Alright. I just bought a used 2005 Dodge magnum RT. Before i bought it i had the seller replace the control bushings and they alsodid an alignment. i have had it over a week and it has been driving like a dream. Well i drove it a little harder last night than i have since i bought it ( now i have been accused of driving like a grandfather so that is not very hard at all). This morning i here a flapping or patter noise that comes from the back and sounds like a tire is flat or something. it becomes faster with increasing speed but is heard at low speeds. I am so concerned i pull over to make sure my back tire is not flat but it is fine. It is fairly loud. So, has anyone else experienced this? I am thinking of trying to have my tires roadforce balanced (isn't that what its called?). should i be looking at something else?

any help would be appreciated

thanks

blade

 

Blade, you sent me a private message about this. I couldn't find a way to reply so I will post it here.

The "patter" that I referred to in an earlier post had to do with warped rims. The dealer actually replaced all 4 rims for me and the patter sound went away.

The sound you are describing, like a "flapping" noise, is most likely a loose wheel well liner. I had that problem too, except it was in the front. Often those clips break and then the plastic liner flaps around. Inspect it, and if there are any clips missing have them replaced.

What's odd is that you say you only noticed the sound AFTER you took it up to speed. Now I wonder how fast you were really going?? [8D] It could be that the high speed adventure tore away some clips either from the wheel well liner OR the rear bumper facia.

The rear bumpers on Magnums have been known to be flimsy and if any clips have come off that you would probably only notice when the wind is buffetting it, not when it is parked.

Post back once you find out!

P.S. It could also be that you threw a wheel balancing weight. So if none of the above is the problem, then yes, I would definitely get your wheels rebalanced. But you would notice a lot of vibration with this problem, not just noise.

 

thanks dcguy! this forum is great. i will check out the liner.

lol! yeah i was on the tollway and was doing close to eighty....which for me is EXTREMELY fast but man this magnum just begs for it!

i will let you know what i find.

thanks

blade

 

There is a guard plastic cover under the engine that has to be removed when an oil change is done. It is held on with a few fasteners, not much. If that was torn at all and your finshed it off, it may have fallen away from the undercarriage and is flapping down there against the oil pan area. This might sound like it was coming from the rear. Easy to check and easy to fix. Take a look underneath and see if the cover is loose at all.

 

ummmmm.....i figured out what it was. There was a problem with the right rear tire. i checked the tires this morning but it was 5am and dark so i might have missed something. So, I am not sure what was wrong but it blew about an hour and a half ago. also learned that the tire iron and jack are fused together (had to bang it against the concrete about three times to separate them). Nothing so sad as a magnum running a tiny skinny spare tire. Not sure what happened. tires are fairly new with lots of tread.

thanks for everyone's input. apparently i am an idiot.

ride safe

blade