Any suggestions how to quiet down a squeaky dash?

[BillyT903]

It's pretty loud and constant over every bump and seems to be coming from somewhere near the passenger side Mach speaker and airbag cover.

There is also a loud rattles in the rear drivers side that I thought was the back window or seat belt lock, but it doesn't seem to be either. I am wondering if it's something to do with the convertible top hinges.

Also, this is a 1999 Convertible that has the Eibach Pro Spring Kit installed that I assume makes these noises worse.

 

[txredgt]

It's pretty loud and constant over every bump and seems to be coming from somewhere near the passenger side Mach speaker and airbag cover.

There is also a loud rattles in the rear drivers side that I thought was the back window or seat belt lock, but it doesn't seem to be either. I am wondering if it's something to do with the convertible top hinges.

Also, this is a 1999 Convertible that has the Eibach Pro Spring Kit installed that I assume makes these noises worse.

Sounds like this are just part of the package. Little rattles happen all the time with my dash pieces but I just give them a friendly tap and they cease for a bit. If your car hassubframes I've heard that they will increase after that since your tightening up pieces that were used to moving before..

 

[robmac36067]

I think it's a vert thing dude

right after I installed my springs, I get a dash squeak from time to time as well, if I got the radio on I can't hear it anyways. I guess it's just something we will have to live with.

 

[N8Dogg98]

o/r midpipe and a flowpath catback should do the trick

 

[Rejekt]

Yep, I think mine has a few squeeks but it's covered up by my SLP exhaust!

 

[nancygrl]

Get a louder exhaust, or just turn up the volume on the radio

 

[olred]

I usually just hit stuff until the noise shuts up...

 

[N8Dogg98]

 

[BillyT903]

Anyone have any more useful and perhaps sophisticated suggestions than hillbilly fixes like cranking the radio, running open headers, or punching things?

 

[olred]

Anyone have any more useful and perhaps sophisticated suggestions than hillbilly fixes like cranking the radio, running open headers, or punching things?

Get a 2011?

 

[N8Dogg98]

earplugs

 

[Flghtmstr1]

Anyone have any more useful and perhaps sophisticated suggestions than hillbilly fixes like cranking the radio, running open headers, or punching things?

I had the same problem as you, but worse. The previous owner of my car had taken apart some interior panels and painted them silver. When he did this, he broke many of the mounting tabs that secure the trim pieces to the dash. As you can imagine, this made the rattles unbearable. To fix them, I actually ripped the whole interior out of the car, and put it back together with felt pads between the panels. It took a good portion of the weekend, but it was a fun project, and it worked.

 

[Rejekt]

Trade it in on a Camry?

 

[nancygrl]

Anyone have any more useful and perhaps sophisticated suggestions than hillbilly fixes like cranking the radio, running open headers, or punching things?

Ok. Not trying to be a wisea$$ biotch, but you are talking about a 1999. That's 11 going on 12 model yrs old. They weren't quiet for very long when they were new, and you have lowering springs which aren't helping any either.

If you want to quiet things down you're gonna have take things apart section by section and cushion/isolate plastic on plastic parts/pieces etc. until they're all quiet to your satisfaction.

 

[BillyT903]

Ok. Not trying to be a wisea$$ biotch, but you are talking about a 1999. That's 11 going on 12 model yrs old. They weren't quiet for very long when they were new, and you have lowering springs which aren't helping any either.

If you want to quiet things down you're gonna have take things apart section by section and cushion/isolate plastic on plastic parts/pieces etc. until they're all quiet to your satisfaction.

People with classic cars have been able to quiet don't their rattles and squeaks so it should be doable on an 11 year old car as well. Taking things apart is what I assumed I'd need to do. Are there any online "How-to's" for that sort of stuff and perhaps kits for it?

I had the same problem as you, but worse. The previous owner of my car had taken apart some interior panels and painted them silver. When he did this, he broke many of the mounting tabs that secure the trim pieces to the dash. As you can imagine, this made the rattles unbearable. To fix them, I actually ripped the whole interior out of the car, and put it back together with felt pads between the panels. It took a good portion of the weekend, but it was a fun project, and it worked.

Mission accomplished eh? Good job. Did you just use any old felt from a craft store or might there be some specialized adhesive felt strips for this sort of application? Something like that stick-on felt "Mole Skin" people put on their blistered feet, but in black maybe. Any other things besides felt you could see being helpful?

 

[007]

I'm also interested in serious responses. If anyone has a "how to" on something like this, I'd be happy to pull off all the panels and add padding in the right places. The creaking trim sounds so cheap.

 

[Rejekt]

This covers the A/C vent rattles.


BULLITT Archive center AC vent rattle repair

 

[txredgt]

People with classic cars have been able to quiet don't their rattles and squeaks so it should be doable on an 11 year old car as well. Taking things apart is what I assumed I'd need to do. Are there any online "How-to's" for that sort of stuff and perhaps kits for it?



Mission accomplished eh? Good job. Did you just use any old felt from a craft store or might there be some specialized adhesive felt strips for this sort of application? Something like that stick-on felt "Mole Skin" people put on their blistered feet, but in black maybe. Any other things besides felt you could see being helpful?

The classics that you speak of though are completely rebuilt from the ground up so of course they will be tight as can be. The only way you are going to be able to fix the sounds and rattles is basically take the dash completely apart which will be a good little project. The felt pads don't sound like a bad idea and after that it basically comes down to how bad is it. You COULD glue or maybe silicon the pieces together and they might come apart when you have to get back into it but its really not going to help that much. Is the sound plastic or metal? It really is just a fact of life with driving a sports car and espically if you or the previous owner rode her hard and put her away wet.

Btw, redneck fix to me seems to be glueing or other 'pieces' that were not there to begin with just so you can have what you think is a quieter car. I have sound deadening for the exhaust drone and that helps for that, might consider it if your that worried about the plastic making noises.

 

[BillyT903]

The creaking trim sounds so cheap.

Exactly.

All the wow factor of what a clean Mustang I have is washed away within seconds of the person getting in the car and I start driving.

 

[Flghtmstr1]

Mission accomplished eh? Good job. Did you just use any old felt from a craft store or might there be some specialized adhesive felt strips for this sort of application? Something like that stick-on felt "Mole Skin" people put on their blistered feet, but in black maybe. Any other things besides felt you could see being helpful?

In retrospect, I really wish I had made a "how-to" for that project, because I've had tons of people ask me how I did it. I wasn't following a plan or anything; I was just learning as I went along, so I didn't think to document my steps at the time. After living with the car for about 2 years, I already knew which panels were the likely culprits, so I focused on them. On my car, the trouble spots were the center A/C vents, the shifter surround, the passenger's side airbag cover, the gauge cluster bezel, and the door handle / window switch bezels.

As far as what felt I used, I don't remember. It was white, and had an adhesive backing. I actually got the idea from taking apart the dash of my friend's 1999 Dakota R/T. Chrysler used little green felt / velvet pads on all of the trim mounting tabs to keep them from rattling, and I thought to myself "Why can't I do that?" I don't think it really matters what type of felt is used, so just head to a crafts store and see what they have.