kill

ok well check this out..i had the car up on all 4 jack stands ok...tapped all the heat sheilds and stuff down there to make sure they weren't rattling and everything seems really solid. i dont think the cat was replaced because the bolts are pretty rusty but i just dont know im pretty sure the header to cat gasket is there but i dont know about the exhaust to cat gasket. now i don't think there is an ehaust leak i took a cigarette and let the smoke drift up over the connections between the cat and i didn't see any of the smoke get moved by any source of leaking air.... i'm frustrated....its like a ticking sound though..and i heard people talking about how with different headers you can hear valve tick a lot more pronounced...i know i have a stock header but it really sounds like a ticking sound coming from it...now i don't hear this sound when i have the hood open and i'm listening to the engine...its like the sound of valve tick but louder but its coming from where the cat is(general area) so could this sound be the amplified sound of valve tick? or do i have something like a nut or something stupid like the honeycomb crap thats in the cat broken off and rattling in there??

kill

HA HA i found it...turns out there was a bolt wedged between the black header heat shield and the engine bay. there's like a 2mm gap and it was an allen bolt so the threaded part would stick through but the head itself wouldn't let it fall through to the ground...

i finally found it because i was using a shop light to see if i could see an oil cap wedged between the tranny/engine/firewall and i looked down and seen it sitting in there. definately weird crap..i guess once the heat shield heated up enough it expanded causing the rattle...i described it as a fluttering noise because it was such a small tapping sound.

goes to show you that noises can be caused by ANYTHING...now to quiet the valves a bit and figure out whats buzzing behind the far left of the dash board..