Guys, I have been chasing an awful rattle under my YJ for a few years now; I spent untold hours under it removing and inspecting front end parts and changing out anything that appeared to be even remotely worn to no avail. Well today I finally decide to swallow my pride (Certified aircraft/auto mech for 25 years) and take it to a garage here in town that folks say is pretty good.

They said they'd be glad to take a look at it this Thursday, but when I got home, the weather was nice and I decided to take one last tour under it to look for it myself. The leaves are starting to fall here and when I opened the hood, I started clearing some small leaves out from between the hood and the cowl and just happened to notice a small chaff mark where the hood has been contacting the cowl.

So on a hunch, I got two small shop rags, put them under the hood hinges, closed the hood and proceeded to go for a test drive down a bumpy dirt road with my fingers crossed. Low and behold there was not a single rattle! It appears that the rubber seal between the hood and the cowl has become compressed over time and needs replaced; I installed a small strip of rubber over the worn seal for now, until I can get a new one from the dealer.

I will sleep like a baby tonight, knowing that the only rattle that has ever dumb founded me for years is fixed.

Is it possible???

A Jeep without a rattle?!?!??!?

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Howdy John
How would you have felt if you had taken it in and it came back with that strip of rubber and a bill for $300?
OR a minimum wage guy had seen you looking and told ya to check the hood?
Anyway congrads on finding it. Was it mine it would have that strip of rubber in place for a loooong time! To hell with the dealer.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Jim:

BTDT with rattles. I had a rattle in the dash of my 94 YJ and finally tore it apart to find a couple of small rocks in the defrost ducting. Put everything back together and next time out, I still had a rattle in the dash area although not as bad and only in off-camber situations.

I put up with it for a couple of years. Ended up needing to replace the windshield frame and found the source of the rattle. There was a nut bouncing around inside the windshield frame that had apparently been there from the factory. The YJ has had at least 2 previous owners...