A baffling issue

[Ghosty]

Old Man's Civic has started making a scraping noise when it's just started moving when cold, as if the exhaust's hanging off or something. He seems to think an exhaust baffle's come loose - is this a likely explanation?

[dollywobbler]

Baffles generally rattle rather than scrape. Could be something stuck in the brakes perhaps? Possibly even just rust if it's been parked up a while.

[twosmoke300]

Brake pad wear indicators. They are just a bit of stainless that scrapes on the disc when the pads are low.

[Ghosty]

It's an odd metallic noise, somewhere between rattle and scrape. It was parked up for three weeks, used a bit, then taken on a run to Wolverhampton and back. Don't think it's brake related.

[wackywacerwill]

Garage parked with long ariel?

[Ghosty]

No, it's kept on the drive, and in any case, the aerial is plastic tipped.

 

The noise is coming from the centre of the engine bay.

[derskine]

Not a stone caught in a brake disc splash shield?

[Split_Pin]

^^^ That happened to our year old Chevy and it caused a right faff. The missus was driving and there was smoke coming from the wheel and everything! The stone did just drop off however.

 

My old Corsa made this noise too and it turned out to be the exhaust heat shield. It had corroded off its bottom mounting and was vibrating. I just bent it up a bit and that stopped it.

[Stanky]

Stone got trapped in between the disc and the little guard thing (thats meant to keep thing like the out I had assumed?) on Mrs_Stanky's Kia and I got a phone call at work

 

'The Kia is making screaming noises'

 

'oh. ummm, will it move?'

 

'Yeah, but it screams'

 

'Probably fine, I'll have a look later.'

 

I'd never have known to look there, had I not read an article in PC several years ago where it happened to one of them, Wheel off, screwdriver between disc and guard thing, stone with one VERY flat face dropped out. problem solved. Didn't even score the disc (visibly) so win all round. 

 

Also could be the heat shield as IainL suggests, does it have a metal shield on the exhaust pipe or manifold? A screw rusted through (again, on the Kia) and it made a bizarre scraping/rattling noise sometimes. Might be that? 

[derek9213]

try listening through a long screwdriver while its making the noise to try and pinpoint where its coming from, ive had noises like this before being caused by a noisy clutch thrust bearing

[Ghosty]

Oh, that reminds me: it's an auto. If it was gearbox-related, Old Man would either:

 

a) live with it; or

bin it. 

 

I really don't think it is gearbox related though.

 

Just to reiterate: it's a cold starting issue, not a constant one.

[TRW]

Could the pads be 'dragging'? That's dragging as in sticking on ever so slightly.

[castros_bro]

Would you get someone else to record/upload a 20 second vid with audio using your telephonic communication device so we can all wallow in your misery  share the experience?

Edited March 10, 2014 by castros_bro