Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

*UPDATED, found the problem, check post below*

Ok, I have an early H3, build was sometime in May of 2005, so I know it falls under some of the early build problems. So far I haven't had any major issues.

Yesterday, on the way home, I heard what I thought was a rock hitting the wheel well... Soon after that, the truck started making a loud rattle, almost like a machine gun, or rocks in a tin can. I've done as much checking around as I could, and all seems well with the skidplating and nothing seems loose.

It starts around 2200rpm, at about 20mph and is heard when the windows are down, it sounds equally loud from the driver and passenger side. No sound at all when the truck is idle, and I have had NO noticable power loss or vibrations at all.

I did a search and found JustForFun's post about the problems he's had with his front diff assembly, but from the looks of it he had power loss when his noise started, and I haven't had any?

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

probably the front diff bracket . check the cross-member that the front diff bolts to , and check the bolt . good luck

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

Thx Neo! I'll give it a check, crossing my fingers

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

HAHA! So first thing this morning I go out and lay a tarp down to check out what's going on. Everything looked good with the bolts so I kept looking for what it could be. I notice that the front driveline shaft (whatever it's called :D ) has a large plastic inventory sticker that is half peeled off, and that the metal pan beside it had a nice polished area to it exactly where the sticker was hitting it.

I removed the sticker and took it for a test drive, absolutely no noise anymore.

What a relief :dancingbanana:

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

new kind of sticker shock....

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

Glad it was just a sticker.

I got a scary rattling noise a couple of weeks ago on a trial. The other wheelers said it was the H3 undercarriage loosening up and making noise.

Nope ... it was just a rock bouncing around my skid plates. It bounced back out on the next rocky section.

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

Dam... it would have took the dealer 2 or 3 trips in to figure that out:giggling:

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

Yea and at least 5 days in the shop.:)

Re: Loud rattling sound, please say it ain't so...
 

And an authorization From The General To Repair It...:jump: