Tail Gate Rattle

[Justin Fleming]

For the lift of me I can not find this annoying tail gate rattle. It happens every time I hit a little bump. I can not simulate this in the garage by pushing and or jumping around on the back of the truck. I have taken the inspection cover off and had the wife drive me around town while I had my head in the tail gate and I still cant seem to pin point it....

Any ideas...

thanks

 

[rampage]

Have you inspected the tailpan to see if it's rusty or if the bolts are loose?

 

[Justin Fleming]

Yes, all is good and all new with in the past few years...The truck is new to me in the last year so I am still working out all the bugs the guy left behind.

I am beginning to wonder if it is that spring thing that assist with lift the tail gate....

I just know it drives me crazy...

 

[rampage]

Unlikely but wouldn't hurt to check. The springs are just two metal bars that snake up inside the gate and are attached to the frame (if I remember correctly) with a large headed torx bolt (one on each frame rail).
Would it be possible to make a video of this so we can hear the rattle?

 

[chevyfumes]

Ive seen The assist spring/bar snap and rattle if it's not that it could be anything from old broken glass to shims regardless of whether you took off the inspection plate and tried to recreate the situation.

 

[paratrooper307]

For the lift of me I can not find this annoying tail gate rattle. It happens every time I hit a little bump. I can not simulate this in the garage by pushing and or jumping around on the back of the truck. I have taken the inspection cover off and had the wife drive me around town while I had my head in the tail gate and I still cant seem to pin point it....

Any ideas...

thanks

Just a thought from personal experience, it may not be the tailgate. I had a noise that occurred over every bump that I swore was the tailgate rattling. I didn't discover the actual cause until I put the lift on it, where I found that the upper shock mount hole in the frame had wallowed out and the shock was moving on bumps.

 

[Justin Fleming]

So I have found the little booger.....So I have the wife driving and I am in the back of the truck looking for everything and can not find it.... have the wife roll the back window down and I start hanging out the back of the tail gate (people probably thought I was some werdO) long story short it was the filler panel between the bumper and the tail gate. It was touching the tailgate hinges and was rattling, transferring it through the tail gate.....

Woohoo!! I am so happy now.....I love the smell of victory...

As I told the wife just cause I have a old truck does not mean it needs to rattle like one....

 

[rampage]

Always good to hear a success story and the solution.

 

[82355]

What did you do? Remove it?

Martin

 

[Justin Fleming]

just gave it a little encouragement with a pri-bar

 

[chevyfumes]

Nice!