Hi all,
This is one for the transmission experts.

I noticed a few weeks ago a rattle from my car when pulling up to a security barrier with the window down (can't hear anything with windows closed). It happened when stationary and moving.
It sounded to me like a rattling heat shield, so I didn't do anything about it, waiting for a free dry day.

I noticed yesterday the rattle has almost gone (it was still there the day before), but is replaced with a different noise when pulling away.
I say nearly gone as its still there just nowhere near as loud. The rattling noise can be made worse if I lift the revs up to ~3k in neutral or park and then take my foot off the throttle.

This new noise sounds like a stone stuck in a tyre, only when moving. It is however not road-speed related, it changes with gear changes, so maybe engine / input shaft related.
Essentially as I pull away under load I can hear the ticking a few times a second that gets a bit faster as revs increase. It does this noticeably in the first 4 years when giving some revs to pull a bit harder. Cruising its silent.

The car changes gear just fine, manually selecting them or automatic.

Am I likely to be in for a gearbox, is this more likely to be the torque converter, or is there something else I need to be checking.
Should I stop driving the car, or is it ok to carry on driving it (about 50 miles a day)

Many thanks,
John.
p.s. the car has about 105k miles on it now. Too many toys, not enough time

2011 4.4 TDV8 AB Black

Last edited by John w on 19th Oct 2019 4:31pm. Edited 2 times in total

when was the last time you changed oil in TB/ transfer box/ ? 2012 TDV8 Black Edition
2000 Disco. TD5
1975 series III

I had a very similar thing with my 4.4 Tdv8 ........it drove me nuts . It was always most noticeable in the first couple of gears , cruising , silent !!

I was adamant it was coming from the gearbox...........it was the nearside cv !!!!

New cv joint.......utter silence Now !!!!!

Best wishes,

Cozzy.

Hi,
Thanks for the replies so far.

nino, I've not changed the oil in the gearbox
I'm definitely up for buying the kit of bits (sump and oil) and changing it myself, although it seems a flush is the preferred option ?

Cozzy, that gives me something else to check/try thanks. Surely the ticking would be road speed related though, whereas mine seems to be engine speed related (increase speed in 1st and ticking gets faster, change from 1st to 2nd and it gets slower again)

With regard to the rattling, is this symptomatic of anything about to go bang, like the TC ?
I was wondering if whatever was rattling before is now stuck and creating the tick...
I really need to get under it and have a sniff around, but its a bit moist outside at present so looking for ideas on what to check and how.

It drives just great and with the windows up cocooned in luxury you wouldn't know there is anything wrong.
Maybe I just need to turn the radio up  Too many toys, not enough time

2011 4.4 TDV8 AB Black

I got chance to get under the car this morning.
It turns out my original suspicion of a rattling heatshield is correct for the old noise.

The shield that rattles is the one around the pipes as they exit what looks like a silencer box under the drivers seat.is this the DPF ?
It is really odd that it only seems to rattle noticeably on its own when the car is running and in gear. Maybe the exhaust vibrates more then ?
Hitting the silencer or cat with my hand with engine off makes it rattle. If I wedge the shield and rev the engine then I get no rattle, so I am now confident this noise isn't torque converter related.

Have any of you guys had this shield rattle, and if so how did you deal with it ?
It looks to be in one piece and surrounds the pipes. Only solution I can see is to cut it off.

The ticking that varies with engine/gear speed still seems to be there though, and yet to figure that one out. Too many toys, not enough time

2011 4.4 TDV8 AB Black

I’ve got this issue on mine too. Drivers side exhaust heat shield rattle. I’ve not done anything about it yet and it stops it’s infernal racket once it’s warmed up. Until warm it sounds dreadful. 2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster - Baltic Blue, Jet interior
1997 P38 2.5 DSE auto & 1998 P38 2.5 DT Manual
1988 Vogue 3.5 EFI - Manual, gone.
2004 Volvo C70 2.0T convertible, had since new.
2007 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport Roadster/Coupé, had since new.
2024 Mini Cooper S cabrio, JCW kit, 2.0, DCT auto

Sounds like the same cause as my recently-cured rattle that vibrated at around 2000 rpm. Some judicious reshaping did the trick.

Thanks guys.
I got under the car again this morning and sorted this out.
It is a heat shield around the dpf output pipes.
It is not secured in any other way than by the bottom half crimped to the top half along the sides.
I prized mine open on one side.
Inside is some heat insulation material that has clearly disintegrated. This leaves the shield to rattle.
I got hold of some spare loft insulation and clamped it back together with some stainless jubilee clips. The one closest to the dpf needs to be about 110mm diameter, and the other end is around about 130mm. I bought mine from screwfix (110 to 170mm, but the closest to the dpf has run out of threads).

Click image to enlarge

Thanks John W...on the ‘to do’ list. 2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster - Baltic Blue, Jet interior
1997 P38 2.5 DSE auto & 1998 P38 2.5 DT Manual
1988 Vogue 3.5 EFI - Manual, gone.
2004 Volvo C70 2.0T convertible, had since new.
2007 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport Roadster/Coupé, had since new.
2024 Mini Cooper S cabrio, JCW kit, 2.0, DCT auto

I always fear the worst. I had that faint rattle also and convinced myself it must be the gearbox (which does leak a little) as in worst case scenario etc. Of course now I look, it's the heatshield alright. Easy fix with some steel cable ties. I'm at least 150 miles away from any of the good transmission specialists anyway