i have a 2008 THC. it has 42k miles. about two days ago i started to notice a faint gargle/rattle sound. i cant tell if its from the front or rear. i checked my oil cuz i assumed it was an oil issue. my dip stick reads fine. it is not loud or frequent. its urking me b/c i got the car at 41k miles. i cant tell what it is. has anyone heard this sound b4? help please

 

Let's see if I have this right. You have a "gargle" or a "rattle" sound that is coming from somewhere on the car. You can't tell if the noise is from the front or rear, you didn't let us know if the noise occurs while the ICE is running or on electric only or both, forward, reverse or parked, hot, cold, at a certain speed or every speed, what stage of hybrid mode the car is in, whether the AC unit is on or any number of other possible causes.

That's what I like, a challenge......

This is like going to the doctor, saying that you hurt somewhere between your head and your big toe, you can't tell the doctor what it feels like but that you still think something is wrong.....

The safest thing for you to do is take the car to a dealer or a trusted tech. If the problem is drive train related, it will be covered under warranty.

 

Where's Uncle Dub when you need him?

 

i only notice the sound when the gas engine is on (by itself or with electric motor). i haVe not had the a/c on when i noticed it. i hear it only sometimes after i pass 30-40 mph for a brief moment. i never notice it when the car is cold. it doesnt feel like a trans issue.

 

Starting two days ago I have heard the same noise. I have nearly 30,000 miles on my 08 TCH. I've noticed it at about the same speed. I'm going to keep listening and take it in as soon as I can confirm where the noise is coming from.

 

Check the convertor heat shields and make sure they are tight. Also check the exhaust pipe mounts to make sure the pipe can not rattle against anything. If those items are not the issue, take the car to someone that you trust that has a lift. Once the car is in the air, have them check for loose items that can rattle against the body of the car from the bottom and then have them check the top side if they don't find anything below.

90% of those type of issues involve something simple to find as the vibration occurs at a certain engine RPM.

 

I had a strange sound in my TCH about a year ago when climbing a overpass at 30 mph. (cruise off) One evening with almost no wind I had the windows cracked open. I could hear what sounded like a knock bouncing off the right side concrete side of the bridge.

I started to using Texaco gas and this was second tank. I went back to using Chevron for a few tanks then switched to Phillips 66 from then on. Switching to these other brands of gas fixed the problem. I have no idea why this happened with the Texaco. this is a truck stop and is chevron's other brand. My guess, maybe a bad batch of gas. The tanks there are only a few years old so I would not suspect water in the gas. In fact this station is located up in the higher northern part of town.

My clue was giving the car more gas then normal to produce the low level ping or rattle (knock) when climbing the overpass.

Engine knocks or pings usually show up with a warmed up engine. This sounds a little more like what Shaughn is talking about.

 

Here is a list of the top tier brands of gas. Check out the various links telling why top tier and etc.

I see that Exxon had been added to the list. Top Tier started when GM started using Chevron in their cars at the GM test track. They found quicker cold starts, more power, better gas mileage and a cleaner engine parts just from switching to the better brand of gas.

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html