Can't figure out what this noise is coming from under the steering wheel in my 2009 Acura RDX tech. I cannot hear the sound while driving, only at idle or very low speeds.
The sound cannot be heard from the engine bay, and at cold start it is barely noticeable. Had to drive the car around for a bit to replicate it. I do have a seeping power steering rack,
which needs replaced but not sure it's related. Turning ac/heat on or off doesn't make a difference, moving the steering wheel momentarily softens the sound but comes right back.


Anyone know what this is?

 

Can definitely hear it in the video, but hard to make a positive ID. Did you by chance also try to listen to it under the hood to see if it's audible? I almost want to say the p/s pulley, but if you can get some underhood audio it may help to diagnose.

 

Thanks for the reply, i'm not able to hear it under the hood myself. I also removed the cd for the nav to rule that out.


What do you think?

 

Well considering how loud your under-hood sound comes through, it seems that rattle is more faint than I first thought. Unfortunately still at a loss as to what is making that sound. Short of starting to take shit apart to get closer to the noise, I really don't have any ideas. Whatever you do, document it if possible! And good luck.

 

Noise sounds like a faulty air mix motor. Hard to tell if it is the drivers or pass side. Try disconnecting the air mix motor connector for the drivers side first, if noise persists then disconnect the passenger side to see if noise goes away.

 

Thanks for the reply CurrentDraw, i didn't receive a notification which is why i am just responding. I will try disconnecting the air mix motor and get back to you. Thanks!

 

Hello, sorry to bring up an old thread but this is the exact sound my car makes. Did you find out what was causing the rattle? Thanks in advance!

 

I have not found the issue yet. Need to take the car into a mechanic.

 

Great! I hope you could keep us posted on what they find.

 

I used to have a '99 TL that had the air mix motor die on me. It made a sort of "fluttering" sound like the motor would sometimes work. Once it finally died for good I could not get any heat into the car, as the motor must have been stuck on cold air.

 

schen72, it was a good idea. I've unplugged the Air Mix Motor and still encounter the issue. Plus the noise sounds like it is coming from further under the dash then where the AMM is located.
I am still looking for a fix for this issue. I took it to the dealer and they simply said they couldn't hear anything.... So they weren't much help lmao.
Any other ideas from anyone?

 

You didn't say if anything appeared broken. As in, all functions in the car still work? At this point I don't know if it's worth tearing stuff apart to find the source. I've noticed that Acura techs do not "troubleshoot" in the traditional sense. They need to some something broken or a function not working and then they replace.

 

schen72,
I do have two issues at the moment. A failing DVD drive for the GPS navigation, where i can hear the dvd spinning. Which i did not think was related, but i will unplug and see if that makes a difference.
The other issue is the brake light comes on when the temp is around freezing, from a cold start. It was staying on, even with repeated restarts until everything warmed up for a while. But after replacing the brake fluid, the brake light goes off after one restart. Think that would have anything to do with it? I did have the dealer check out the brake issue once and they stated there were no codes.

I also had the power steering rack replaced recently but did not seem to make any difference.

 

I'm not really that knowledgeable, but the stuff you have already broken doesn't seem would make that kind of sound.

 

 

See this link - https://acurazine.com/how-tos/a/acur...c-guide-426722

 

 

Really appreciate the response Pandaman, I actually have the RV6 downpipe already and do not have the heat-shield installed anymore.

 

This noise Is driving me crazy. I have had it since I purchased the car and would love to get rid of it.
An suggestions are welcome!!

Today I started removing things under the dash with no luck.
Unplugging the air-mix motor makes no difference.
The noise sounds like it is coming from the firewall area more then anything.
Today it seemed to go away with the fans/ac on and would come right back when turned off. I will need to do some more testing to verify.

 

 

Try to check this out -->

 

Possible coming from a loose bolt on the wheel well underneath the battery. See the comment of the one who posted the video.

 

Sadly, this might be the root cause of our issue:

Take a look at this thread, post 132 and 155. I hope this helps.
https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-rdx-...-861782/page4/

 

Really appreciate the responses Pandaman! I will take a look at each of them. The loose bolt sounds oddly similar.

 

Let me know if you will be able to verify if this is the root cause. Possible the Actuator Tip has ovalled and became loose.

 

try 152#

"For the sake of closure, this is now fixed! Just had to loosen the locknut and adjust the actuator rod length to take up the slack. Then after re-tightening the locknut the rattling went away and the engine/transmission/emission codes have not returned. Didn't even have to take anything off the engine...just two wrenches and less than an hour to fix something that the dealership wanted $5k for a turbo replacement...."

 

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-rdx-...es-rdx-681945/

Dealer found source of what sounded like a fast tinny rattle in dash of my RDX.
The problem was a brace under the cowl cover between drivers fender and cowl. A bolt was mis-thread

 

 

 

I will check it too tomorrow.. Take some pictures if you can.

 

 

Rattle at the two loose bolts (at the back) of the intercooler of the turbo.. Make sure both bolts are tighten properly. Put a soft rubber to make sure that there is no rattle.

 

 

 

 

 

I finally found the culprit to this noise under the steering wheel I was having.
The fuel pump filter was clogged causing air bubbles in the fuel lines (especially at idle).
I am assuming once they reached the regulator it was causing the noise.
BEAT IT

Anyways hope this helps anyone else with the same noise!

 

I have recently became the new owner of an 09 RDX with the SAME noise. The previous owners were meticulous about caring for the vehicle. The auto only has 75,000 miles.

????? The noise to me sounds like two squirrels arguing with each other!!!

Also if anyone could kindly tell me what this part in the circle is??

Any help would be much appreciated!!!

Thank you all
Sgrenw5

 

Plus air in the fuel lines???? That doesn't even sound good...even if I am a girl?????
I would think that would cause driving issues too????