Rattle Noise at Low RPM's

Doubt it is wiring. Perhaps you left a tool on top of the engine. One member, long ago, found his hood support came loose and was riding on top of the engine making a similar noise.

Just a few ideas.

 

Possibly right fender defective clips. There is a TSB if you do a search.

 

Did it happen to sound like this? If so you just might have solved my issue too. I had the same TSB done as you and I got this unknown rattle as well.

 

It's hard to determine from your audio, but is it a on-and-off ticking sound coming from the instrument cluster? I had that too and had to remove the dash-plate and cluster to find out all the plastic clips holding the cluster together were dry and made the noise. I had to soak each snap-connector with silicon before it would go away. It's a huge job to do.

 

I could be wrong but mine sounded like from the engine area. But yes...it is an on and off again ticking/tapping noise.

 

It's probably the cluster. Unfortunately, the cluster is extremely complex in its design. The fuel gage, speedo, instant MPG and gear indicators are all projected up from an area below where you see it (just put a piece of paper over that lower area in front of the speedo and watch the display disappear!) The touch tracer components are actually behind the lens you view. When the cluster is extracted, the components making up the projection and viewing areas are all held together by some screws and many little "stab-lock" plastic connectors. This is what abrades making the ticking sounds you hear.

 

Thanks PatrickN for the excellent pictures. I'm going to try to dampen my prius in the same spot and see what happens. I've got nothing to lose

 

Hey Patrick. Could you take a look the youtube video and let me know if you are hearing the same exact thing?

Thanks.

Noise while accelerating - youtube video | PriusChat

 

I did before I made the video and they test drove it. They said they didn't hear anything.
I'm going to email them the video.
Thanks for responding.

 

I have the exact same sound on my 2011 Prius and I was wondering if it was normal.
Did you guys fix the issue?
I have a youtube video of the sound too. /watch/?v=QSgnMN7GyZk

The sound is more clear when the car is still warming up.
It occurs at certain rpm.

Thanks.

 

Unlimited MPG hasn't been on PriusChat for over a month (05/06/13) so you may not get a response for a while.

Speaking for myself, the sound I was getting with my car is different than what you are hearing with your car.
I never got this issue resolved. Toyota couldn't find anything wrong and was guessing it might be the type of oil (0w20) in hot temperatures. He suggested to try 5w20 or 5w30 (can't remember which one).
I haven't had an oil change since, but I'm going to stick with the 0w20. 0w20 is what is displayed on the oil cap and I think it will give a little bit better gas mileage.

The rattling noise only happens in warm to hot temperatures.
During the winter I had no problems, it didn't happen once, then in late March/early April it started happening again when temperatures rose to the high 80s-90's F.

I'm surprised you didn't get any response to your May 30th post.
Was your sister getting the buzzing sound when she had the car? How long has this been happening?
Maybe the suggestion above (#11) might fix it.

 

Hi kalome,

Thank you for your response. The noise is small enough that I didn't notice it until I turned off the radio one day. I didn't ask my sister if she noticed it because she doesn't pay attention to details. I've only had the car for 1-2 months but I can hear it every time I drive the car and it is warming up on certain rpm.

I want to show it at the dealership but my car would've warmed up by the time I drove there and it is hard to describe. The sound is coming from the front right console/window section.
After looking at various forums, some people said it was fixed by their dealership when they referenced this.
T-SB-0141-10 Upper/Lower Windshield/Rear Glass Tick Noise

I'm thinking about giving it a shot and seeing if the dealership can fix it.

 

"I want to show it at the dealership but my car would've warmed up by the time I drove there and it is hard to describe."

Can you drop off the car the night before using the overnight drop box and ask them to check for the buzzing sound first thing in the morning?

Hope it is the T-SB-041-10 Upper/Lower.....and you get it fixed.
Good luck!

 

Welcome to the Prius experience.