Fixed My Exhaust Rattle Today (CAT Bracket)

[HAMMRHEAD]

It's been driving me F'n Nutz for a while now!!:bash:

I had a look a few weeks ago and saw the upper cat bracket was cracked, but couldn't see how messed up it really was until I removed it this morning.

I ordered a new one at the local Stealership for ~$76, forgetting all about FORDSVTPARTS on this forum. I called his Dealership later and they quoted me $44 + $9 shipping, but the part was already ordered (special order) locally and my dealer couldn't cancel. Me being the nice guy I am, I just bought the damn thing. Lesson learned for next time.


Anyway, problem solved! Exhaust is quiet again.

I think it's safe to say this was the problem.:rollseyes

 

[Tazman1]

I think I better go and check mine. Cause I hear a rattle under mine. Not all the time, but its there.

Thanks for the input. It things like this that help with any diagnosis.

Jason...

 

[DR. WU 2000]

How loud was the rattle??? How many miles on yours:beer:

 

[HAMMRHEAD]

How loud was the rattle??? How many miles on yours:beer:

Not really sure how to explain how loud it was, but at idle, it could be heard over the engine, from 50' away! Definitely a metal on metal vibration/rattle.

Loud enough to be embarassed when I was sitting at a redlight in traffic too!


37,500 miles on mine now, but I 'rigged' this bracket by putting a flat washer under one of the bolts (on the smaller broken piece) probably 20K miles ago when it first started. Worked well for quite a while.

Sadly, the new part looks exactly like the old part, so I gotta wonder how long this one will last.

Thought about saving my old bracket and getting it welded, but IMO it's just not worth it. The metal is not thick enough.:shrug:

 

[97CasperCobra]

can you do a quick write-up on this. Mine has rattled for a few years now and I KNOW it must be this, but I have no idea where to look. What is the part number and how long did it take you to install?? Did you have to remove anything to get the part out??

 

[HAMMRHEAD]

can you do a quick write-up on this. Mine has rattled for a few years now and I KNOW it must be this, but I have no idea where to look. What is the part number and how long did it take you to install?? Did you have to remove anything to get the part out??

No, but this guy already has.

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86936


Only took me about a 1/2 hour to replace the bracket.

And NO, nothing else needs to be removed. It's just a simple matter of unbolting the old bracket, removing it, and instaling the new one.

I believe the 2 wrench sizes you'll need are 12mm and 10mm(I think?). I used an open-end crescent wrench to break the bolts loose, then a ratcheting box-end wrench to spin the bolts out/tighten them back up.

 

[Hotrod Tommy]

I need to do that. It's driving me crazy!

 

[svtjackal]

thanks for the info, I too have that anoying rattle and I was told it was a exhaust shield but I just put my borla catback and all the shields where fine so I am pretty sure that my bracket is broken too,

I am off to the dealer to get the bracket.:thumbsup:

 

[02REDSVT]

Oh man this is great to know! I've already just ripped out a few shields thinking they were the problem.... I'll have to give this a look now! Thanks!

 

[CT SVT]

Ford has a TSB (not a recall) about the cat bracket. so if you still have warrenty they will replace it for free.

 

[HAMMRHEAD]

Ford has a TSB (not a recall) about the cat bracket. so if you still have warrenty they will replace it for free.

Under the 3/36 Bumper to Bumper - Yes, they'll replace it for free.

NOT under Extended Warranty.:??: Which my car still is.

 

[tjs98gt]

i just ripped off some of my shields that rattling a little bit and it helped but theres still something. guess this could be it. but mine also sounds like a slight squeeking sound combined with the rattle

 

[CT SVT]

Under the 3/36 Bumper to Bumper - Yes, they'll replace it for free.

NOT under Extended Warranty.:??: Which my car still is.

yup thats true.

 

[DR. WU 2000]

i just ripped off some of my shields that rattling a little bit and it helped but theres still something. guess this could be it. but mine also sounds like a slight squeeking sound combined with the rattle

could be a belt/idler pulley....I had a squeeking sound that drove me nuts, changed the belt and pulley...all good now.:thumbsup:

 

[svtjackal]

I finally found the time to replace the cat bracket today and found a surprise, when I took off the two bolts that bolt to the cat, the bracket came off (no surprise there since I tought that the bracket was broken at the part that bolts to the other braket), so I finally fished it out from under the engine and to my surprise the cat bracket wasn't broken so I took off the other bracket that bolts to the block and the broken piece of A bracket was still bolted to it but I had taken out a complete bracket from the car, so I figure that someone must had replace the bracket before but only bolted it to the cat and just layed the bracket on top of the broken piece from the old bracket, then I remember that the previos owner of my SVTF left all the receipts of work done to the car at the dealer so started looking at them and found one with tha exact part number and a charge for $200 to fix a rattle that they never fixed,

got to love dealer service:bash::fm:

only good thing is that I have a extra cat bracket now.:dw:


sorry for the long post, I had to vent since the shody work of a dealer made my work harder.

 

[HAMMRHEAD]

I finally foud the time to replace the cat bracket today and found a surprise, when I took off the two bolts that bolt to the cat, the bracket came off (no surprise there since I tought that the bracket was broken at the part that bolts to the other braket), so I finally fished it out from under the engine and to my surprise the cat bracket wasn't broken so I took off the other bracket that bolts to the block and the broken piece of A bracket was still bolted to it but I had taken out a complete bracket from the car, so I figure that someone must had replace the bracket before but only bolted it to the cat and just layed the bracket on top of the broken piece from the old bracket, then I remember that the previos owner of my SVTF left all the receipts of work done to the car at the dealer so started looking at them and found one with tha exact part number and a charge for $200 to fix a rattle that they never fixed,

got to love dealer service:bash::fm:

only good thing is that I have a extra cat bracket now.:dw:


sorry for the long post, I had to vent since the shody work of a dealer made my work harder.

But did ya fix your rattle?:shrug:

It's been almost a month for me and every time I start my car I love the fact that the rattle is g-o-n-e!

 

[svtjackal]

But did ya fix your rattle?

It's been almost a month for me and every time I start my car I love the fact that the rattle is g-o-n-e!

yeah I fix it, the rattle is gone, thanks for the heads up, I am no longer embarassed(SP) when I take off

 

[RIDE THE]

The very first thing I did when I got the car on my rack was remove that damn bracket. Drove me nuts the whole way home from the dealership.:fm:

 

[ucntseemeee]

DUDE!!! ive taken like every ****ing heatshield off my car around the engine and cat and that damn rattle is still there. that has to be what mine is!!!! DAMN IT! now i wish i hadnt taken off the heatshields. they dont really help though any way hahaha

 

[1BAD93SVT]

i broke mine going over a dip. haven't replaced it. just carefull not to go over dips or high speed bumps.