FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

After raising and lowering my hood 5-6 dozen times over the past three months, I think I've loosened up a bolt on the driver's side that's allowing the hood to rattle a bit when I drive.

Any ideas? I've tightened the three bolts that I could find (two painted bolts on the underside of the hood, and one covered by a piece of rubber on the side), but the problem persists. If I shut the hood and gently pull up on the sheet metal near the windshield, I can hear an audible "click" (which is what happens during driving, times a thousand).

bamacaddy

iTrader: (1)

I don't have a rattle at any "normal" speeds....Although I was on a stretch of interstate that isn't open the other day and did a 150+ run. I honestly thought the hood was coming off. I have made one other pull like this and don't remember any issues...I had at least 1-2" of flex/bouncing in the hood...I had to pull over, clean my pants and check that it was latched all the way.

jenks40

iTrader: (3)

Everything on my V rattles. I recomend Hearos brand earplugs, they are sold at many common stores like Walmart and Kmart.

Seriously, have you changed anything under there lately? Don't we have little rubber bumpers like every other american made car that we can adjust to put tension on the hood from the underside? I'm not with my car right now to look at things that could rattle...

STAGEUP

It's a bad hood hinge

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

S10's had this problem too. There was a TSB washer used to fix it. Maybe there is something similar for the V... or you could use the s10 part if the bolt is the same diameter.

pharoh

iTrader: (1)

+1 The dealer had to replace my drivers side hinge on my 07 last year.

raven154

iTrader: (14)

Replaced both hood hinges on my V as well.

JNR_Design

iTrader: (3)

Curious what goes bad on them, or it just can't tighten properly (i.e. too much gap) at the pivot point? If that's the case, I would think a thin nylon washer could take up the slop (the one where it pivots, not where the 2 attach the hood)... Perhaps that get bent a little too and/or just a bad tolerance at the factory...Don't know the 'cause, just guessing based on looking at it.

Be glad we don't use a pin-type setup there though, as that's even worse...My vr4 is like that and forced to buy a new hinge or (what I may o) is make something else...

raven154

iTrader: (14)

The bolt has a shoulder that fits a hole on the other hinge. The hole gets wallered out and causes it to move around. If you could find a bushing, you could probably repair it.

aurora40

iTrader: (1)

I used a thin plastic washer from Home Depot on the hood hinge bolt, this has stopped the rattle.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

Aurora, is this the bolt that you dropped a washer into?

aurora40

iTrader: (1)

Yup, that one. You don't have to take the bolt out, just back it off a little. And cut a line in the washer so you can slide it over.

lubelizard

iTrader: (5)

If the hood hinge is bad, would grabbing the hood and shaking it reveal the rattle noise?

babrown18

yeah.. i had that problem too.. a washer does the trick..

gatesjeff33

I got this problem too. It wasn't a gradual failure, all of a sudden I thought my hood was unlatched as I was driving down the freeway.

Bio248

sounds like you didn't try anything and google took over, but failed.

why did you not pull and pry on your car to see what moved?

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

I had this sound as well. My first thought was low wiper spring tension and the wiper was fluttering up and down on the windshield as air passed over/under it. Then I thought hood but that was tight... Turns out that the plastic cover piece on the cowl is loose from the far driver side mounting point/hole cracking. So at speed air flowing over the hood makes this thing flap and rattle. Easy to check. On mine that whole piece around the wipers is a bit loose. Currently bigger projects on the car.

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

I had that flapping for years when I first bought my car. I didn't want to cut the plastic and I had/have other priorities for fixes, but recently I decided "fock it" and cut the loose pieces off. Problem partly solved. Now the cowl is just ugly.

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

I am telling myself I am going to hit the Chinese Freight for a plastic welder and do some magic there one day but I wouldn't bet my lunch money that I won't end up just ripping the thing off.

raven154

iTrader: (14)

I picked up a used cowl at the u pull for 20 bucks. Looks a lot better than the original.