rattle from undercarriage of 1991 miata

Would appreciate intelligence about rattle from undercarriage; a tinny,
sheet metal-like rattle that is loudest on deceleration, hardly
noticeable on acceleration, and silent when clutch is depressed. Had
mechanic check out heat shield, which he said he secured. Noise
persisted. Will not make any noise in idle at any RPMs. (Just got new
clutch about 1,000 miles ago. Same noise before and after new clutch.)
Another mechanic said it was the catalytic converter which seemed
reasonable. Installed new cat converter, but rattle persists. No
symptoms other than noise, car is running well. Sound takes joy out of
downshifting. Any suggestions?

On my 91A, it was a combination of the catalytic converter shield (which was
removed for free) and a shield on the pipe just ahead of the catalytic
converter. That rattle was cured by a new hose clamp to tighten the shield
back onto the pipe. I have heard that banging on the exhaust system with a
rubber mallet is a good way to find rattles. It would be best done on a lift
instead of in the driveway. ;-)


"Will F" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Would appreciate intelligence about rattle from undercarriage; a tinny,
> sheet metal-like rattle that is loudest on deceleration, hardly
> noticeable on acceleration, and silent when clutch is depressed. Had
> mechanic check out heat shield, which he said he secured. Noise
> persisted. Will not make any noise in idle at any RPMs. (Just got new
> clutch about 1,000 miles ago. Same noise before and after new clutch.)
> Another mechanic said it was the catalytic converter which seemed
> reasonable. Installed new cat converter, but rattle persists. No
> symptoms other than noise, car is running well. Sound takes joy out of
> downshifting. Any suggestions?
>