intermittent ringing sound at highway speed

[MaryB]

My car was in for body work after being bumped in our last snowfall of the season.

 

I drove out of town before it went in for body work - and took it into a service shop after I heard a grinding sound. They secured the engine cover and bent the exhaust up off of the drive axle. They noted the left rear sway bar is bent against the exhaust pipe. The sound disappeared and I drove home with no problems.

 

The muffler assembly is now replaced, plus left front fender, back hatch, back bumper, new battery and front and back lights on the left side, plus other bits of body stuff. Looks great now!

 

I got the car back today and drove it on our rural highway. The road gently turns left and right and I started driving at 25 mph in town accelerating to 50 mph on the highway, I heard a sound about 10 minutes after I started. The sound is intermittent and doesn't stop immediately when I slow down. The sound then disappears when I am moving less than 45 mph

 

The sound is like a ringing or like keys jangling and it sound like its coming from the front of the car when I put my ear out the driver's window, not sure which side. Its not the same sound I heard before the body work. It definitely is heard at a higher speed. Otherwise the car drives fine.

 

I didn't check gear oil yet, I will try that tomorrow. Thanks for your advice!

Edited May 12, 2011 by MaryB

[MaryB]

forgot the vitals! Car is 2001 Forester with 145K miles.

[nipper]

Loose heat sheild on the exhaust system.

[idosubaru]

what he said.

was the windshield replaced? check the fender liners too, if they hang down or aren't buttoned up they will catch the wind, particularly in front of the tire. this part was, if not removed, partially detached to replace the front fender. you're looking for things that will vibrate in the wind.

[MaryB]

took the car into the same body shop today, it was all warmed up.

 

He put the car up and we looked at the heat shield as he tapped it hard with a soft mallett. Of course there wasn't a similar sound when he did this. Nothing appeared loose. This guy is the best there is and his reputation is fantastic in our community. He also blew out any rocks that were stuck in between the shield and the pipe (I live in the Sierra Nevada and take my Forester into the wild)

 

Then took the guy with me on a ride -- could not reproduce that darned ringing. He said it may be the catalytic converter that was damaged when the muffler was pushed forward during the accident.

 

We're going to keep an ear on it and see if the problem pops up again.

 

Maybe

[Fairtax4me]

Jingling keys = worn brake pads. Or it might be like my car where there is plenty of pad but they just squeak anyway.

[scrap487]

Did you figure out what this is? I have a similar issue currently. I'm 98% certain my problem is caused by a piece of the inner wheel bearing seal on my driver side came loose and is riding/rubbing/bouncing around the axle shaft stub. Can barely hear it, but most noticeable when cruising 50-60mph and driving next to a wall or barrier on the freeway.

[MaryB]

we did not find a fix yet, but I'm motivated. Got new tires last week that are a lot quieter so the jingling keys problem is now louder than ever.

 

Checked front brake pads today, finally they are ready for replacement. Maybe replacing them will get rid of this awful jingling sound. Pads were definitely NOT worn out last spring.