[Allan Gibbs]

Well, I'm not sure if it's a screw, but when accelerationg or braking, I can hear a metalic object (like a screw) rolling back and forth underneath the car.

My questions is, if a screw was loose and located on the carriage tray (flat panel that covers the bottom of the car), would it fall out or would the carriage tray keep it in place until someone removed the tray?

What I'm trying to figure out is if the object is on top of the carriage tray, or inside the Elise's frame (the side sills) itself. If it's in the frame, I may never be able to get it out. Thanks for your help.

 

[babak]

I read the title of that post in a totally different light Allen.

 

[Bobby]

Sounds like you may need more professional advice than this board has to offer.

 

[peck555]

someone postedthat they had change scooting around under the seat,worth a look

 

[Need4Speed]

<I have a loose screw>

Clicked on this thread fully expecting a soliloquy from Ridgeman...

/I keed, I keed

 

[rob]

I figured someone needed to say 'TADTS!' in here somewhere.

 

[adamant]

Sounds like you need to borrow OFL's mouse

If the screw is on the undertray it could quite easily get to stay there. You could take the engine panel out and jack up one side of the car and hope to hear the screw move. Just a thought.

 

[Allan Gibbs]

Thanks for your responses. Oh, one of the voices in my head wanted to me to mention that there's sometimes a metalic squeak right before the Elise comes to a stop. We're wondering it's related.

Adamant, I may try to get the engine cover off - but only one of my personalities is mechanically inclined and he's off until Monday.

 

[APOGEE]

Well, I'm not sure if it's a screw, but when accelerationg or braking, I can hear a metalic object (like a screw) rolling back and forth underneath the car.

My questions is, if a screw was loose and located on the carriage tray (flat panel that covers the bottom of the car), would it fall out or would the carriage tray keep it in place until someone removed the tray?

What I'm trying to figure out is if the object is on top of the carriage tray, or inside the Elise's frame (the side sills) itself. If it's in the frame, I may never be able to get it out. Thanks for your help.

Allan,
A loose screw on top of the service undertray could free it self via the NACA ducts, or the open space in front of the rear wheels. I would hunt it down as I would want to know where it may have come from. You may want to thump diffrent spots of the tray with a open hand to see if you hear it bounce, or tell your
dealer.
All The best Don

 

[Surferjer]

I took my undertray off the other day and was shocked to find many pebbles and rocks go sliding off! Taking off your tray should uncover and eliminate your noise. I hope its not an important screw loose!

 

[Cale]

I have the same problem. Noticed it on the way home from the dealer. Rolls from front to back, and side to side in hard decel or cornering. Like a crude G indicator. I figure I will let the dealer check it out when I do my 1000 mile bit.

 

[ChrisStarrUSA]

I have a loose screw.

Allan,

It's going to be ok. There's over 2,000 of us on here with the same problem! We're here for you!

Chris

 

[doma]

>Well, I'm not sure if it's a screw, but when accelerationg
>or braking, I can hear a metalic object

I had this ... thought it was in the undertray or some other place I couldn't get to ... then one day under hard breaking a shiny aluminum piece came bouncing out from under the passenger seat. I had finally located my defrost knob! (Had been told by the dealer that it was missing when the car arrived and one was on order).

anyway... watchout for flying parts
-doma

 

[grantcv]

I found a screw lying in the trunk in my car when I did my initial inspection - no idea where it belongs. Maybe someone dropped it during assembly.

 

[Bill Swizz]

Very unlikely to be something on the undertray as these fall out pretty quickly. After a visit to a gravel trap I had what must have been 20kg of stones on the undertrays and most of this fell out when driving back to the pits, though a lot was still left.

The most likely location is under the seats as coins drop out of pockets and then under the seats and these cause the type of sound you are describing.

The other alternative is that it is one of the dashboard clips. These can come detached and then move around in the dashboard extrusions. Eventually they usually fall down into the side sills and then you only hear them moving fore and aft under braking and acceleration and not when cornering. After a while they either jam somewhere and stop or fall out of the end of the sills. On the s1 there is an access hole to the sill at the top front corner of the sill where there is a little coin tray. Opening this up and fishing around with a stick with a magnet on the end can get the problem item out.

The big problem in an Elise is working out where the noise comes from as the alloy extrusions seem to make it difficult to identify where the noise is as the sound echos around inside.