Dash rattles
Hi Everyone,
Here is my chance to give back to this forum all the help it has given me.
I owned a 05 GT and sold it to get a 07 GT500 (used #12 in the prod run). Both cars had the same rattles. The worst is in and around the display. Ford dealers refused to fix it! Turns out the buzz/rattle is in the display itself. The actuators for the meters have springs in them and they make a horrible noise on all major bumps. A new display will not fix it, they all do it!
I knocked the noises down by 80% by removing the instrument panel and putting a big piece of cheap bumpy shipping foam behind it. Then I used some expensive audio grade damping washers on the holes in the top of the display and put the screws through the washers so that the display floats (is supported by) the soft damping washers. I also put some large soft damping bushings under the bottom display mounting tabs and did not screw the bottom tabs back down (snapping the front plastic display cover panel holds everything back in nicely.
I should have taken a bunch of pics but sorry I did not. It really sucks that the display makes so much noise. It is worse in the GT500 because the 500hp and stiffer suspension puts more vibrations into the body of the car. I have also removed the glove box, fuse cover, and moulding around the speakers because of vibration noises.
There are other noises near the seat belt attachment points that I have not addressed yet. Today I am working on more important matters...the new rear Koni adj shocks and J&M LCA's are going in to (I hope) fix the wheel hop problem.
One other thing. The plastic, snapped together air vents are noisy also. Pop them out, take (un-snap) them apart and THEN GLUE Them back together. That also will get rid of some rattle noises.
The other big rattle is in the roof. A large plastic sheet with big bumps on it in in there and it hits the metal parts of the roof and rattles!!! I have a temp fix with some foam on the edges under the door moldings but I need to remove the entire roof liner and do it properly.
Great cars these Mustangs!!! I drive mine 100 miles every day to work in Santa Clara "But Ford Did Not" do a good job on the details of the interior...but I knew that going in and I still love my GT500!
Hope this helps a little,
MSBMustang/Mark