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View Full Version : A little rattle....



Xenon
08-22-2005, 02:57 PM
Ok... I want to see if anyone can duplicate this...

Best conditions for duplication:
Mazda3 hatch (Sedans have a different bumper so i don\'t know if you will have this problem)
Slight uphill (driveway works)
A/C on (fan speed irrelevent but put it on 1 so that you can hear the noise)
Car in neutral (for AT people, park doesn\'t seem to always duplicate it)
Car should have been driven enough to warm the engine to it\'s normal operating temperature (1/2 way between H and C)

The Problem:

When the A/C is ON, I get this rattle coming from the front, right bumper. Sounds like it\'s coming from just above the foglight. As some of you know, yes, I did have a small accident there, but here\'s the kicker... it only happens when the AC is on.... and I talked to teambedlam, i do believe he has this problem too (his car has never needed body repairs)

The rattle sounds like something is loose, a panel or something. I can only assume that the A/C compressor causes a small vibration which causes the noise because as soon as I turn off the A/C the noise goes away.

I sent it to mazda... they said my front plate frame was loose and tightened it... but even after that, the noise still exists.

Can anyone with a hatch duplicate this?

FYI The noise is more noticible from the inside than the outside, since on the outside the engine noise drowns out the rattle.