A metalic ratle

[hawkeye357]

Hi all its been a while since i used the forum due to work and family commitments. I now need some help as my motor has developed an anoying metalic rattle,it sounds like the exaust has broken and is dragging on the ground, this noise has developed over the last week and is intermitent. I can't find were it is coming from exept its from the front end, the exaust is ok and i have had the car up on stands this afternoon and the front wheels off but can not see anything obvious iv'e tuged and pulled to see if anything was lose, has anyone else had this fault or has anyone an idea as to where i can look as i am geting fed up of scratching my head and removing the splinters from my fingers, the car is a 406 2.1 turbo estate r reg. over to some one of greater Knolwedge than I

[poddack]

Does it rattle when it's still or moving or both? My guess would be one or more of you engine mounts.

[Nuffield]

Hi,
Does the noise change when you operate the clutch? if so it could be the thrust bearing trying to escape!
Regards,
Nuffield!

[nutski]

Is it on idle or only with a few revs?

[mjb]

You definitely need to do some testing andf give us more information first so the cause can be deduced, otherwise you'll end up chasing random guesses.

First, does it only happen while on the move, or is it while standing still?
Does it happen in neutral?
Does it happen with the clutch pressed (if a manual gearbox)?
Does it happen with the engine turned off and the car moving (be extremely careful here not to engage the steering lock! Also remember your power steering and brakes will be compromised while this happens)?