Alternative Rattle Solution

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by sniwallof, May 15, 2019.

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  1. sniwallof

    sniwallof Active Member

    I got the dreaded passenger side dash rattle (bad). I could see the tweeter rattle, not sure if I had the A pillar rattle too.

    The pillar cover comes off easy, just pry the rectangle out (carefully with a thin plastic trim tool), then pull the whole piece off. It's a bit easier if you first pull down the rubber weather seal along the pillar (it goes back fine).

    Once the cover is free, the tweeter wires plug releases (there is a tiny clip), then the cover comes out free and clear.

    There is a grey puddy used by electricians to surround some covers and connectors. Especially when new, it is soft and easily shaped. A pound (comes in a bar in plastic wrap) is just a few dollars.

    I took off tiny bits of the bar and pushed the puddy around the perimeter of the tweeter, just the part (the edge) that sits in the slight walls of the pillar cover. Not only does it stop the rattle, but it provides a bit of a rubberized tweeter mount as well.

    Then, just in case I had a pillar rattle too, I made tiny rolled cylinders of the stuff and put one at the base of each of the flat plastic surfaces of the pillar end parts that mate to corresponding surfaces of the dash assembly. They compressed when the cover was reinstalled, but there was not enough material to squeeze out to where any of it can be seen.

    So far, so good. I went for a half hour drive or so, local and highway, no rattle sound at all, what a joy! Also, there is no noticeable smell (very small amounts of the puddy are all that is needed).

    Here's the one I got at Lowes:
    Screen Shot 2019-05-15 at 10.03.22 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2019-05-15 at 9.49.48 PM.png
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2019
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  3. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    That’s a great solution. Just be sure it’s not so sticky that it might impede deployment of the air bag.
     
  4. sniwallof

    sniwallof Active Member

    very tiny amounts, and no where near the holding force that needs to be overcome just to pull the cover off normally. probably less adhesion than the tape Honda has been using.

    However, caution noted, and I take no responsibility for any personal injury or death caused by this fix! :)
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2019
    KentuckyKen likes this.
  5. Needed pics of where you put the stuff, I have the rattle too...
     
  6. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    FWIW, foam tape will also work and is what the dealers use.
     
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  8. sniwallof

    sniwallof Active Member

    I think just about anything that gives a little cushion around the tweeter, and under the flat parts of the tabbed feet of the pillar cover will work.

    fair point about pictures - In words:

    1- gently pry open the rectangular cover near the top inside part of the cover, this unlocks it. A thin plastic trim tool works best not to leave marks. The cover just pulls out a bit, it does not come off.

    2- gently pull down the door rubber weather stripping at least in the top corner of the door near the rectangular cover that you pulled out, more is better, but, no more than about 2 feet is needed. Pull down, very little force is needed. Be sure later to completely re-seat it by checking the distance to the metal frame (just look at it). I found that pushing the door weather seal back on from the rear (front top of the window) towards the front of the car worked best. Also, if you get the pillar cover back on correctly (fully seated), the seal just goes back on correctly over the edge of the pillar cover. It should not be necessary to work the edge of the seal out over the outside of the re-installed pillar cover.

    3- pull out the pillar cover (straight out away from the frame), it unsnaps and comes free.

    4- unclip the tweeter wire connector, now the pillar can be completely removed.

    5- use a small amount of some material to fix the tweeter in it's cavity, preferably just around the very outside edges (so it does not slide around in the cavity). The material should not show in the front. The tweeter should be fixed in place, and not slide around in its mount after you are finished.

    6- use a small amount of some material at the bottom of the feet of the pillar cover where the tabs mate into the dash (not on the tabs, but on the right angle parts where the pillar end rests on the flats near the tabs. I think someone said the foam tape was visible, I do not see why that would be necessary. You only need a little cushion to tighten up and cushion that connection at the bottom of each of the feet to provide a little rubber like washer or gasket. As Ken so rightly noted, do not use glue or epoxy, because the pillar cover comes off for airbag deployment. On the other hand, when you see how much force it takes to pull off the pillar cover, with a little care, adding some cushion under the feet should not be a problem, yet anything one does is done at their own risk.

    Or, just go to Honda and tell them fix the rattle.

    Before I reviewed the threads here, I could not find the rattle. I looked from the mirror to under the dash, including emptying the glove box and running with the empty glove box open. I got a bit of a squeak behind the rear-view mirror, but that wasn't it. I could reproduce the rattle by slapping an open palm of my hand on the wood grain part of the dash passenger side. I was leaning towards the fan motor or fan, but then after reading the several threads, I realized that I could see the tweeter shaking in it's mount. Then I noticed that I could slide it a bit from the outside.

    My rattles were all hard plastic on plastic (tweeter moving around, possibly the feet of the pillar). They just needed a very small amount of an intermediate soft rubber or gasket like material. There are other potential Clarity rattles, like the fan or fan motor, which probably require a repair by a Honda dealer while under warranty.

    Having changed the tweeters myself on my first Clarity, I knew it was relatively easy to remove the pillar cover and just went for it, as opposed to an hour drive to my preferred Honda dealer. Also, I did not want to be looking at a strip of white foam tape at the intersection of the cover and the dash for maybe 10 years :)
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2019
    Michiel and Vic like this.
  9. blastfurnace

    blastfurnace Member

    I removed my right side A pillar yesterday after much gnashing of teeth...I hate to disassemble a new car...but it was very straight forward thanks to Sinwallof's description. The only "tricky" thing at all is popping off the trim piece. It isn't tricky, but you have to commit to it. Otherwise, very simple to do. I put some foam tape around the tweeter itself and in places where the plastic touches the frame. Before you take the trim off, vibrate it loosely it with your hand...I was able to hear where the rattle was coming from when I did that.
     
  10. Claritydreamer

    Claritydreamer New Member

    When you are talking about the RECTANGLE, do you mean the one that mentions supplemental restraint system (airbag)?
     
  11. fotomoto

    fotomoto Active Member

    I just cut a couple of small pieces of styrofoam and stuck it behind the tweeters which are well away from the airbags. Rattles gone.
     
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  13. Claritydreamer

    Claritydreamer New Member

    I'm talking about getting the trim off. the only rectangle is the one that says something like "supplemental airbag". Is that what i'm supposed to gently pry out before I take the whole trim piece off?
     
  14. blastfurnace

    blastfurnace Member

    Yes, the little rectangle has the airbag message on it. It pulls out but doesn't come off completely. I used a thin knife blade to prize it loose and it didn't leave a mark or anything. On the underside is a pin that attaches to the metal frame.
     
  15. fotomoto

    fotomoto Active Member

    I didn't remove the trim. Pull weatherstrip off a few inches away from that zone, use tool (I carefully used a flat blade screwdriver) to pry trim enough to see tweeter and where to stuff styrofoam. It did take me three tries getting the foam in the correct spot on the right speaker.
     
  16. M. Shah

    M. Shah Member

    PIctures are worth a 1000 words. Can someone please post pictures of steps.
     
  17. blastfurnace

    blastfurnace Member

    I need to get some better foam in place this weekend, so I will take some pictures and post them.
     
  18. Michiel

    Michiel New Member

    @sniwallof Thanks much for the write up. Fixed RH tweeter rattle with a little RTV silicone around the clips.
     
  19. Dan McInerney

    Dan McInerney Member

    After all the posts about rattling sounds from the tweeters/pillars, curious to know if anyone's come across a service bulletin that addresses the problem. Thanks.
     
  20. Kerbe

    Kerbe Well-Known Member

    ...and a YouTube video would be even better than a picture!
     

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