing to use like a stethoscope.

Don't be fooled by where you think the rattle is though. I had a similar experience and it turned out to be something in the centre armrest box that sounded further away.

Remove everything from everywhere and even move the passenger seat a notch.

[pcr]

I must have fixed 20 or 30 rattles by now, I can remember three in that area. You need to press and poke at things to narrow down the area.

The flat knob of the passenger-side air vent rattled lighty. Can be packed with a piece of card.

The lower air duct rattled, fixed by sealing it's joint.

Glovebox door knocked occasionally, fixed by packing it's hinges with greased soft leather.

Others have reported a rattle around the sharp corner of the panel which is above the central air vents.

Do let us know the cause so it can be added to the list.

[AndyGill]

Pcr, I still have a rattle at the sharp corner of the flat dash above the central air vents. Dealer tried to put insulation in but it's still there and getting worse. You say you've fixed loads of rattles - any ideas how to fix this one???

[pcr]

Sorry AndyGill, that one I have only read about on this forum somewhere. If it were me I would remove that panel, or get the dealer to do it, and see what it's like with it removed.

[PTR]

Originally Posted by pcr

The lower air duct rattled, fixed by sealing it's joint.

pcr! could you describe it more or add a pic where you have made the mod exactly. would be very helpful for me!

[pcr]

PTR,
This is the air duct outlet located below the glovebox. It's hard to gain access to it so unless touching it cures the rattle, best leave alone.
To gain access the glovebox has to be removed. Then you can see where it joins the rest of the heater ducting, two pawls hold it on.
The part is made of two pieces. I found the seams between them were loose and tightened them by packing the clips. When refitting, I used some soft plastercine type sealant similar to Blu-tac to stop any movement in the joint.
Not sure it's worth the effort, but I had the glovebox removed for another reason so it was no problem.

[St3ph3n]

Is removing the glovebox difficult on the Civic? On my old Hyundai Coupe it was only a matter of removing 6 screws and disconnecting the wire for the glovebox light.

[pcr]

All info on glovebox removal can be found on the forum.

There are nine panels to remove in order :-
1) Driver's-side dash end triangle.
2) Driver's-side under-dash panel.
3) Gearstick silver trim.
4) Centre console rear (piece with cupholders and cig lighter).
5) Centre console front, (piece with silver odds-and-ends box).
6) Passenger-side dash end triangle.
7) Passenger-side under-dash panel.
Glovebox door.
9) Glovebox.

Get the picture, gulp. Hope I haven't forgotten any.

[St3ph3n]

Bloody hell, that sounds complicated!

[theonefelix]

i hade that too, but soon found out that it was a result of me putting too much strain on the engine in the wrong gear.. kind of resonance as a result of light knocking.. you might think i's no excuse, but try this;
Find out what gear it happens in.. in my case it was trying to accellerate, full throttle in third, from a low speed. soon found out it made much more sense (economy and performance), to drop down to second and rev it a bit ** shiftig to third.

in my opinion, you could fix the rattle, but would be better off adjusting your driving style to the characteristics of the engine.

[St3ph3n]

I'll give that a try, sounds easier than tearing the dash apart

[pcr]

St3,
I made that sound a bit daunting, it is actually quite straightforward. I guess it took maybe two hours, being cautious, and I reckon it would be nearer half an hour if it needed doing again.

[St3ph3n]

Changing my driving style and moving the passenger seat hasn't made a difference. Bizarrely on my way in to work this morning (12 miles) it was silent. 20 minutes ago it was making the usual noise. ***?

[jayt43]

St3ph3n,

I'm now experiencing the same sort of resonance between 1800 and 2500 rpm, or after start up when the engine is cold.

On certain days it sounds like the noise if coming from the top of the instrument binnacle, but on others is seems to resonate from the central windscreen area.

Really, really, annoying, especially if I'm crawling along in a traffic jam.

Curiously, with the engine off, if I close the boot I can actually hear the same noise, this time from the outside.

Mine also stops occasionally, most recently on the day I had it serviced (so the garage staff failed to locate and fix it).

I'll be investigating further, although I can't take the car apart at the moment as my wife is due to give birth within the next week!

[ante00]

for that rattles did you check dashboard? (part above your rpm clock)....mine had rattles there when accelerateing.....I pushed out top of dash and then in....there wasn't any rattles anymore from there

[jayt43]

Thanks Ante, yes I'll check that. Shall report back on my findings in due course.

[St3ph3n]

The rattles in mine seem to be coming from the passenger side rather than the driver side :/

[kokolakis]

Originally Posted by ante00

for that rattles did you check dashboard? (part above your rpm clock)....mine had rattles there when accelerateing.....I pushed out top of dash and then in....there wasn't any rattles anymore from there

Hello to everyone,
ante00 mine "squicks" most of the time,especially when moving on bumpy roads (that means 90% of the time here in Greece ). I've tried to move it in and out but hopelessly.today i was installing my parrot car-kit and i was thinking if it's safe to spray in the area you pinpoint with dry silicon spray, for the tacho i mean?Is the dash sealed or will the silicon drains in?
Thanks in advance.

[ante00]

i think it's safe to sprey because tacho is protected but I'm not quite sure....or you could take of dashboard and refit it again and see if rattles are still there