On Wed, 4 Apr 2007 18:39:11 -0400, "Chicken-Fried Steak"
> wrote:

>Got a problem with my 1999 Mazda B2500 (Ford Ranger under the hood), and
>before I take it to my "plug it into the computer, no error codes, nothing's
>wrong with it" mechanic, I wanted to run it by some people that know a
>little more about vehicles. Here's the basics of my truck & the problem
>
>1999 Mazda B2500
>4-cylinder engine
>5-speed manual transmission
>130,000 miles +/-, original everything (including clutch)
>2-wheel / rear wheel drive
>
>Problem: vehicle makes a metallic chattering sound (like someone with steel
>dentures chattering their teeth in the cold, best way I can describe it, or
>maybe like a dime rattling around in an empty beer can) intermittently.
>Sound seems to be coming from under the floor boards, close to the back end
>of the vehicle. Sound is worst when there is a load on the engine,

The heat shield is loose on your Cat converter or the converter core
has melted. Most likely the heat shield.
>especially in higher gears & when going up hill, or if I let the clutch out
>too slow when up shifting to a higher gear. Sound only happened once when
>there was no load on the engine. Engine sounds are normal, engine idles
>within normal parameters (500-750rpms), accelerates well both on flats and
>up hill. No idiot lights have come up on my panels (and this truck is like
>a nervous child, if it thinks even the slightest thing MAY be wrong, my dash
>lights up like a Christmas tree). Sound happens more often at lower RPMs
>(just before I down shift) or when accelerating suddenly.
>
>I had chalked it up to an old vehicle with a loose panel or something else
>that's pointless to worry about, until today when a friend (and former
>mechanic) said it may be something in the driveshaft and/or rear
>differential. At first I thought the worst this could be was that my
>130,000 mile clutch is finally giving out on me, even though it feels ok.
>When he mentioned this, I had nightmare images of a bearing seizing up and
>my transmission blowing out as a result.
>
>Obviously to diagnose a problem, it helps to be IN the vehicle, but anybody
>want to shed some light on the above? Feel free to ask for more info. I'm
>just trying to get some feedback & suggestions before I take Chicken
>Little's advice about the sky (and my driveshaft) falling.
>
>C.
>


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com