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TR2/3/3A Rattles and Shakes

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PatGalvin

PatGalvin

Jedi Warrior
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Hello All
Closing in on the finish of my restoration. Took her for a stroll on the court yesterday. And the rattle under the hood is enormous. I think I've isolated it to the hood catch hook. Any thoughts on how to make this thing not rattle too much? It is definitely loose on the pivot. Thanks in advance for the innovative ideas.

Pat
IMG_2805 (Large).jpg
 
Usually the huge rattles under the hood are in the area of the dzus bonnet hold down area. The rubber stops for the hood hold the hood up and the dzus fasteners pull the hood down and hopefully keep the hood from rattling. Adjusting the rubber stops is the more normal fix.
charley
 
Hi Charley
Dzus fasteners are very snug and won't rattle when hood is down. Hood is tight against the rubber hood stops.

Could use some ideas as to how to reduce rattles in the hood catch.

Pat
 
Or the spring post. I put a piece of rubber on the top and bottom of the spring. I never thought of the catch rattling but that is possible. Our old TR3 was quite load. Kitty is more refined!

Jerry
 
Pat,
I hear you and that rattle. I had it too. I put a piece of furniture self sticky felt pad under the catch on the under side of hood, to no avail. I have a stainless screw as the latch pin, and tightened it up until the latch can barely be pulled back by the tension of the spring. Barely. But the rattle is gone. Now I need to figure out to get the hood to stop rattling against the ledge at low rpms. Anything over 1,000 has no rattle.
 
I had a squeak or vibration in the hood for years in my TR3A when I would stop at a traffic light. It would only vibrate between 600 and 1200 RPM (at idle). Everyone thought my TR3A was going to blow up.

I found it was the vertical spring that is spring-loaded upwards. If you have the TR at an idle and stand in front of the TR, push down lightly on the top of the closed and locked hood where that spring is located. The vibration will go away - while your had is pushing down lightly.

So I did two things.

1. I had a machine shop make a black nylatron tube and he also turned down the vertical steel shaft. He press fitted the nylatron tube onto the shaft and it looks perfect and the vibration has gone Now it's the OD of the nylatron that "scrubs" on the OD of the hole in the thin sheetmetal plate that supports the spring assembly. When you have the original steel shaft rubbing on the OD of that hole in the thin steel plate - you get vibration and squeaking. And with the nylatron being black, the paint no longer gets rubbed off at the vertical plunger goes up and down.

2. I found some thin vinyl with a jute backing and using a screwdriver I wedged open the tiny space where the hood cross support is located above the battery box. then I stuffed the jute into that gap. It came originally stuffed with jute.
 
Don's ideas sound sound for sound problems !:rapture:
My 600 -1000 RPM rattle came from the back of the bonnet.
I put a pencil eraser size drop if clear silicone caulk in the
middle of underside of the rear bonnet edge. When cured, it solved
the rattle. It's lasted almost 20 years.
FRank
​
 
These are great ideas. My very loud rattle is between 600 and 1200 rpm and does disappear at higher RPMs. I had used some Tiger Seal between the bonnet and bonnet "frame" prior to painting. So, we should be rattle free on that area. The vibration does disappear when I push on the middle of the front of the bonnet. Any other ideas for addressing this rattle? The nylatron tube idea is a good one. Will certainly cost me at least a few bucks at the machine shop.

Pat
 
X 3 on the spring and plunger assembly. Every year I get a squeaky rattle from the plunger rubbing on the bottom of the bonnet. Just a dot of grease solves it for another year.
 
Check where the bonnet prop rod rests in its holder when the bonnet is down. I used a bit of FrostKing foam tape on both sides of the prop rod. That and gently snugging the nut attaching the prop rod to the bonnet resolved a VERY bothersome rattle as you describe.

Bob
 
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