[LoudPipes]

I have a 04 titan king cab. I want to remove the dashboard because there is a rattle on the passenger side above the glove box. Gets kinda annoying when driving over bump roads or when there is a lot of vibration. Sounds like a screw rattling around. I would go to a dealer but I like the joy of doing it myself. I just took the passenger door panel off and gave my window motor a couple konks with the screw driver and it started working again. I'm looking for a howto on removing the dashboard so I can get under there and find this rattle. :read:

 

[jasonwabc]

I would start with the radio and center bezel...you can see a good way up inside the passenger side dash that way. Remember there is an airbag behind the dash. You can also take a bunch of screws out to remove the glove box. I installed a remote start and there were a couple relays I put behind the speedometer cluster...they rattle from time to time and now I am almost ready to tackle stuffing foam in there...but it is 100+ degrees outside and takes 3-4 hours.

Get a can of silicone spray and some foam backer rod. My brother used to work at a GM dealer and they would zip tie everything, spray lots of silicone spray and stuff foam around in the dash to fix rattles.

 

[amason85]

I have/Had similar problems with rattles. First the one I fixed was the string that holds the glove box up when fully opened was disconnected. To fix it, I took the glove box out and reattached it. It’s very easy and it’s in the back of the box. Recently I have one that happens on when the cab is cool/cold. There is something that will rattle/ cracking noise when I go over small dumps. When it’s hot or I turn the heat on somewhat low for those cool mornings, the noise goes away. This noise is driving me crazy. I am almost at the put of hating driving my truck. :crying: If that sounds like yours and you find what is causing it, PLEASE let me know. Hope the first part helps you out if that is your problem.

 

[mjesposi]

PLEASE - if anyone knows how to fix the problem noted in the post above me, please post it as I am also at the point of hating to drive my truck

 

[HavaTITAN]

Check the defroster vent cover area. Mine had a bad rattle on the right side on both my titans. Just pry the vent cover off with a putty knife and stuff some foam between the dash and the metal cowl under it. If you pull the cover and tap on the plastic underneath you can hear it hitting the metal, put some foam there. It may take a few tries to get it right but it worked on both my titans.

 

[m1key]

PICS!! :teethmast

 

[HavaTITAN]

PICS!! :teethmast

Sorry, camera is broken. It's pretty easy to do though, just pop off the vent cover up by the windshield. Tap along the plastic part of the dash that is under the vent cover you just took off, when you hear it hit the metal underneath put some foam in between there. Put the cover back on and test drive, if it's gone have a beer, if not pull the cover and try again. It took me one try on my '04 and four tries on my '08 (my '08 a bigger rattle trap than my '04 was).

 

[mjesposi]

HavaTitan - one quick question before I pull that part off. What do you think about this situation - when I take the glove compartment and surrounding cover off, the metal bracket that supports it seems to be the problem.

When the creaking or rattling starts, I pull on that metal brace and it seems to make it stop - I have tried tightening every single bolt, lubricating where the two pieces of plastic meet with grease (the parts you don't see with the eye), putting foam in there, putting a wooden wedge between the metal and the hard black plastic compressor - all failed.

The wooden wedge worked for about 1 week and then it came back - weird how it goes away when I pull on that metal - it definitely sounds like it is coming from the lower right corner

Any suggestions? Do you think it still could be the dash, defroster thing?

 

[HavaTITAN]

If you can pull on that metal bar and it stops I don't think it's the vent cover. I know what bar you are talking about. I put a piece of foam on top of it between the metal and the glove box frame plastic. Have you tried taking everything out of your glove box. might be something in there rattling.

 

[PRJ]

Take the defroster vent cover off as suggested by HavaTITAN and tighten all of the bolts you see under there. I did that a few months ago and my dash rattles that I had for 4+ years have disappeared.

 

[mjesposi]

HavaTitan - Yeah I have actually taken the glove box and plastic section that holds the glove box off and driven around with it off and it still does it - that is how I learned that if I pulled on that metal bar that goes across, that it went away. I have tried foam on top of that bar too.

Ihave tightened all the bolts already in that area, but I was thinking about possibly loosening some of them and putting a little bit of breakable locktite on there and see if that helps?

I really hesistate to take off that defroster cover because the sound is not coming from that area at all - When my wife drives me around, it is coming from the lower right hand corner by your feet. I have taken all the trim off in that area and also made sure nothing was loose or rattling.

Trying to get this done before winter as it just gets worse as it gets colder. It will even start to creak or rattle when I apply the brake hard and tension is put on the truck.

If I do pull off that defroster cover - can I get down there to tighten up those bolts with it being so closer to the window?

Any other suggestions out there - this thing is killing me!

 

[HavaTITAN]

It sounds like the metal framework in the dash, I remember reading a post back in '05 that some '04's had loose screws in the dash from the factory. I think the fact that you can stop the rattle by pulling on the framework confirms this, also when you say you can hear it creaking when using the brakes. I think the only way to fix the issue is like you said, remove the dash. I would start by removing the glove box then the left and right side lower panels. Next the center section and radio bezel, it may be posible to access all the framework bolts from there, I'm not sure. The driver side lower panel has two screws on the bottom then just pops off. The radio bezel just pops off, I get my finger nails under the top edge and pull. The rest of the center section pops out too, pull it straight out and up a little. I have a bench seat so the cup holder and the heater vents pop out then there is a screw on both sides of the cup holder frame and two screws on the top of the cup holder frame. Get a flash light and look for every bolt and screw you can find. I would also tap on every thing in there and put some sound deadening material on every thing that rattles or vibrates while you are in there.

 

[PRJ]

If I do pull off that defroster cover - can I get down there to tighten up those bolts with it being so closer to the window?

Any other suggestions out there - this thing is killing me!

Yes you can. I was able to get in there with a 1/4" socket wrench and tighten all of the bolts. It's not as close to the windshield as you think and the defroster vent cover is a piece of cake to pop off and back on.

Also open the front doors and look on the sides of the dash board. There are some plastic caps there that you can remove and it gives you access to some bolts that hold the dash to the framing.

 

[mjesposi]

Alright, I have pinpointed the problem with the creaking and noise to where the black blower unit connects to the metal cross bar that supports the glove box. there is a bolt that goes through the metal bar and in the black unit.

It is either at that point of connection or where the metal weld is and meets the other metal support bar.

It is driving me nuts! I tried a new larger bolt and that did not work - tried silicone grease spray, thick grease, foam padding etc...

NOTHING IS WORKING - UGH!!!!

any more ideas - I know pics would help, but I am at work right now...

 

[Big_Rob]

im going to look at this better later.

 

[mjesposi]

Thank you as I could use all the help I can get. I am trying to either fix it myself or show the dealership exactly where the problem is at, but trying to understand what they could potentially do to fix this???

 

[LoudPipes]

Just thought I would upload some pics on removing the defroster as someone requested them. Its very easy.

Use a screw driver and pry the corner up.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/bizzox-87/titan/removedef/IMAG0003.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/bizzox-87/titan/removedef/IMAG0004.jpg

Keep doing this all the way down
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/bizzox-87/titan/removedef/IMAG0005.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/bizzox-87/titan/removedef/IMAG0006.jpg

There are six little black screws going straight down and three bigger screws going towards the front. The three bigger screws are 10mm and the smaller black ones are 7mm.
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/bizzox-87/titan/removedef/IMAG0007.jpg
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/bizzox-87/titan/removedef/IMAG0009.jpg

The only hard part was lining the dash back up so it pops back in.

After doing this my dash don't vibrate anymore. "idhitit2:

Also, the back seat head lamp had a rattle. If u pop the light cover off, you will see two screws. Unscrew them and the housing comes down. Inside there is a metal casing the lamp goes into that hits the roof. Just insert some foam in between there.

I'm still not sure if the rattle that sounds like a screw rolling around above the glove box is gone yet. Haven't drove enough to tell yet.