If you have rear disc brakes, suspect a loose pad. Look for broken, rusted, or missing anti-rattle hardware. You might be able to hear it by hitting the caliper with a rubber hammer.
There was a problem too in the late '90s with the rear shock absorbers making a rattling noise but it didn't stop by using the brakes. If you still don't find the cause, you might be able to find a "Chassis Ear" at an auto parts store that borrows tools. That's a set of six microphones, a switch box, and head phones. You clip the microphones to suspect parts, then switch between them and listen during a test drive.
One last thing to look at, if the jack is mounted in the left rear corner, I had one that wouldn't mount tightly and rattled over bumps and it stopped when braking or turning right.
Aug 30, 2011 at 1:05 AM
