rattle squeak

[questorfla]

I just bought a 2000 GV with 78k miles. Hadn't driven it more than 50 miles before I notice a "rattle/squeak" noise coming from somewhere under the dash (??) or (??) hard to locate but very annoying. Happens mostly at low speeds (20-35 mph) and seems to be in rhythm with vibrations from the road. The noise seems to "float" around ...you can't reallly pinpoint where it is coming from but somewhere in the front of car under dash or front floor.
We just got new tires mounted and it seemed to happen right after that but it doesn't seem to be coming from the tires themselves,
I have seen mention of a possible cracked? heatshield??
How can I tell if this is the problem. I can tell you the noise will drive you NUTS after a long trip. ( we just made one )

[jwtrapper]

Mine has done the same thing for a few years now. 2000 Grand Vitara also. I have given up on finding out where it is coming from. Some times it is worse than others. If you ever do find it let us all know.

[NCole]

My wife's GV had this problem. Even though it appeared to come from under the dash over bumpy surfaces, I traced it to the hood catch. Try wrapping a couple of turns of electrical tape around the steel "finger" (on the hood) so that when it drops into the catch mechanism, any subsequent movement will not cause a squeak. Good luck!

[questorfla]

Originally Posted by NCole

My wife's GV had this problem. Even though it appeared to come from under the dash over bumpy surfaces, I traced it to the hood catch. Try wrapping a couple of turns of electrical tape around the steel "finger" (on the hood) so that when it drops into the catch mechanism, any subsequent movement will not cause a squeak. Good luck!

Thanks!

I also got input from a dealer who told me about two small "spacer adjustment" pins that arelocated at the front just under the hood.
They can be adjusted by turning them counter-clockwise to raise. This increases the tension on the hood also.
I have done this adjustment and am now in the "trial" phase (next few days) to see if the noise STAYS gone.
If so, I will re-post here for the benefit of anyone else who has this problem.

[Chuck Roast]

The tape is a good option. But first try adjusting the hood leveling nuts . Screw them out both sides until the squeak stops. If it does, you've isolated the problem. To determine if the process worked. Just shut your door a little hard. It will sqeak or you will have fixed it.
Worked for me...