Horrible rattle from overhead console area - SOLVED

[Kjbeggs]

Started a 3 hour drive to Austin this morning.
As soon as we hit the highway, I started hearing a random knocking sound that sounded like a loose strap or something banging against the hardtop. ( there’s nothing attached to my top)

pulled over, but couldn’t find anything. Checked the targa section of my Turn Offroad hardtop, but found no issues.
got back on the road and as soon as we hit 70 mph, it sounded like we were in a constant hail storm.
pulled over again and removed the targa section to see if something somehow got trapped under it. Again, found nothing.
back on the road, and the ghost of Taylor Hawkins started playing a drum solo over my head.
I reached up behind the sun visor and could feel the vibration of the overhead plastics and what felt like something banging around inside.
Toughed out the rest of the drive, but have no idea what may have caused this.
( I drive on the freeway daily and this has never happened until today).

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[helifino16]

And I thought the wind noise in my WT at 40+ was excessive. Good luck finding that. The good news is that most of the interior plastics across the top of the windshield come off fairly easily - just be gentle.

Maybe your Bronco has an issue with going to Austin - as mine would?

 

[sabasigh]

Maybe its banging around on one of the alignment pins??
How I Fixed The Popping Noise On My Ford Bronco Hard Top (youtube.com)

 

[Hbarr]

I have the same problem the roll bar over the rear 4-door seat.
seems like the trim doesn't fit correctly. It's worse when it out in the summer heat

 

[Area51BS]

That would drive me insane. Everything would come to a stop until I found the issue.

 

[KTP 30]

After market top? Not factory! She is noisy.

 

[Kjbeggs]

After market top? Not factory! She is noisy.

The rattle is coming from something in the overhead area. Not the hardtop.

 

[Kjbeggs]

Well, mystery solved - I'm an idiot!
The mystery rattle has been found.
I have the Trail Armor windshield surround on my Bronco.
On the way back to DFW, I just happened to lean to the left enough to see the piece on the driver side vibrating violently.
Pulled over and found the 2-sided tape failed on the upper half of this piece.
(It had not come unglued from either the trim piece or the actual windshield frame, rather the foam tape had split in half, leaving part on the vehicle and part on the trim piece).
Further inspection revealed the piece across the top had also come loose from the driver side to about a foot inward.
When I was searching for the rattle before, I had been parked for a while and the heat had fused the tape back together enough that these parts did not appear loose. all it took was enough wind to break them free again though.
I've had the trail armor installed about 4 months. Really surprised it failed this quickly.

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