Shemp

[darryl]

I don't remember what that stands for, but it has somethihg to do with my new muffler. Got it on today, and have been playing with the bypass valve setting. Seems there's a spot between fully open and fully closed where it actually does a decent job of muffling. It's hard to find just the right spot because it's a process of adjusting and test driving, then letting it cool off enough for me to adjust again. Looks like I'll need a control under the dash somewhere. Maybe a choke cable rigged up with a friction adjustment to hold the setting. This is kind of like getting a new toy Got a real nice v6 rumbling sound now- the old homemade had a resonant peak that I had forgotten about. It was kind of tin-canish, now that's gone.

Now to find out why it's stalling on me- I think it's a fuel problem, probably water in the fuel and a clogged fuel filter. Then to find out what the heck is rattling- that's almost definitely in either the tranny or the oilpan. A shield broken loose or something. Pain in the ---.It's not external, been all over that trying to figure it out. It's not loose bearings or anything like that. Sounds like a metal pie pan clattering around somewhere, and it goes away if I'm braking or on a downward slope. It's there whether I'm moving or stopped, and is not rpm dependant. Anyone ever heard of this? ('94 astro)

[Evan]

Are you sure it isn't external? There are a number of heat shields on the exhaust system that can break a weld and rattle including especially the one above the catalytic converter.

[ProGunOne]

Are you sure it isn't external? There are a number of heat shields on the exhaust system that can break a weld and rattle including especially the one above the catalytic converter.

That would've been my exact suggestion.

Stalling? Could be many things, plugged catalytic converter, maybe bad crank position sensor? I'll leave the car mechanics to help you diagnose that one?

[Fasttrack]

I saw one gm vehicle in the shop that had the transmission filter come off and was left to rattle around in the pan. The guy had installed a deep depth chrome pan and needed the extension tube. Evidently he forgot to tighten (or maybe install) the bolt that holds the filter to the valve body. The pickup tube remained in place to still draw ATF up, which is kinda wierd. My expierence with those is it pulls out of the tranny body much more easily than out of the filter, but whatever. Thats my story... what where we talking about again?

[A.K. Boomer]

It's hard to find just the right spot because it's a process of adjusting and test driving, then letting it cool off enough for me to adjust again. Looks like I'll need a control under the dash somewhere. Maybe a choke cable rigged up with a friction adjustment to hold the setting. ('94 astro)

You could always go Honda's 929 route and forget the cable, use a full titainium exhaust system, connect it to a ceramic computer controlled "mode valve" that allows you to use the wildest set of racing cams you can find, use the exhaust for backpressure for low-end and then when you get to aprox, 7,500 RPM's start cracking the mode valve open and hang on, bondo will heal all the holes in the astro's engine block but you have to make sure you get all the oil cleaned off or it wont stick good


Seriously, check for rocks cought in your heat shields also, and a dont forget about the cat coming loose, bang your hand on the cat, and listen --- once they gain any clearance at all thier days are numered, then they can turn into a total neusance.

(only Shemp I know of was one of the three stooges)

[Evan]

That reminds me. We have an occasional but persistent rattle in the PT Cruiser. I looked high and low for it but couldn't find it. It would only happen when hitting bumps but even the slightest bump would do it. I finally happened on the answer by accident when checking something else. We have a lot of gravel on the road from winter as well as the road out the west end of our valley isn't paved.

The tires throw rocks up into the front bumper where they stay and rattle.

[Fasttrack]

Ever got gravel stuck in your brakes? That makes a horrendous squealing noise. Thats happened to us twice now. Once in colorado and once on the farm. Driving along all nice and happy and suddenly theres a nasty squealing... get out to check whats going on and theres a piece of a gravel between the brake pad and rotor! Hate to think what the rotor would look like after a few minutes driving like that...

[Evan]

Many years ago most of the outlying roads here were unpaved. We were driving to visit someone in our 69 Valiant on a particularly rough gravel road and came to a sharp left where if you don't make the turn it is a steep drop of a couple hundred feet.

I applied the brakes and there weren't any. Zip, zero. Made the turn ok and coasted to a stop. Checked the brakes and one of the rear drum brakes had completely fallen apart inside the drum. The shoes were off the hangers. I managed to fix it with some bailing wire to get home. Not a good feeling heading for the cliff with no brakes.

[Dawai]

I can remember a friend taking off the hubcap to replace wheel bearings, the kids had dropped rocks into the cap, tick, tick tick as it rolled slowly. He was not amused.

[A.K. Boomer]

Ever got gravel stuck in your brakes? That makes a horrendous squealing noise. Thats happened to us twice now. Once in colorado and once on the farm. Driving along all nice and happy and suddenly theres a nasty squealing... get out to check whats going on and theres a piece of a gravel between the brake pad and rotor! Hate to think what the rotor would look like after a few minutes driving like that...

What is it with colorado and this problem, other states have rocks too, But I live here and can relate to what your saying,,, Next time stop the car and back up at speed then jam on the brakes, No gaurentee's but most times it will spit out the rock, once in awhile it makes it worse in which case you try and try again (anything instead of pulling a stupid wheel to flick a rock out)