98 S-10: Buzzing rattle
Question:
> > Do you have a bug deflector on the front? I’ve heard of bug deflectors >disrupting the air flow enough to cause this problem as well as a shaking >of the mirrors. This happened on my Dad’s GMC Sierra. Good luck. > No. Now they’ve replaced the weather stripping around the driver’s > door and the third door, neither of which makes sense to me because > the noise comes from *both* sides. The truck is still in the shop > while they try to pinpoint the source of the noise. > Dick Evans
This may be a long shot, and I hope to God they fixed this by now (a decade later), but on my 89 S15, both the outboard vents have some play in them. They buzz sometimes on the highway and sound sort of like a wire shorting out. Since their placement makes for "stereo" sound, it took me a long time to figure out where the noise was coming from. At first I was sure it was just behind the mirror of the driver’s side door, then I was positive it was some rust flakes rattling inside the steering wheel, finally I stuck a pencil in the vent and pushed down while driving and the sound stopped. It’s something to check into at least. — TREAD Online! Cycle Magazine – Authoring & Image Scanning. http://tread.pair.com/ – http://tread.pair.com/treadpub/.
Response:
I have seen this condition caused by a bug shield. Have you installed one? If so remove it and see if the noise goes away. Good Luck, Gary
Response:
>No. Now they’ve replaced the weather stripping around the driver’s >door and the third door, neither of which makes sense to me because >the noise comes from *both* sides. The truck is still in the shop >while they try to pinpoint the source of the noise.
Well, the dealer called me this morning and, for the third time this week, assured me the problem was solved. "Mr. Evans, I drove the truck myself, and the rattle is gone." I don’t know what truck he drove, but it certainly wasn’t mine. I left the dealership and as soon as I hit 50mph, there it was. And it’s not subtle, mind you. It’s like someone blowing a kazoo. So, I fixed the problem myself. Drove straight to the Ford dealer and traded it for a Ranger. Took a beating on the trade, but now that I’m driving the Ford I’m more convinced than ever that there was something not right about the S-10. There is not a squeak, rattle, or wind whistle in the Ford, while the S-10 was a symphony of all three from the day I drove it home. Thanks for all the suggestions. Dick Evans
Response:
>I have seen this condition caused by a bug shield. Have you installed one? >If so remove it and see if the noise goes away. Good Luck, Gary
As I said in an earlier post, I gave up and traded the S-10 for a Ranger back in June. Last night I got a phone call from the guy who bought the S-10. He had found my name on the warranty book and wanted to know why I had traded the truck with so little mileage on it. I explained about the rattle (and a series of other minor but annoying problems). He had experienced the rattle and had traced it to a cracked grill. At 45mph, the cracked member would vibrate, transmitting the buzz back so that it sounded like it was coming from around the windshield. Why the grill was cracked is anybody’s guess. Dick Evans
Response:
check the plack cover undew the windsheld wiper to see if it is
Response:
Do you have a bug deflector on the front? I’ve heard of bug deflectors disrupting the air flow enough to cause this problem as well as a shaking of the mirrors. This happened on my Dad’s GMC Sierra. Good luck. Bob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I have a ‘98 S-10 with 4,800 miles on it. At about 4,000 miles, it > developed a buzzing rattle that comes on at about 50mph and is so > annoying I can’t drive with the windows down. It seemed to be coming > from the driver-side mirror, but I was not able to eliminate it by > adjusting or covering the mirror. It sounds like something buzzing in > the wind. > I took the truck to the dealer, who test drove it and found that the > noise seems to come from *both* mirrors. I had not noticed because I > had not driven with the passenger window down. He claimed that > replacing both mirrors would cure the problem. At that point, I was > skeptical that something could have simultaneously gone wrong in both > mirrors to cause such a noise. > Anyway, they replaced both mirrors and it made no difference > whatsoever and the truck is back in the shop for further diagnosis. > I suspect the noise is coming from somewhere else and through some > acoustical illusion seems to be coming from the mirrors. > Anyone seen anything like this? > Dick Evans
Response:
> Do you have a bug deflector on the front? I’ve heard of bug deflectors >disrupting the air flow enough to cause this problem as well as a shaking >of the mirrors. This happened on my Dad’s GMC Sierra. Good luck.
No. Now they’ve replaced the weather stripping around the driver’s door and the third door, neither of which makes sense to me because the noise comes from *both* sides. The truck is still in the shop while they try to pinpoint the source of the noise. Dick Evans
Response:
I have a ‘98 S-10 with 4,800 miles on it. At about 4,000 miles, it developed a buzzing rattle that comes on at about 50mph and is so annoying I can’t drive with the windows down. It seemed to be coming from the driver-side mirror, but I was not able to eliminate it by adjusting or covering the mirror. It sounds like something buzzing in the wind. I took the truck to the dealer, who test drove it and found that the noise seems to come from *both* mirrors. I had not noticed because I had not driven with the passenger window down. He claimed that replacing both mirrors would cure the problem. At that point, I was skeptical that something could have simultaneously gone wrong in both mirrors to cause such a noise. Anyway, they replaced both mirrors and it made no difference whatsoever and the truck is back in the shop for further diagnosis. I suspect the noise is coming from somewhere else and through some acoustical illusion seems to be coming from the mirrors. Anyone seen anything like this? Dick Evans
