Weird Rattle Rear of '02 4Runner

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This "rattle" noise seems to be coming from the right rear of my '02 4Runner. It sounds exactly like a loose piece/connector on my exhaust system. Like when a hanger is loose letting a part of the system rub against the body. It happens predominately at 2000 rpm and the car has to be moving. It won't do it in neutral sitting in the driveway. My exhaust guy kept the car a couple of days and he couldn't find it. It really annoys me when I end up under a slight load going up a hill at a constant speed. One person said it may be a lose baffle in my muffler????

Car shifts and drives find. It's like there's this certain combination of factors that lead to this noise. It is getting worse slowly over time. It sounds exactly like the part of my exhaust it hitting the body but no one can find a spot where it is rubbing.

Any ideas?

I guess I could tie myself off and hang out the right side and get a better view. Nah...I'll wait till something falls off.
 
That's what I'm hearing from other people.
 
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If you have a receiver hitch, there could be some flat metal stock inside the frame rail which is captured on one end by the bolts holding the receiver to the frame. At the end closest to the end of the frame, that piece of flat stock is free to move up and down, which could cause a metal-on-metal vibration sound at certain times. If that is the case, there are several methods to fix that. An expedient method that some have used, is to simply bend the flat metal stock up a bit, so it no longer makes contact with the bottom frame rail, inside the frame.
 
Or does the hitch stay in the receiver? I had to wrap mine in electric tape to end the noise it made ...
 
Any loose heat shields? Not sure if this would catch anything but maybe get under it and lightly tap all the exhaust stuff?
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Motor mounts or tranny mounts worn, making exhaust rub on something?


Great observation! I'll check here, too
 
I would hope that anyone working on cars professionally would've already checked the obvious things like heat shields, drivetrain mounts, skid plates, the exhaust pipe contacting parts of the chassis, etc.

I've seen swaybar mounts where the rubber had deteriorated, causing a metal-on-metal vibration.

An experienced Mechanic with experience in NVH issues, should be able to find the source quickly.
 
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