Rattling...catalytic converter??

[Kanndykisses]

I just have to say I am SO glad I found this site! I can now find my horn to replace the damn thing. On to the next problem: I have a rattling noise every so often under the car, whether it's idling or highway driving, there seems to be no pattern to when it happens. At first I thought maybe the muffler had come apart and the pipes were rubbing because that's exactly what it sounded like to me. But everything seems to be intact, no clamps missing or broken. Could it be the catalytic converter making the noise? On another note....anyone else have problems with wrong fuel guages? Mine just went wonky all of a sudden...ran out of gas when it read 1/4 tank. Kind of embarrassing, since I run a gas station and had to call roadside assistance for a jerry can!

Thanks, all!

[bradsts]

the rattle is from the mufler. the way GM designed it is that there are two different kinds of metel in the muffler body that expand at different rates and sometimes they will separate just enough to cause a rattle. My advice in this case is to go to an aftermarket muffler shop and have it replaced with a "performance" muffler not a direct replacement that has been built from GM factory specs. And, as for your fuel guage i dont know what year your cav is but between 95-99 i have heard of alot of people running out of gas with a quarter tank showing on the guage, its just the fuel level sensor in the gas tank that needs to be replaced, the labour to do it can be quite costly, my advice would be to just keep the car full of gas! much cheeper that way!

[Kanndykisses]

Thank you.....will look into a new muffler...it will be nice not to have to hear that rattling. And yeah, my Cav is a 96, and so far everyone's been telling me that it's a known prob with these. No biggie, just can be a nuisance, but I've been keeping it full 24/7 now (you're right, way more expensive to have the thing fixed).

Thanks for the info!