sorry if this is covered elsewhere--searched but couldn't find what I was looking for.

Anyway, yesterday I start her up and there's a new rattle. It will rattle for 20 seconds or so, then stop, then start back up 5 seconds later and it keeps going like this. Looked under the hood and couldn't see anything that seemed loose, but I just may not know what I'm looking for. It seems to be coming from the front of the engine, but even that's hard to tell (as it could be rattling from somewhere else and just echoing). She doesn't seem to be running any differently than before the rattle.

Thoughts???

 

rock in the frame rail? Loose bolt? could be damn near anything

 

it could be, but the fact that it seems to cycle on and off is the strange part.

 

start it up and try to pin-point the location of the noise? get under it and have someone start it. Thats where i would start

 

so a little update: got up underneath and tried to locate the rattle, but no luck but while I was down there I did notice that I seem to be leaking some water (clear, no smell at all). Then I tried to trace the noise again, and it still seems to be coming from the front--and seems as if it's near the radiator. After a little googling, I came across this:1998 JEEP CHEROKEE
NHTSA* TSB Technical Service Bulletin Number: 600811 Bulletin Date: 19-Jun-1998
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR
THE FAN VISCOUS DRIVE MAY CONTACT THE RADIATOR CAUSING A SCRAPING NOISE AND/OR DAMAGING THE RADIATOR. *YC
Could this be what I'm hearing? I tried searching the forum for info but no luck.

Thanks again,

 

you would DEFINITELY know if that was happening. I sheared the bolts off my engine mount before causing the fan to hit just the plastic shroud never mind the radiator and it was EXTREMELY loud noise. This is not your problem keep looking.

 

i just had to replace my water pump because the bearings went out... so the pully was grinding on the inside of the pump and making a rattling noise to... it didnt spew water but it did leak water. just not very fast. id wiggle your pully to see if it has alot of play in it, if so that would most likely be it.

 

I had a rattle like this once. Turned out to be my spare hidden key I had been looking for for months in one of those magnetic thingies.

 

 

If you have any heat shielding around your exhaust, it often rattles when loose. It has happened on multiple other vehicles of mine.