Annoying rattling sound inside driver door

BlackCherry Z

No pictures. Just the information passed on from my service writer as described by his service technician.

Crux

I thought I was going crazy when I heard this rattle. Same fix for me... crack the window.

If I attempt the foam fix, I'll post the procedure in the DIY section.

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thenamesgeoff

Did you ever attempt the foam fix and make the DIY procedure? If so, could you link to it? If anybody else sees this and knows of a DIY guide, please advise! My window regulator has the infamous rattle but my Z is out of warranty now so it's either DIY or SOL

CyFi6

I wanted to provide some input on this because even my 2017 Z with less than 10K miles started to have the infamous window rattle. I was able to narrow it down to what appears to be a device that keeps tension on the cable used to drive the window up and down. It a spring loaded device with a 2 piece toothed ratchet mechanism.

When the window is moved upward, slack is created in the cable at the tensioner location and the spring keeps tension on the cable. When the window is moved downward the ratchet engages and allows precise movement of the window without letting the spring compress.

When the window is rolled all the way up pressure is removed from the ratchet gear and since it is free floating in there its loose and starts to rattle. I think this is more pronounced as the cable stretches which may be why a new regulator doesn't rattle but not long after will start to rattle. As soon as you start to move the window back down the ratchet re-engages and the noise goes away.

I ended up removing the ratchet piece of the gear entirely to get rid of the rattle. Alternatively you might be able to pack the inside of the mechanism with a thick grease to prevent the gear from rattling. Removing the ratchet in theory would make the down movement of the window less precise since the first initial movement of the regulator motor would be used to compress the spring, but I haven't seen any noticeable difference and the window still moves down and out of the way quickly when opening the door.

Its easy to take the tensioner apart, simply compress the spring and then undo the cable from the pulley marked with the green arrow. Once the tension is relieved from the cable the tensioner will come apart and you can remove the gear piece or coat it with heavy grease.

You will of course need to remove the glass and the regulator assembly to get to this since its behind the big metal panel in the door.

Hopefully this is helpful for someone. If anyone else can figure out a better way to prevent the free floating ratchet from rattling please chime in.

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ard978

appreciate the update. i can't see removing the glass and doing all that. i've done timing belts and stuff back in the day but the rattle just isn't annoying me enough at this point.

what about putting some sort of thin solid rubber tubing in the top of the window rack (i.e. where the upper edge of the glass fits into when the window is closed)

it would prevent the window from going all the way up but would still close enough to keep water out..... thoughts?



do you have to split the 2 metal sides of the door in order to get the glass out?

CyFi6

The glass is not that hard to get out. There is a bolt that goes through the rear bottom of the glass and then a clamp that you loosen on the front bottom of the glass, then it slides out. Its easier if you remove the felt strip on the inside side of the top of the door since it will leave a bigger gap for the window to come out. The felt piece is just pressed into place.

If you dont want to take the window out you can reach into the speaker opening of the door after taking the speaker mount out and feel for the plastic tensioner piece. I think if you wedged a firm block of foam between it and the metal panel it would probably get rid of the noise. You will need some skinny arms though.

I wouldn't put anything at the top since if you dont let the window close all the way you might damage the regulator and it wont seal the rain out.

CyFi6

Here are some more pictures I took while doing the passenger side.

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NitroZ

I wish it was easy peasy. Took inside door panel off. Wiring. Insulated. Tied things together. No obvious rattle or anything loose. Used black silicone to help hold all the plastic buttons in place. Everything that was even remotely loose was stabilized. Its either inside the door or related to whatever moves the window up or down or something else. It sound like if you were to cups your hands together and shake two or three bottle caps. More plastic than metallic. SO annoying.

Horizon

I have been having this rattle for the past few months now, and it is beginning to become unbearable. I wish there was a video tutorial on this process, as I don’t have the mechanical skills and ability to do it myself, and fix anything if it goes wrong. I’ve heard that you can misalign the window and never have it roll up completely or correctly, and that you can break the whole system that rolls the window up. I’m sure Nissan would charge me a fortune if I attempted to go to the stealership.

BobW

I just replaced my drivers side regulator to cure the rattle. Not a super hard job. Just spent some time getting the window aligned after reassembly. After some of these comments I will take another look at the one I took out. I assumed the problem was some play in the track from all the up/downing every time you open the door. The part itself wasn’t that expensive. $133 shipped to me. There are aftermarket ones too. Not much price difference though.

Horizon

Well, like CyFI6 said, a replacement doesn’t exactly fix the issue. Could you please take a detailed video of the window regulator, and show which piece is the one that rattles?

halonut

has anybody else tried this? and did it work? sounds like it is probably the cause & a good fix but I'd like to know if has worked for others.

Thanks!

halonut

I've got the infamous window rattle at fully closed & also have the equally infamous door (driver) that won't stay open. I have a new door stay on order & am pretty sure that I have to remove the regulator panel to get access to replace the stay...can anyone confirm? obviously I'd like to take care of both issues at the same time.

Thanks!

halonut

do you have a link to the A/M unit (driver side) I can't even find a new OEM, only used & no A/M ones. I believe the A/M units are built in a way that is supposed to eliminate this problem?

Thanks!

halonut

The foam fix worked for me & it was really easy. Just remove the door panel & speaker enclosure, then I snuck my arm in (tight fit but very doable) & put a 4" piece of that round foam pipe insulation around the adjuster with the ratchet (see pics above). Then I cut about 6" off the end of a pool noodle & wedged it in between the door frame & the piece of pipe insulation (do all of this with the window up & test drive before reassembling). No removal of window or regulator required.

The rattle is gone & I don't have to drop the window slightly...just nice & quiet now. It was also super easy to replace the door stay while I was at it so now I have a nice quiet door that stays open.

ps: you will need to reset the window after completion...just roll all the way down & then all the way up holding the switch in the up position for at least 5 seconds.