Hey friends.

Husband and I share an 07 Element that developed a rattle after having some work done (new brakes, oil change, new alternator).

I noticed the noise when shifting from park to reverse. While it is there when rounding some corners or decelerating it seems to be mostly prevalent when shifting gears, especially when shifting into reverse. In my opinion it sounds like the front driver side.

The rattle is comparable to rocks in a tin can (which I'm hoping is all it is, really). We haven't been on the underside yet as I first heard the sound last night and had little tots to put down to sleep and Hubs took the car to work this morning.

I plan to get underneath tonight, just looking for some direction on what and where to look.

 

First of all, thank you for listing the model and model year right off the bat, and also posting your question/situation in clear and concise complete sentences. Sometimes it's more difficult to decipher what the OP is asking rather than what's wrong with their vehicle.

Your "rocks in a tin can" description makes me think this could just be a loose exhaust shield. If you get under the vehicle while it's off (and cold) and give the exhaust a few good smacks with the palm of your hand you may be able to pin down something like this. Start at the catalytic converter, since that exhaust shield tends to be the most frequently dislodged, and work your way towards the front of the vehicle. There is probably an exhaust shield on the exhaust manifold coming straight off the engine that you won't be able to reach from under the vehicle. You can check that one by just opening the hood and taking a look. If this turns up nothing, you may have to check the underside while the vehicle is running. Put the car in the air (on jack stands), climb inside the vehicle, start it, put your foot on the brake, and drop it into reverse. Leave your foot on the brake and have your husband check around under the vehicle to see if he can hear and identify where the rattle might be coming from. If it's not rattling at all, with your foot still on the brake, give the vehicle a little bit of gas...just enough to raise the RPMs slightly. It sounds like the rattle occurs most frequently at very low RPMs, but if you don't find it right away, you can play with the RPM range to see if it occurs slightly above idle.

Let me reiterate the safety aspect here...it is safest to have all 4 wheels off the ground when doing this, and a jack stand securely supporting each corner of the vehicle! I'm assuming this is an AWD Element, so if you only have equipment to lift the front of the vehicle, set your parking brake and chock the rear wheels with something. If the front wheels start to spin, the rear wheels will engage and may move the vehicle...so be very careful!