Interior Squeaks Eliminated
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Interior Squeaks Eliminated
FOR OLD **** FARTS ONLY!!!
This is not for the majority of owners who like interior noise! I used to be one, my first Corvette could not be loud enough! Now I am old, had lots of Corvettes and "quiet" smooth high-performance is my current goal.
Some of you may have seen post(s) a little over a year ago where I Dynamatted/Ensolited almost everything - outer wheel wells, interior cargo bay, doors, etc. - this brought the sound levels down considerably. I then added a special kind of batting to the rear compartments and added a removable rear compartment divider and rear cargo wall sound deadening insert - again much quieter. Then switched from GYRFs to Michelin A/S ZPs, you guessed it - quieter still. Added Corsa Touring Tiger Sharks w/X-pipe last December - actually quieter than stock except under heavy acceleration - even then, pretty tame. I have been putting off Dynamatting/Ensoliteing the front compartment, because I knew I was ordering a new VE Interior and all the seats and console would have to come out anyway, so I waited on that last step. Well last week the new VE interior "finally" arrived after almost a year of waiting on special materials (like carbon-fiber leather and Ultra-suede). This weekend I finally completed the sound-deadening project, installed the VE interior components and this far exceeded my expectations. The car is almost completely SILENT inside at any speed now - just a faint hint of sound from the rear tires over 40mph, but the interior is so quiet that you can hear the person next to you whispering in their most quiet voice.
The down side of all this deadening, is that for the past year, I now hear all these little interior squeaks, rattles and pops occasionally, that you would never notice otherwise coming from the dash. Looking at he way the console bezel mated with the dash when it was out was like a light bulb going off in my head. This surely had to be the source of some of these obnoxious squeaks. Therefore, I smeared a fine coat of wheel bearing grease on the mating surface of the console bezel before re-installing. Three days later and ALL the dash squeaks I have been noticing are now gone!
So for those VERY FEW of you that are trying to quiet your interiors for audio reasons or otherwise, this might be worth a try (and it is FREE - unless you don't have any grease). I notice some people are covering their bezels in suede and the like and my guess is this would have a similar effect without the lubricant.
This is not for the majority of owners who like interior noise! I used to be one, my first Corvette could not be loud enough! Now I am old, had lots of Corvettes and "quiet" smooth high-performance is my current goal.
Some of you may have seen post(s) a little over a year ago where I Dynamatted/Ensolited almost everything - outer wheel wells, interior cargo bay, doors, etc. - this brought the sound levels down considerably. I then added a special kind of batting to the rear compartments and added a removable rear compartment divider and rear cargo wall sound deadening insert - again much quieter. Then switched from GYRFs to Michelin A/S ZPs, you guessed it - quieter still. Added Corsa Touring Tiger Sharks w/X-pipe last December - actually quieter than stock except under heavy acceleration - even then, pretty tame. I have been putting off Dynamatting/Ensoliteing the front compartment, because I knew I was ordering a new VE Interior and all the seats and console would have to come out anyway, so I waited on that last step. Well last week the new VE interior "finally" arrived after almost a year of waiting on special materials (like carbon-fiber leather and Ultra-suede). This weekend I finally completed the sound-deadening project, installed the VE interior components and this far exceeded my expectations. The car is almost completely SILENT inside at any speed now - just a faint hint of sound from the rear tires over 40mph, but the interior is so quiet that you can hear the person next to you whispering in their most quiet voice.
The down side of all this deadening, is that for the past year, I now hear all these little interior squeaks, rattles and pops occasionally, that you would never notice otherwise coming from the dash. Looking at he way the console bezel mated with the dash when it was out was like a light bulb going off in my head. This surely had to be the source of some of these obnoxious squeaks. Therefore, I smeared a fine coat of wheel bearing grease on the mating surface of the console bezel before re-installing. Three days later and ALL the dash squeaks I have been noticing are now gone!
So for those VERY FEW of you that are trying to quiet your interiors for audio reasons or otherwise, this might be worth a try (and it is FREE - unless you don't have any grease). I notice some people are covering their bezels in suede and the like and my guess is this would have a similar effect without the lubricant.
Last edited by Choreo; 04-03-2008 at 06:08 AM.
#2
Night Owl for life
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good job.
#3
Drifting
Has anyone come up with a fix for the sunvisors rattling? Mine are 10 years old and not sure if they did find a permanent fix for later model years. All the other noises are tolerable except for the bouncing/rattling visors.
#4
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Way to track down those pesky noises. Wouldn't have thought about using grease but it sure makes sense.
#6
Melting Slicks
I have been thinking about designing a rear compartment divider for my coupe, would you post pictures of your design?
Thanks and great job on your sound deadening!
Thanks and great job on your sound deadening!
#7
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There is an anti squeak compound that kinda looks like vaseline with a little Teflon flakes in it......and it goes on clear....I have had it around the garage for years.....the next place you will find squeaks is the door trim panels...the idea that the quieter you make it the more you will hear
#8
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I eliminate almost all my squeaks and rattles by turning up the stereo really loud.The only draw back is I am on my third set of door speakers and those door pins get a little pricey.The last set just arrived Tuesday from a Forum member bonestockZ06 thank you.
If you were to use any kind of grease you would want to try a non offensive odorless compound like dielectric grease.
If you were to use any kind of grease you would want to try a non offensive odorless compound like dielectric grease.
#9
Team Owner
Good call.
I use clear silicone sealer to glue panels back together after removing them in mine.
My car has so much freakin butyl mat, ensolite, and composite barrier material it runs 15s now. and it's still super noisy inside.
You said you added a divider, but your profile says you have a coupe.. so?
I use clear silicone sealer to glue panels back together after removing them in mine.
My car has so much freakin butyl mat, ensolite, and composite barrier material it runs 15s now. and it's still super noisy inside.
You said you added a divider, but your profile says you have a coupe.. so?
Last edited by Kale; 04-03-2008 at 11:31 AM.
#10
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#11
Drifting
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A cheap fix for the visor rattle is to use electrical tape and wrap it around the visor rod a couple of times. My visor rod is black so the tape is not too visible.
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#14
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I too am a member of the fine group you described, but I prefer old coot. Since I am hard of hearing and don't wear hearing aids in the C5, I don't hear all the squeaks you mentioned. I assume that they are there, but I don't notice them, plus the audio (radio and CD) usually drowns them out. So there are some blessings with old age, but not much.
#15
Burning Brakes
Thanks
#16
Team Owner
Got a link to the door project? Being an old fart I naturally can't get Search to find a door how-to. I think this is next 'cause shutting the doors sounds like a Yugo. Wonder if these small pieces would be worth putting in: http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette?frame=1.7972
Thanks
Thanks
Ensolite is not really thick enough to be a magic bullet, but it is useful, especially for frequencies over 10khz or so.
#18
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
The rear compartment divider that I used was not "my" design - it is the same carpeted divider that several of the supporting vendors sell. It also had a "minimal" effect on the sound characteristics - more for convenience than sound in the end.
#19
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
ensolite is more useful as an 'anti rattle gasket' than a noise barrier. For $30, I'd just go buy a roll of ensolite, and do the doors and have some left over.
Ensolite is not really thick enough to be a magic bullet, but it is useful, especially for frequencies over 10khz or so.
Ensolite is not really thick enough to be a magic bullet, but it is useful, especially for frequencies over 10khz or so.
#20
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I took care of all of the interior noises of my C5 with a simple trick I learned from my Dad. He got tired of hearing the complaints of this squeaks, that chirps, that door needs oil. So, to fix it he put a small plastic pan in the trunk with two golf ***** in it.
Problem solved -
Problem solved -