Originally posted in another thread that wasn't that relevant so I'm posting this as a n/t:

Rattling from front left solved!

If you look behind the weel from the front, you will see the backing plate (stone guard) for the rotor. You can just turn the wheel outward, but best accessibility is if you take the wheel off.

Look around the spindle where the steering knuckle is.

You will see rocks trapped in this pic. They were pushing the guard in just enough to barely touch the rotor and after removal, the rattling noise is now GONE!!!!

 

Good finding.

I bet mazda didn't think of that and left the the troubleshoot info out of the shop manual

 

Thanks man! Glad to help everyone out.

Yeah, but then again, Mazda doesn't test on smooth dirt roads that some of us have to cross. I'm sure that expedited the problem, but you can get little stones everywhere on the underside of a car!

I'm gonna go turn the right side out and see if I can get in there with a knife right now.


EDIT: No, you can't get in there, gotta remove the wheel and get in there from the top

 

Does that solve the same problem with intial turning knock. Basically when I turn the car on in the morning, then make a turn out of my garage, the car does a slight knock then goes away the remaining time. If I park the car, then come back, the car will do the same thing, it knocks at the very begining, then never does it again.

 

I don't have a knock in my steering.

That's a new one to me.

Worth a shot looking in there if you are having problems. Then again, the dealer might be an easier option.

 

You sure that's not the ABS test you're hearing? I know I hear it in either forward or reverse, turning or not, after about 10 feet of movement. Sounds like a CLUNK sound.

 

thats it!....it was the abs the entire time...thanks guyz....:D

 

Syntrix, you are the MAN!!! I have taken my 8 into the shop FOUR times over this noise. It's gone now! Thanks!!!

 

lol, this just shows how valuable this forum is. especially the search function.

 

Thanks Omicron I was wondering what that noise was.

 

Out.friggin.standing!!!!!! Some techs overlook the obvious sometimes!

 

it's a big rattle ou heard before or a small one ??

 

Praise the rotary lord, I've been looking for this stupid rattle for the last 2 months! I've been banging on the heat shields in the exhaust, the brake rotor backing plates, etc., but couldn't reproduce it except when driving.

 

Ja, this should be a sticky.