Squeak in dash. Do I have a mouse?

[lxndr]

I have a 2003 sunfire and it has recently developed a squeak in the dash. It sounds like two pieces of plastic rubbing aginst each other and it seems to be coming from an area under the passenger side air bag. it seems to happen as the car vibrates while driving so I had a friend drive the car around a bumpy parking lot as I crawled under the dash to find the cause of the squeak, but had no luck finding it.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Maybe I just need to feed the hamster in the wheel under the hood?

Any ideas appreciated!
Thanks

[amac209]

i've ran into this a few times usually a screw is loose or a clip damaged. one time the windshield wasn't sealing. try spraying a bunch of water around the windshield and taking it for a drive over a rough road while it's still wet. thats how i figured it out after taking the dash apart and putting it back together. good luck

[XtreemRacer440]

I recently noticed this in my car too... (02) my problem was solved with some silcon spray on the right strut brace... see the posting creaky front end... it may apply

[stevie13]

I've had that problem......was the windshield seal (or lack thereof). Was good for quite some time and has just started doing it again.

[lxndr]

Thanks guys,

I live in Seattle (where it is always raining) and I've noticed that it still makes the squeaking noise even with a wet windshield, but I'll check it out anyway.

I'm pretty sure that it is not the suspension because one of the first things that I did was bounce the car to see if that would help it make the noise (no noise). Also, the car has less than 7000 miles on it so it is highly unlikely that a suspension bushing will have worn out already (?).

I'm still convinced that the noise is coming from the area just under the psab and just above the glove box, about 6" in from the front of the dash and on the left side of the psab.

Please help! My wife is driving me cRaZy wanting me to figure out what the sound is! I keep telling her that she just needs to turn the stereo up a little more, but judging by the hand gesture that she gives me in response, I don't think she likes that solution!

[stevie13]

[quote=lxndr]Thanks guys,

I live in Seattle (where it is always raining) and I've noticed that it still makes the squeaking noise even with a wet windshield, but I'll check it out anyway.

QUOTE]
I'm in Vancouver, BC (yup, it always rains). I had mine in several times.....they repacked the dash, tightened screws inside, etc, etc. When I phoned the last time it was in, they told me it was in the glass shop.....I was horrified, thought they'd dropped a hammer thru the windshield or something. But, they said because of the angle of the dash to the windshield, it was amplifying the squeak.....I guess they just reset the windshield.....

Hope that helps

[lxndr]

OK, so now the squeak has turned into a rattle!

I came home one day and noticed that her sunroof was crooked, it was open on the passenger side but closed on the drivers side (?). I inquired as to how this happened and she told me that she pressed the button that retracts the sunroof and somehow the sliding headliner got jammed up. She apparently decided that the best way to re-align it would be to try opening and closing the sunroof several times, but decided to stop when it didn't move anymore.

The next day, while at the dealer...

I asked them if they could not only fix the sunroof but also look into the annoying squeak in the dash. They said "sure".

Today we pick up the car and they tell me that they "fixed the squeak in the seat". Squeak in the SEAT? I inquired about the seat an they said there was no squeak in the dash but they found a squeak in the drivers seat and that must have been what we've been hearing. Now, I've been working on cars since I was 14 years old (thats when I bought my first car) and before that I was helping my father rebuild Harley Davidsons. So I feel that I have an pretty thorough understanding of mechanics. Also, I am a professional upholsterer, so I know that the noise was not coming from the seat.

My wife accepts this as an explination and suggests that I stop arguing with the guy before the vein in my head bursts...

We're driving home and I notice that there is no more squeak in the dash (?)! Instead now there's a rattle coming from the same location!

I point out the rattle to my wife (just to be a smart @$$ and also to try to redeem a little of my reputation that the dealer was trying to undermine) and she says "I'll fix it", then proceeds to turn up the stereo.

I thank everyone for all for the help, but I think I'm done trying to figure this thing out. The reason we bought a new car is so that my wife could have a car that I didn't have to work on.

[TONEIL]

I had that same problem with my 2003 Sunfire and it to went back to the dealer a number of time. On a recent trip to Florida... my boyfriend got a little annoyed with the noise. He lifted up the passanger side corner of the plastic piece that runs across the front of the dash closest to the windsheald. Just lifting it up less than a 1/4 of an inch took care of the noise.

[JBodyGT]

I've had a similar problem on my 2000, but it has to do with the gas pedal. When you let off the pedal, there's this spring release sound coming from the dash. It's annoying, but I gave up a long time ago on fixing it. There's a reason they make stereo's...lol.

[lxndr]

The squeak is still there...
It's driving me nuts...
I have nightmares about it...




Anyone know a good therapist in the Seattle area?