swake457

Has anyone had a strange "squeak"-like noise from the drivers side dash?

My 05 RL (54k miles, off warranty) has developed a noise, it sounds almost like two bushings rubbing together (if you can imagine what that might sound like). It's not a hard plastic sound. I've been able to track the sounds to the area of the speedo cluster, maybe under it to the left. It only happens when I'm driving and the bumps and rolls of the paved roads cause the body to flex. I can't make the noise happen just by forcing the car to rock back and forth. I've also pushed around on various dash panels and the steering wheel with no luck repeating the noise. Thankfully I can't hear it when the radio is turned up, but it's very annoying with no radio on or I'm taking a call. It's not consistent either. I can commute to work in the morning and never hear the sound, or just barely. Other times it starts right away, almost non stop.

I've been thinking about trying to get a look up under the dash to see what might be causing it. Wasn't sure if the panels under there are easy to get off or not.

Has anyone else heard of this? I see in some TSB's odd noises are references with suggested solutions for the tech's to try, but I didn't see anything like this.

thanks!

wcoy

I would just take it too the dealer and have them take a look, this is something that they might not even charge you for.

miner

I believe there was a TSB out about the driver side AC vent hose rubbing against another support. I think the fix was to remove the wood trim and use foam tape between the vent hose and other part it was rubbing against. I am recalling all of this from my failing memeory.

supergreen

Had the same issue on my car about a year back. If you remove the gauge cluster it gives you good access to the inside of the dash. I used some small pieces of soft foam and wedged them between the pipes and the supports and it seems to have solved the problem.

swake457

thanks for the great info guys. I'm glad to know it's a known issue that can be fixed.

Are there any schematics/how-to's available to remove the dash cluster?

TampaRLX-SH

If your squeak is one of the TSB cures, this is the TSB with diagrams and instructions.

http://www.in.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/SB/B06-017.pdf

Rob144

The TSB refers to another manual for removal/replacement of certain interior elements.

Which manual describes the removal/replacement procedures for interior elements like the glovebox, console, etc?

Rob144

swake457

Thanks TampaRL, for posting the direct link to the TSB. I see in the TSB the solution diagrams refer to the parts that need the wool tape, and where to apply it, etc. They refer to certain parts of the service manual for additional instructions to get the various trim pieces off. I checked the garage, but didn't see any section of the posted 2008 service manual that covers this.

By chance do you have access to the service manual that has these steps?

thanks again!

Rob144

Just a bump to see if anyone can point to the trim removal steps referenced in the TSB. My search of the posted manual did not turn up steps for dealing with the interior trim.

TampaRLX-SH

I have been looking myself, Rob. The 'Interior Trim' service manual does not include dash nor doors.

Chas2

If you dig through accessory installation instructions, they some times give you a clue. The Acura MusicLink installation instructions come to mind, as do the ashtray installation instructions.

Check out the link in the Garage
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/2g-rl-garage-version-1-1-acura-servicenews-diys-tsbs-etc-738410/

which points to another
http://estore.honda.com/accesssory-i...L&modelname=RL

Rob144

Those links just whet my appetite for the real instructions to get in there and do the TSB myself. I'm fresh off a reasonably successful installation of a subwoofer into my Odyssey, so I'm feeling bold enough to experiment on what should be a fairly easy glove box/dash board disassembly. But there's nothing like instructions for doing it right!

Rob144

I pulled the glovebox on Saturday using the Music Link instructions, and put some bits of sticky-back felt in the various spots shown on the TSB (but not the airbag module).

The glovebox pulls out as a module when its all unscrewed, which is kind of interesting. I also put some padding on the footwell underdash cover.

In the end, I think it helped a little bit, but didn't make all the noise go away.

The true test will be driving home today, along a pockmarked potholed road that is about 10 years behind on its repaving schedule. Same road no doubt contributing to the problem in the first place.

Knowing how to take it apart means I'll probably keep trying. If you're doing this job, open the trunk first because with the dashboard module out, the master trunk lock is disconnected, preventing the trunk from opening. Don't forget to reconnect the glovebox light, too.

white05rl

Did you finally get the noise fixed/silenced? I thought I had a glovebox rattle and it turned out to be the upper passenger side. I pushed some rubber blocks between the windsheild and leading edge of the dashboard and it seems to have fixed the noise.

white05rl

That is...upper passenger side of the dashboard...

Rob144

You are a GENIUS!!!!

After months of trying to get rid of the rattle, taking the glove box assembly in and out, putting sticky-back felt pieces all over the place, and adding padding to the underdash panel, I tried your solution. And it worked!

I first wedged my microfober cloth into the space between the windshield and passenger side of the dash to see if that fixed it -- and it did. So, I cut a two-inch wide piece of black felt (about 8 inches long) folded it over a couple of times and wedged it in the same spot -- and viola! An invisible solution to the dreaded rattle. So simple, too.

swake457

I wish it were this easy on the driver side. I never was able to figure out how to get the drivers side vent (to the left of the steering wheel) out to deal with the squeak I've got coming from there. I tried to go at it from underneath too, no joy. There's so many wires and other things under there I can't see a way to get up through everything. I'm not paying the dealer the 300$ bucks they want to do it either.

Anyone know how to get the driver's vent out? I checked some previous posts about the center console, etc. but none show diagrams for getting at this vent.

thephantom

So sad... a $50K+ car that requires an owner to fix a rattle with felt tape.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

Although very irritating, I'd rather have this than transmission issues any day of the week.

thephantom

I went through 4 transmissions in my 02 TL-S.

miner

No need to take the vent out. Remove/loosen the wood trim piece - it will have tabs that hold it in place you gently pop loose. The noise you are probably hearing is the vent rubbing against another plastic object. Just apply some felt tape between the vent tube and object it is rubbing against.

swake457

Thanks. Sounds like there is just a kind of pressure clip holding the the wood trim piece in there. I'll give that a shot. It's definitely two pieces of plastics rubbing.

Is it hard to pop off? Sometimes you feel like you might break it when you're trying to pop it off.

miner

Just be gentle when removing the wood trim. I had a service tech show me how intially. He used a flat head (covered with tape) screw driver and first popped the trim loose from under the vent. IIRC the trim pice will wrapp around the gauge cluster - no need to remove the trim piece completely, just enough so you can get access to the vent tube. There was a TSB/Tech write up about this and how to fix.