Loud rattle

**Z ROADSTER** · 05-25-2009, 07:39 PM

Here's a good one . My 02 vert has been completly trouble free until yesterday while crusing with the top down . I was sitting at the intersection when the light changed and started to pull away when I heard this not very loud rattle that I thought was coming from the car next to me . Well as it turned out it was coming from my car . It only made the rattling noise as i slowly accelerated away from a light . No noise while idle or just cruising . I got out to check & couldn't see anything so I Nailed the son-of-a-bitch , thats when it got real loud and I saw what looked like black pieces of plastic coming from under the car .It kinda sounded like it was coming from around the starter and flex plate and cover . I was close to home so I drove it on in . Now I have to decide whether to drive it to the shop or have it towed . It sits pretty low so I'm not sure I want to take a chance with a wrecker but not sure about driving it either . Anybody have any idea what it could possibly be ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated .
Thanks .

**nillam1** · 05-25-2009, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Z ROADSTER

Here's a good one . My 02 vert has been completly trouble free until yesterday while crusing with the top down . I was sitting at the intersection when the light changed and started to pull away when I heard this not very loud rattle that I thought was coming from the car next to me . Well as it turned out it was coming from my car . It only made the rattling noise as i slowly accelerated away from a light . No noise while idle or just cruising . I got out to check & couldn't see anything so I Nailed the son-of-a-bitch , thats when it got real loud and I saw what looked like black pieces of plastic coming from under the car .It kinda sounded like it was coming from around the starter and flex plate and cover . I was close to home so I drove it on in . Now I have to decide whether to drive it to the shop or have it towed . It sits pretty low so I'm not sure I want to take a chance with a wrecker but not sure about driving it either . Anybody have any idea what it could possibly be ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated .
Thanks .

Sounds like it could have been a heat sheild all carboned up to look black! Is the sound gone?

**Z ROADSTER** · 05-25-2009, 07:52 PM

NO ! Loud as hell . Increases with RPM .

**Spaz** · 05-26-2009, 02:22 PM

could be your cats breaking apart...

**midnightnavyz28** · 05-26-2009, 03:14 PM

^ true ....... my heatshield broke on my driver side cat....after ur cars been parked a while u can grab the cat from the engine bay and pull on it to see if its loose......easy fix

**02Sweet** · 05-28-2009, 04:42 PM

is it original exhaust and how many miles. It might be time to replace your exhaust from rot

**cammed goat** · 05-28-2009, 04:44 PM

When I first began reading this, I thought it was gonna be differential chatter.

**Firebirdjones** · 05-28-2009, 04:59 PM

Just raise it up and have a peek. Sounds like the cheapo plastic shield that bolts in behind the starter has come loose,,,and the flywheel chewed it up. It rides within 1/4 inch of the flywheel and if moved much at all it wouldn't take much for the flywheel teeth and/or torque converter bolts to snag ahold of it.

**Z ROADSTER** · 06-08-2009, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

Just raise it up and have a peek. Sounds like the cheapo plastic shield that bolts in behind the starter has come loose,,,and the flywheel chewed it up. It rides within 1/4 inch of the flywheel and if moved much at all it wouldn't take much for the flywheel teeth and/or torque converter bolts to snag ahold of it.

There you go . Turns out that a torque converter bolt came out and was rattleing around the flex plate and starter . Destroyed both the flex plate & the starter,dust cover but nothing else . Go figure ! $807.00 later I'm on the road again . Could've been much much worse.
Thanks Guy's

**Firebirdjones** · 06-09-2009, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by Z ROADSTER

There you go . Turns out that a torque converter bolt came out and was rattleing around the flex plate and starter . Destroyed both the flex plate & the starter,dust cover but nothing else . Go figure ! $807.00 later I'm on the road again . Could've been much much worse.
Thanks Guy's

Glad that helped and you found it. Sorry that it did that much damage though. Sure sounded like a good excuse to upgrade the torque converter though