SOLVED: Rear Seat Latch Rattle Topic is solved

[sleddriver]

This one's been bugging me for quite some time on ocassion and recently regularly as I troubleshooted a persistent rear-end wobble/vibration @ 62mph. The later would set off the former, both conspiring to really annoy me!

This problem is two-fold. First, the plastic layer on the metal latch wears through with time, allowing metal-to-metal contact. This was solved using a tough tape, as the ends are not accessible thus heat-shrink isn't an option. However, silicone tape is as it will adhere to itself and will provide some damping. Over time though, the metal latch opening & closing will chew through even it. For now I'm using UL-181B duct tape.

Second, there is (was) a foam bumper inserted into the back of the upright latch that would take up any slack when the back was upright. With it long gone, and the rear-end vibrating, driving over bumpy/rough roads, etc., this latch would begin to "clatter" again. Anything I stuffed in there (rubber, pieces of silicone tubing, etc) would soon fall out.

Recently, I was fixing the gaps in several pairs of outdoor shoes with Sonneborn NP1, a urethane sealant/adhesive that sticks tenaciously to nearly anything (including old shoes whose soles are coming apart). It doesn't "dry" as much as "cure" and being a urethane, moisture helps. When cured, it's still flexible, incredibly tough and waterproof. The downsides are it takes 24+ hrs to cure and if not removed from your fingers, will quickly transfer itself to anything you touch. Finally if it ever cures on skin, you'll have to sand it off to remove it.

With that said, I was looking for something else to use it on after the shoes, when I remembered the rear seat latches. I laid down a healthy layer on top of the metal shelf where the piece of foam used to sit. NP1 is the consistency of smooth peanut butter. I used a popsicle stick to press it into place to form a durable "pad", then left both seat backs down while it cured. Once cured and back upright, the rattling has stopped! You can always add more to build up the pad as it will easily stick to itself just as tenaciously as it does anything else.

I should have thought of this years ago........

Another place it would work is to make new hood bump-stops or to build them up a bit if they've shrunk and your hood rattles.

I think the box stores now carry NP1. Beware that after use, you need to quickly wrap the open end of the cut tube with cellophane and store it indoors if you live in a humid environment. Else it will cure solid in the tube within a year. Even then, you could slice "cured cookies" from the tube and use them as "feet" for something that vibrates or as a flexible shim.

Finally, I've found that "squeeze out" is best left alone to cure first, then neatly trimmed off with a razor blade. Trying to wipe it smooth, like caulk, will really smear it and make more of a mess. It can be removed from your fingers with naptha, MEK, tolulene, mineral spirits, etc while still wet.

[beigg]

Link to product used?

[chrafael]

Sonneborn NP1 is a building sealant. It's usually available at local industrial building supply houses that sell stuff like caulk, backing rod, concrete expansion joints, membrane roofing, that sort of thing. If I recall correctly there is two types, hardening and non-hardening.

[sleddriver]

Update:

Time has revealed I needed to add more NP1 to increase the 'depth' of the resilent cushion. I discovered that a cured caulk nozzle tube of material I had saved was a perfect fit for both sides and adheres itself to the existing "pad" nicely. The RR passenger upright seat latch was the worst at rattling. It is now back to NO MOVEMENT and SILENT.

You can easily make custom "bumpers" or buttons with it to damp noisy panels where they touch the frame or interior. Simply squeeze out a dollop of whatever size you need and give it 24hrs to cure. My next project is to use it to both reattach the interior tailgate trim and silence the noise it makes where two pieces touch. I removed it all a few years back when I tired of the constant noise, rattling and vibration from it shaking after every road bump.