Rattle Trap

[John Stephan]

2005 Expy. Doors are rattling and my wife hates it. The only fix I've found is to replace the door latch assembly. Anyone have any other quick fixes? Even if temporary and require reapplying?


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[Hamfisted]

Are you the original owner ? What doors are rattling ? Has it ever been wrecked ? How's the weatherstripping around the door ? Expy's are not known for rattling, anywhere.

 

[Adieu]

Loose speaker or crap left over/left loose from an aftermarket audio install? Loose switch assemblies? Loose window regulators?

Take the door trim off (surprisingly easy, several hidden screws -- check online for if you're not sure you got em all -- and a few easy clips, that's it) and see what's going on underneath

 

[John Stephan]

2nd owner. No signs of ever being wrecked. Not even a speck of rust anywhere. It lived in California and Tennessee.

I've already had the door apart and didnt find anything. It's almost as if the door is not tight on the latch. Like the weather stripping has gone soft and lost its support.

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[Trainmaster]

Grab the door and shake it to check for the looseness. If it is the latch get another one from a junkyard. I don't believe there's any adjustment. Could be a problem with the latching mechanism which should be spring loaded. But I have my doubts it is the latch to blame.

You may also want to look at the body mounts between the body and frame. They can loosen or the rubber or mounting points can rot out causing flex that would rattle the door openings. But as Hamfisted mentioned, the weatherstripping should keep things tight. Look for worn paint areas around the door indicating metal-to-metal contact. Could be as simple as a missing little rubber bumper that usually don't do anything.

 

[Aspen03]

Of all the people I know that have a 2nd gen, mine is the only one that doesn't rattle, especially when going over railroad tracks or uneven pavement.

My in laws is exceptionally annoying, it was one of the key things I avoided when shopping for my own. I've never figured theirs out. It did it before doing stereo work for them and is just as bad afterward. Everything was put back together nice and tight with no improvement. Basically it just sounds like a hollow, plasticky rock filled mess. No rocks in it...I checked. Every once in awhile their grandkids like to collect rocks at the lake and stash them in the car.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Grab the door and shake it to check for the looseness. If it is the latch get another one from a junkyard. I don't believe there's any adjustment. Could be a problem with the latching mechanism which should be spring loaded. But I have my doubts it is the latch to blame.

You may also want to look at the body mounts between the body and frame. They can loosen or the rubber or mounting points can rot out causing flex that would rattle the door openings. But as Hamfisted mentioned, the weatherstripping should keep things tight. Look for worn paint areas around the door indicating metal-to-metal contact. Could be as simple as a missing little rubber bumper that usually don't do anything.

X 2 on the possibility of missing rubber bumper insulators, which stop the door from rattling.

 

[John Stephan]

Wife sent a picture of the bumpers. They look to be intact and OEM. Maybe they've been compressed too long?

 

[John Stephan]

I know someone was meddling in the door. The expy does have an aft radio. There are amplifiers in the door for the speakers, but I removed the panel and secured anything in the door. When I shake the door with it open there's no noise.

When driving down the road you can hear the door rattling at the latch. It's a metal on metal kinda noise.

It's my understanding that the clasp in the door latch itself should have a type of plastic insulator around it. It insulates the metal to metal contact on the hasp on the B-pillar. My thought is that through the years of use, this plastic piece has worn through and fallen off. Anyone without a rattley door inspect the clasp on the latch and report back?

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[Hamfisted]

So it's just the driver's door rattling? Does the passenger side rattle too? If not, what does it's latch look like? You could wrap some tape around the latch striker and see if the noise changes or goes away.
If you do need a new latch, they're still available.

https://www.fordpartsgiant.com/part...odel=Expedition&Year=2005&Submodel=&Filter=()

 

[Thom]

Anyone know where to get the rubber stops for the Expy doors as shown in the pic by John Stephan? My 2014 Limited is missing one and the dealer could not find a part number for them. I haven't tried any junkyards but would like to get new ones if someone makes them.

Update: Went to the local auto junkyard and got them. Grabbed a few spares too.

 

[Jeff G]

My front doors rattle on rough roads. When I unlock the doors, the worst of the rattling stops. Rear doors don't rattle.

 

[Hamfisted]

Anyone know where to get the rubber stops for the Expy doors as shown in the pic by John Stephan? My 2014 Limited is missing one and the dealer could not find a part number for them. I haven't tried any junkyards but would like to get new ones if someone makes them.

Amazon ....

https://www.amazon.com/Ford-YC3Z-2525076-AA-BUMPER/dp/B000NU55OS

https://www.amazon.com/Ford-W705903-S300-Rubber/dp/B0118FUOR4/ref=psdc_15709271_t1_B000NU55OS

 

[Plati]

any chance it's not the door ... but the hood?

for years i wondered what that rattle was
then i realized the hood isn't tightly latched

2003XLT

 

[getdealtwith]

I got my rattle trap a LOT more quiet with the help of rubber vacuum caps, a razor and super glue. The door latches wear out so I decided to try to beef up the striker with something other than tape. Cleaned the striker with alcohol. Cut the top portion off of the rubber cap off, sliced it open along the length and glued this sleave on with the open side facing down. Once dry, I shaved some material off where needed (if the door was tough to open) and added lithium grease. Eventually it "breaks in" as the metal catch will wear on the rubber and probably won't last forever but just got back from a 3K mile mile trip and the truck is still so much quieter than when I got it. Would do it all over. And: this fixed rattles I thought were in the a pillar and and trunk paneling. Lastly: I repaired and modded the torn andgand leaky glass hatch gasket with fish tape and silicone spray as others have suggested doing with the doors. Beefing up the strikers to pull the doors tighter was easier.

 

[Don Hall]

Of all the people I know that have a 2nd gen, mine is the only one that doesn't rattle........

MY 2004 doesn't rattle one iota, but you don't know me.

 

[Mako825]

Thought I'd bump this post to see if anyone has any new intel on the best way to deal with this problem?

The driver's door on my 2003 Ford Expedition XLT has had this issue for years. For me the rattle started after one of my many weekend trips driving on washboard rutted roads to get to a backpacking trailhead or canoe put-in.

At some point I started wrapping the latch striker with a couple of loops of gaffers tape. It solves the problem temporarily and lasts for several months. Again, just wondering if there's any new intel on a more permanent fix?

 

[kep5niner]

My recently procured 2003 EB was a rattle-trap like I’ve never heard before. And Ford knows it. Turns out there is a TSB that (under warranty) replaces all 4 door seals and all 4 door latches. Well that warranty ship sailed a long time ago. I researched the part numbers in the TSB, and it would have been over $1,000 in parts, if you could even get them now.

So here is my solution, and it worked famously. For starters, I moved all of the door latch strikes inboard, simply loosening the 2 torx bolts each enough to tap in the strikes with a punch. Then tighten the torx. The most effective solution, and also the quickest, was to firm up the weatherstripping of all 4 doors. I did this by snaking 5/32” upholstery piping into the weatherstripping. After pulling off the weatherstripping, there are weep holes at the weatherstripping, where I lubed it up with spray silicon, and snaked the piping in. Presto. Doors rock solid, no more rattles.

From Amazon: 5/32" Upholstery Firm Plastic Foam Welt Cord Piping (60 yds)

 

[Mako825]

My recently procured 2003 EB was a rattle-trap like I’ve never heard before. And Ford knows it. Turns out there is a TSB that (under warranty) replaces all 4 door seals and all 4 door latches. Well that warranty ship sailed a long time ago. I researched the part numbers in the TSB, and it would have been over $1,000 in parts, if you could even get them now.

So here is my solution, and it worked famously. For starters, I moved all of the door latch strikes inboard, simply loosening the 2 torx bolts each enough to tap in the strikes with a punch. Then tighten the torx. The most effective solution, and also the quickest, was to firm up the weatherstripping of all 4 doors. I did this by snaking 5/32” upholstery piping into the weatherstripping. After pulling off the weatherstripping, there are weep holes at the weatherstripping, where I lubed it up with spray silicon, and snaked the piping in. Presto. Doors rock solid, no more rattles.

From Amazon: 5/32" Upholstery Firm Plastic Foam Welt Cord Piping (60 yds)

Kep - I like this idea with the piping. I went out to my Ford Expedition and felt around the hollow part of the weatherstripping looking for the weep holes but didn't feel any. Is it something you can only access by removing the weatherstripping from the door frame?

 

[kep5niner]

Possibly. But removing the weatherstripping literally takes about 15 seconds. Pop off the plastic door sill trim, and then just take off the weatherstripping from its channel.