Alternative Rattle Solution

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sniwallof

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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.webp

Screen Shot 2019-05-15 at 9.49.48 PM.webp
 
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KentuckyKen said:
That’s a great solution. Just be sure it’s not so sticky that it might impede deployment of the air bag.
Click to expand...

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! :)
 
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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 :)
 
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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.
 
sniwallof said:
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:
View attachment 4813
View attachment 4812
Click to expand...
When you are talking about the RECTANGLE, do you mean the one that mentions supplemental restraint system (airbag)?
 
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.
 
fotomoto said:
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.
Click to expand...
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?
 
Russ Geller said:
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?
Click to expand...

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.
 
Russ Geller said:
I'm talking about getting the trim off.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
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