Rattle from rear nearside

[MarkyB]

How much clearance does the exhaust have?
I'm thinking particularly about where it passes the seam at the bottom of the boot and the bend that goes over the back axle.
When it's cold, try running your hand between it and the bodywork, anything much less than a fingers width may result in a rattle.

[Nerys]

A good thought Mark but one of the first things I checked.

[Nerys]

I am pleased to say that this thread can now be closed! I removed the offside damper before lunch and went for a short drive, low and behold, no rattle, so I took the damper back to my flat and to clean it up and examine it whilst having lunch. The offside damper had two small rubbing marks at the base off the bottom end where it had been coming into contact with the flanges on the mount, hence causing the noise, but why? When I fitted the polyurethane spring pads last week I had done the offside first, and this is a job I have never done before. When I took off the old one there were two spacing plates fitted either side of the pad locating plates, so I naturally assumed they were normal. However when I did the nearside there was only one spacing plate and that was on the outside of the damper mounting bracket, thereby having no effect what so ever. So was I one short and wrongly fitted on the nearside or three too many? I could find no reference to these plates in either the workshop manual or telescopic damper kits. What they are from and what they are for I have no idea but the effect on the offside was to lengthen the stroke of the damper by 13mm; how this managed to make the damper body foul the mounting bracket I have no idea. If any one knows anything about these plates I would be interested to hear. Thank you all for all your brainstorming ideas, I've collected a few useful tips along the way and learnt a lot more about Nerys and how she is built!

[bmcecosse]

Well done !

[kennatt]

And ruin the wood chisel !) hence the OLD WOOD chisel

[MarkyB]

Great job, now on to the slightly less noisy rattle .

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

If it was a 1970s car I would say check the doors for coke cans.

One day in my old Allegro I closed the driver's door and the boot flew open.