2000 XJ, 4.0, AW4, NP242, desert pinstripes, etc.
My XJ's developed an annoying hatch rattle over the last few months that I'm utterly failing at tracking down. It happens at a range of speeds on varying road surfaces, and sounds like it's coming from the area up around the top of the D-pillar on the driver's side. The best description I can give of the sound is that it's an occasional metal-on-metal tap-tap-tap rattle whose cadence changes with speed; here's what I've gone through so far on trying to track it down:
- Replaced the hatch bumpstops with new OEM rubbers and adjusted the stops out and in
- Removed and refastened both interior and exterior trim pieces and lights
- Pulled all the junk under the back seat out except for the factory amp (was tightened to the body OK)
- Checked rear wiper motor mount and armature, also latching mechanism; nothing unusual there
- Checked suspension bolts (shackles, U-bolts, and eye bolts) and bushings
- Checked rear shocks; other than the usual ovaled-out bushing at the top on the passenger side, everything's OK
- Checked the speakers and soundbar (did not pull the headliner)
- Checked rear shoulder belt bolts at the roof (they were OK)
- Checked latch at both the tailgate and body; came up OK
- Checked tailgate hinge bolts and welds; came up OK
- Checked rear bumper bolts; nothing out of line there
- Checked bolts on OEM gas tank skid and towbar; both were fine
- Hardware for holding the spare in the factory location has long since been removed, so shouldn't be a factor
At this point I'm out of ideas. The only thing I didn't give a seriously thorough check on was the soundbar because I didn't want to pull the headliner, but when I checked the speaker screws there was no movement in it.
Has anyone else run into this or have any ideas for what it could be or something I've missed? I don't expect the XJ to be Rolls-Royce quiet, but this noise is driving me up the wall.
My XJ's developed an annoying hatch rattle over the last few months that I'm utterly failing at tracking down. It happens at a range of speeds on varying road surfaces, and sounds like it's coming from the area up around the top of the D-pillar on the driver's side. The best description I can give of the sound is that it's an occasional metal-on-metal tap-tap-tap rattle whose cadence changes with speed; here's what I've gone through so far on trying to track it down:
- Replaced the hatch bumpstops with new OEM rubbers and adjusted the stops out and in
- Removed and refastened both interior and exterior trim pieces and lights
- Pulled all the junk under the back seat out except for the factory amp (was tightened to the body OK)
- Checked rear wiper motor mount and armature, also latching mechanism; nothing unusual there
- Checked suspension bolts (shackles, U-bolts, and eye bolts) and bushings
- Checked rear shocks; other than the usual ovaled-out bushing at the top on the passenger side, everything's OK
- Checked the speakers and soundbar (did not pull the headliner)
- Checked rear shoulder belt bolts at the roof (they were OK)
- Checked latch at both the tailgate and body; came up OK
- Checked tailgate hinge bolts and welds; came up OK
- Checked rear bumper bolts; nothing out of line there
- Checked bolts on OEM gas tank skid and towbar; both were fine
- Hardware for holding the spare in the factory location has long since been removed, so shouldn't be a factor
At this point I'm out of ideas. The only thing I didn't give a seriously thorough check on was the soundbar because I didn't want to pull the headliner, but when I checked the speaker screws there was no movement in it.
Has anyone else run into this or have any ideas for what it could be or something I've missed? I don't expect the XJ to be Rolls-Royce quiet, but this noise is driving me up the wall.