HOW TO: Stop your tailgate from rattling (with a welder!)

Ok, bear with me here.
I have looked at the hinge adjustment, the latch, and the lower guide - but the rattle in my tailgate was not related to these. Proof of this was that with the gate open, you could hit the spare tyre with your fist, and the gate rattled

The noise came from inside the gate, a real deep rattle, and first time I took the panel off, i assumed I was going to find something obvious. I didn't...

I had tried packing caulk between the various panels that make up the tailgate, using cabinet wedges between the skins, all did NOTHING.

So, today, I decided to go all out and figure what the problem was, and I did.

To begin - I'll give a little insight: The tailgate is made up of a 'skeleton' panel, with the outer skin - and the wheel carrier is bolted between both panels. The inner panel finishes the major assembly. On the 'front side' of the skeleton panel is two stiffening pieces that include captive nuts at either end allowing the wheel carrier bolts to hold the whole shebang together.
The stiffening pieces are spot-welded to the skeleton - and in my case, a few of these seem to have fatigued off - and the skeleton had a few hairline cracks in it (on the top stiffener).
By wedging a pry bar between the skeleton and stiffener, and then whacking the spare with a lump hammer, the rattling went away; or rather seemed to shift to the bottom. Releasing the pry bar - the rattling came back. So, that was pretty conclusive.

I also drilled five large holes in the bottom of the inner panel, and repeated the same test - this also had the same characteristics of the upper stiffener. The holes will be covered by the trim panel, so no harm done really!

There is no easy way to repair any of these - so I took a rather 'agriucultural' approach, and made use of the MIG, as there was really no other way of repairing this (easilly).
I got the wife to hold a hose running cold water over the paint on the outer skin as i tacked the cracks on the skeleton, and then welded the bottom of the stiffener plates to the skeleton.
I've done this method of avoiding damage to paintwork many times - trick is to keep plenty of water flowing over the paint, including several minutes after welding. Also, don't weld more than 6/7 seconds at a time to avoid putting too much heat into the panels.

So, here are some pics!

You can see the holes at the bottom, and the welding of the stiffener to the inner skeleton.





Here is a closer pic of it - not pretty welding, but it is a large gap between the stiffener and skelton. You can also see the area to the right where the crack was.







Here is a pic through one of the holes in the bottom - as you can see it's quite a gap you have to bridge with the MIG, but medium amps and a higher wirespeed, along with a rolling motion of the torch, and it is quite easy, even through the small access holes. Remember to quit after several seconds to let things cool of course!






And FINALLY here is the hammer test - resulting in ZERO rattles or shakes.






So, I have fixed this noise that has plagued this liberty since I purchased it. Thought I'd share it with you guys. Hopefully it'll be usefull for anyone else with a seemingly un-curable rattle.
Cheers,
Dave

Good write-up and great work tracking down the rattle.

I don't think many folks here would attempt the fix like you did, I know I wouldn't. We'd end up having to live with it because I doubt the dealer would fix it.

You don't happen to want to fly out to Arizona do you?

I have the exact same issue and know that is the cause. However, I have no welder and no experience.

Oh, and I just noticed, is it a coincidence that yours is the same color as mine and has the same seemingly rare rattle? LOL.

THANK YOU! For this post! My gate does the same thing. Hit the tire with a hammer and you get the annoying rattle!

I will have to do this.

Thanks,
Bennett

Mine rattles to high hell also. Gonna have to try this. I got to find a helper because i'm not holding a hose in one hand and welding with the other. Dont want to get electrocuted.

This should definately go in the how to section.

Well, I knew I couldn't be alone in this...

Hopefully this will stop many of you pulling your hair out over this invisible rattle! LOL!

So not bad for only my second post huh!

just becareful when you weld so you dont warp the metal

If I'm honest - I don't think sealer will work. The weight of the tyre hanging on the door is what causes the problems... Sealer just aint going to cut it.

If you are good with a stick, then grab some 1.6mm rods, and with it on a low setting, build up a few beads from the skeleton panel and then up the amperage a bit and weld the plates to the beads you've already laid down.

Mig or Arc will be pretty easy - so long as you are half decent on mig and pretty good on the stick. No way could I get my TIG torch in there though

i just had a dealer fix mine like a month ago, no problems since

damnit, mine makes that noise when you go over a bump, sounds like the glass isnt totally latched or the nuts on the wheel are just loose enough.

no chance i have a prayer at fixing this if welding is involved!

I know its been a while since anyone posted on this thread, but I'm new and saw this and figured I would throw in my solution to the problem. I hated the constant rattle as I drove down the highway. I can handle a rattle when I go over bumps or am off road....its a jeep, come'on. the constant rattle is what I was aiming to fix, and I did.

the secret........spray foam. You know, the stuff that you seal your house with. I took the door panel off, and filled every nook and cranny that I could possibly find with spray foam, and then taped off the holes tight so that as it expanded, the foam would fill all the voids. It worked pretty stinkin' good. It still rattles when I close the door, but it is much MUCH less annoying. The constant rattle is gone period.

i like the welder idea better, it sounds like more fun.icon996.gif

I bet that spray foam would make it a lot quieter too. Ive always wondered if you filled all the frame rails and voids in the floor with that stuff if it would help any. Adding that sound mat to the doors would really top it off.

I would worry the spray foam would hold moisture and cause rust in the frame though.

I actually got the idea from the show Trucks! They ran a brake line inside the frame rail and used the spray foam to keep the brake line from moving around and rubbing against anything. Also, I would think that as long as the area is dry when you apply the foam, it would actually seal moisture out.