Engine rattling while going up hills...

[Lincoln King]

Hello all,

I wanted to see if any of you could help me answer this question. My 1993 Lincoln Town Car (167,000 miles) makes a distinct rattling noise from the engine compartment while I go up hills or make fast accelerations. Whenever I am at idle or going a constant speed, the rattling noise cannot be heard.

I have heard that it might be a belt pully, tensioner, or cat heat shield. I am certain that it is not the latter (a rusted heat shield fell off about three months ago and eliminated a separate noise I was having at idle.

To get back to this rattling noise with my Lincoln, it is definitely a noise that recognize with high mileage Ford Engines. My mother has a Sable with 236,000 miles on it and it makes the same kind of noise under the same circumstances. Additionally, I have two friends that have Tauruses (100,000 miles+) that do the same thing.

I am interested to see what you all think this rattling noise might be.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Frogman]

Are you sure it's not pinging?

Are you using the recommended fuel octane?

 

[Lincoln King]

Definitely not a ping...

All of the cars I mentioned are running on regular unleaded 87 octane, which is the manufacturer's recommendation. The rattle definitely doesn't sound like a ping.

 

[skifdank]

I'd flush your tranny w/ some mercon 5 and some lubeguard

 

[abe_lincoln78]

My father's Sable rattles at idle. . . it sounds like a key chain or something small rattling on the exhaust (its a high pitched rattle). The heat sheild is good but if you knock on the cat it makes the noise. Try that and see what happens.

 

[Lincoln King]

Is it possible that the rattle could be coming from the timing chain tensioners?

 

[Lincoln King]

I did a little more searching on the internet and I found these videos on youtube.com. I think they fit my problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0tBoYw_Pow

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR_xqB7C9Us

 

[97towncar]

Same engine bay rattling on 97

I have a 1997 Lincoln Town Car that does the exact same thing, under power, at higher RPM's it does make a rattle. If I was to floor it from a dead stop, the sound would not be heard until roughly 25-30mph and then would be heard all the way through 42mph ( 1st - 2nd gear shift point ) It will do this for all gears. Now i thought mine was exhaust related, like the cat heat shield rattling like i have read about because it does sound like it is coming from the engine bay but a friend said it was my exhaust rattling. But it is not like the mustangs in the videos posted. That is a timing chain slack noise you hear. and that is heard at all RPM's all the time. Our problem is only at higher rev's. I would estimate from 3700 to 5500 RPM's No real way to tell since there is no tach

 

[Glorywagon]

Sounds like a bad cat. that has come apart .If thats what is you need to replace before it plugs up your muffler.