GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I have a 2006 Vibe base FWD manual transmission. There is a loud rattle/knocking, steady pace, constant. Coming from exhaust tubing on the rear right side, just inside the wheel. Its only noticeable with the windows down beside other cars or walls, the sound is there when the engine is idling and it seems to stop being noticeable above 3000 rpm. It can be heard prominently while standing beside it. It has gotten progressively louder over the last week, so has the volume of the exhaust. Recently (a few weeks ago) got new spark plugs put in and had e-brake cables replaced. I fear i'll need a new muffler or catalytic converter, but funds are tight. Any help is appreciated! Thanks

Loose heat shield?

I went out and took some pictures, here's what I see:
Any thoughts? parts or approx costs?

drive nut nailed it
The first photo is part of your heat shield, it's missing a bolt or two
The second photo is an expansion point in your exhaust, This photo is normal and doesn't need any work to it unless it's leaking. Which judging from this photo it is not. SO leave it alone, ditch the coat hanger on the exhaust manifold heat shield and replace the coat hanger with actual bolts and the noise should go away

Thanks for the reply, great help. Can't do the repairs myself, I currently live in an apartment with no tools. Going to try out a new mechanic, not happy with the work done by this guy.

keithvibe wrote: ditch the coat hanger on the exhaust manifold heat shield

wouldn't be an exhaust manifold back by the rear wheel




any small repair shop or garage should be able to screw it back on, for not too much money. Not a complicated or Vibe unique repair.

joatmon wrote:

keithvibe wrote: ditch the coat hanger on the exhaust manifold heat shield

wouldn't be an exhaust manifold back by the rear wheel




any small repair shop or garage should be able to screw it back on, for not too much money. Not a complicated or Vibe unique repair.

Say what???
the exhaust manifold, AKA header, attaches to the back of the engine block. Which is right next to the firewall and just front of the front axle.
I think you are thinking the muffler heat shield which would be by the back wheels.

Im going to bring it into a shop this week, i think it is just the heat shield rattling but the exhaust itself it getting really loud, and when slowing down it makes a kind of gurgling sound

problem solved, gasket was ok, but the exhaust tube itself had a hole right near the gasket, then it broke off all together, soo loud, got the spring joint thing replaced with a flex joint, no rattles from heat shield any more!

Glad you got it fixed.

keithvibe wrote:

joatmon wrote:

keithvibe wrote: ditch the coat hanger on the exhaust manifold heat shield

wouldn't be an exhaust manifold back by the rear wheel




any small repair shop or garage should be able to screw it back on, for not too much money. Not a complicated or Vibe unique repair.

Say what???
the exhaust manifold, AKA header, attaches to the back of the engine block. Which is right next to the firewall and just front of the front axle.
I think you are thinking the muffler heat shield which would be by the back wheels.

Doug14's captions to the pictures give position relative to the "rear wheel well" and "rear wheel" Technically, the exhaust manifold is in front of the rear wheel well. but I interpreted it as being on the back half of the car because the one pic shows a corner of the gas tank

joatmon wrote:Doug14's captions to the pictures give position relative to the "rear wheel well" and "rear wheel" Technically, the exhaust manifold is in front of the rear wheel well. but I interpreted it as being on the back half of the car because the one pic shows a corner of the gas tank

The exhaust joint shown in the pic by the OP is just forward of the Right rear wheel. Its unusual to see this kind of joint anywhere but at the exhaust manifold, but I guess Toyota elected to use it to join the pipes together.

Not sure where you get the idea the exhaust manifold is at the rear of the car, its bolted to the engine.

Charles

A joke that has to be explained several times stops being funny fast. I was just taking advantage of a strikingly rare opportunity to give keithvibe, who I respect immensely, some grief, a light hearted jab among friends. Since Doug's issue is resolved, its probably not worth worrying about it further at this point.