gas tank heat shield squeak

[Champale]

I have been on a seemingly never-ending quest to figure out what is causing an annoying rear squeak over bumps after driving for at least 20-30 minutes - a quest that has seen me remove and replace the UCA, LCAs, rear spring isolators (including adding isolators to the KW adjustable spring perch), new rear shocks to replace the KWs, and even adding a new muffler bracket. Not to mention checking the torque of every bolt on the underside of the car, checking the spare tire well, etc. So today I accidentally brushed my hand against the passenger side gas tank heat shield and it went SQUEAK - pretty much the same noise I have been hearing. Doesn't take much pressure and there is a pretty large stretch of it that squeaks when you lightly touch it. The bolt holding the strap up is tight. Per a parts fiche, looks like there are heat shield insulators that go between the heat shield and the tank and they appear to be 3M heat resistant double sided tape. I went ahead and ordered some. Interestingly, the driver's side makes zero noise no matter where and how I pressed on it.

Has anyone else experienced this? I sure hope this quells the squeak because I am losing what little I have left of my mind over this!

 

[Grant 302]

I hope that’s the fix! Gotta wonder what day of the week yours was built...

 

[thehueypilot]

The 3M double sided tape sounds like an "assembly line" aid. Maybe put something better in between it like a little, thin Viton flat gasket that won't disappear over time like the 3M tape probably did?

Tim

 

[Champale]

Good idea, Tim! Honestly, the car has made the noise for as long as I can remember (coming up on 7 years since I got it brand new) and I always blamed the various suspension components that I installed within days of purchase. I am curious to see what we find when we drop that heat shield and hopefully solve the problem.