Strange tinging sound at 30mph+

[wired1000]

Hi everyone,

I've noticed a strange "tinging" sound when driving. Seems to be related to vehicle speed... only hear this noise when traveling 30mph or more. I hear it best in 3rd gear, but I'm not sure if I *would* hear it in 2nd gear... because when going 30+ in 2nd the engine noise drowns it out.

The sound is something like a BB in a clothes dryer. Sort of a tinging sound, and it isn't rhythmic or happening at any interval... it's sort of random. It seems to get slightly louder at higher speeds (50mph+). Seems to be coming from somewhere underneath the seats, but it's hard to tell.

The sound continues if I am going 30mph+ and let off the gas so the engine is idling and the vehicle is just gliding along.

I have recently changed the T-Case fluid (using Dexron). My transmission fluid is OK. I also changed the front and rear propeller shaft U-joints (but not the ones in the front wheels).

My next step is to check the flex plate, but wouldn't the sound be engine-speed dependent if the flex plate was the problem?

Edit: This is for a 1985 M1009, btw.

Appreciate your help in advance! Thanks!

 

[wired1000]

Also, my rear axle is brand new.

 

[poppop]

this reminds me of a story an old Man told me about a new car he bought one time. It had a tinkling sound when driving. After numerous trips back to the dealer with no luck he finally told them find it or get me another car. They started taling apart the interior of the car and found suspended in the seat springs a metal file with a note which said "I bet it took you guys a long time to find this" left by the assembly man who installed the seats. Ironicly the dealer had another car with the same complaint which they called in and found the same thing. Not that this does you any good but strange things happen.

 

[wired1000]

My dad had a 1995 Volvo 850 that he kept immaculately clean and always dealer serviced, etc. It got a round pebble stuck in the bumper surround, such that when he braked, turned, or accelerated in a certain way he heard a rattle that basically only *he* could hear. Someone unfamiliar with the "normal" noises of his car would never hear that over the sound of the normal noises. I think my brother was the one who finally figured it out... all the mechanics he went to kept shrugging their shoulders and saying "well, *I* don't hear *anything*..."

 

[wired1000]

Anyway... since the noise is vehicle-speed dependent it sort of worries me.

 

[91W350]

Check the starter brace between starter and block. Mine was loose and a tinging fool.

 

[Warthog]

Also check the air breather nuts and the throttle cable

 

[73m819]

sounds like it is about to die, now is the time to find a 5t owner that needs a wheel chock then get the cucv to them before it goes wheels up

 

[wired1000]

sounds like it is about to die, now is the time to find a 5t owner that needs a wheel chock then get the cucv to them before it goes wheels up

hardy har har...

 

[wired1000]

Also check the air breather nuts and the throttle cable

engine air filter nuts are tight. are there other "air breathers?"

I will check the throttle cable again, but I have used it to rev the engine from under the hood recently and didn't notice anything feeling loose.

 

[wired1000]

Check the starter brace between starter and block. Mine was loose and a tinging fool.

This might have something to do with it.... I did recently have the starter replaced. Will update shortly...

 

[wired1000]

The starter is firmly attached to the block. No tinging there. What I did notice is that my front propeller shaft has maybe a 1/8th - 1/4 inch of freedom. As I said before, the U-Joints were replaced, so those are solid, but the whole thing can turn back and forth that amount before it catches on something either inside the T-Case or the Front Diff. I have it parked in "P" and it's in 2-Hi. Is this normal?

 

[Stretch44875]

Tinging usually means to me a driveshaft. Rubbing or loose?

 

[wired1000]

Tinging usually means to me a driveshaft. Rubbing or loose?

The rear driveshaft seems to be pretty firmly in place. The front driveshaft (I called it a propeller shaft as they call it in the TMs in my previous post) has a 1/8 - 1/4 inch of "rotational play" when the vehicle is in 2 Hi. I don't know if this is considered normal.



The U joints are all new except the ones in the front wheels.

 

[wired1000]

I'm gonna run a quick errand, throw it into 4WD and see if I still have play in the front driveshaft once I stop (and it's in 4WD).

 

[wired1000]

So.... turns out I've been in 4-Hi this whole time... Once I gave up on shifting it into 4-Hi (from what I thought was 2-Hi), this occurred to me... so I shifted it into *actual* 2-Hi. The tinging sound went away. Yay!

I think. Since I'm probably going to hardly ever use 4WD, I probably don't need to worry much about this... right?

Maybe I'll fix the "4WD" light / sensor (which I *thought* was working) and call it a day?