Hello. This is my first post. Hopefully I am in the right area. I belong to a Nova site which is a great resourse for answers or to help out other members. After reading for a while this site looks great too.

I have a 2005 F150 FX4 crew cab About a week ago it started to make a random rattling sound from the rear area. Sounds like an empty soda can full of pebbles being shaken. I can't seem to narrow the noise down. It seems to happen when going up a slight uphill grade when there is just a little bit of a load on the engine. If i acclerate when it it is rattling it does not seem to get louder or "rattle" faster. As soon as I let off the gas or the load is reduced it seems to stop. I thought it may be something in the bed but I removed everything includinng the bed extender. thinking it may be the drive shaft or rear end but it seems to be running good other than the noise???

Any ideas??

Bythe way my truck is stock except for the front is raised to level it out and it has after market rims and tires.

Thanks

 

sounds like it may be a heat sheild on the exhaust rattling or possibly a baffle in the muffler. crawl under the truck give the exhaust a good thud with your hand and see if you hear anything.

 

so i crawled under my truck and shook/poked eveything I could. the only thing that sounded like the sound i have been experiencing was the "rock" guard near the front of the engine. I think it protects the front differential?? any how any slight tap or shake and it would make the sound. No nuts or bolts loose so I gave it few wacks with the hammer and it seems better. next up the road test...if that did not fix it may have to put the extended warrenty to work.

 

Welcome to the forums!
Check behind your "Rock Guard" and see if some pebbles have made their way in there. I had the same thing a couple of years ago. My noise turned out to be some pebbles stuck between the heat sheild of the catalytic converters. It also had that steel can full of bb's being shaken sound. Drove me
Hope this helps

 

I have the same thing happening, and posted a thread "wierd rattle" before I found this. I placed some rubber under the skid plate mounting points, as there was a rattle when I pounded the front of it. Then I removed it completely, but that wasn't it. I'll check the catalytic converter shield asap. Can the shield be removed, or do you have to fish each pebble out?

 

my problem ended up being a part in the rear end. it had something to do with a vacuum leak not fully engaging....anyhow my extended warrenty covered the problem and the dealer fixed it. has been running good since then...hopefully your issue is less complicated.

 

It sure doesn't sound like it's coming fom the rear end. What runs on a vacuum back there anyway? Only thing I can think of would be some type of locking diff, which I don't have. I looked at the cat shields and couldn't find anything. I couldn't find any loose heat shields either, but it was a rather cursoury inspection, as the weather was bad this weekend and I don't have a garage. I'll keep looking I guess.

 

No pebbles. Took off the skid plate too and not that either. Still doing it. Pissed.

 

Take a look at the exhaust pipe clamps. I had one that came loose but looked like it was still fastened on tight. When I drove it would slide around on the pipe. I had to actually grab it to verify that it was not tight. I also removed the two rear cat heat shields as each of them had a metal tab about 1.5" by 2" rattling around on top of the bottom shield. Good luck.

 

I just found my rattle, after hours of searching mine was similar to what Dinoteck mentioned but mine was at the rear cat connection, the clamp appeared to be tight but the pipe that fit in the exhaust pipe was loose and that was the rattle, finally no rattle, man thats nice

GOD Bless,
jerry