Hi All,

Long time since I was on the forum with a Mondeo, I'm now on my 7th V6 mondeo in my lifetime, but this being my very first ST220.

The car is a 2004 Mondeo ST220 Hatch back, 113k on the clock and has just had a full service including plugs, leads and coil pack. it has also had a replacement clutch and flywheel less than 10 k ago (all before I bought I should add, but have a folder full of receipts) I must say I am quietly smiling as I write this thinking about the drive and roar of the car.

wait wait back to the point...

it has 2 faults:

1. The wheel bearing needs replaced which I have and is being done tomorrow
2. it has a weird rattle, metallic sound when putting the foot down with the window open only for a second or 2 then disappears - it ticks over sweet, pulls like I think it should (having not had one before) no lights on dash, no hesitation, no smoke, sound like it is directly underneath the car in-between the 2 front wheel - I am pinpointing this as my unprofessional opinion

any pointers advice would be greatly appreciated from the GURUs on here - i hope it is the common heat shield/ stone guard rattle - if not what else could it be?

I loved my ST220 as well Malcolm enjoyed every minute of driving it, except the big bills like the flywheel which I had to replace when my starter motor went.

Sorry I can't help with your problem but hope you mange to sort it out.

Cheers Phil....i know what you mean...difference is I got the clutch and dmf replaced before I got it and still not done 12 since vvvvvvvvvrrrrrrooooooom doesn't answer my question though lol

it has a weird rattle, metallic sound when putting the foot down with the window open only for a second or 2 then disappears - it ticks over sweet, pulls like I think it should (having not had one before) no lights on dash, no hesitation, no smoke, sound like it is directly underneath the car in-between the 2 front wheel - I am pinpointing this as my unprofessional opinion

It could be knock (transient knock) which often sounds like something rattling under the bonnet. As a simple test, if it goes away if you put better fuel in (V-power, Ultimate) then it is probably knock.

It could be knock (transient knock) which often sounds like something rattling under the bonnet. As a simple test, if it goes away if you put better fuel in (V-power, Ultimate) then it is probably knock.

Agreed, could be - there may be an initial knock under heavy load but the ECU detects this and adjusts the settings to compensate, this type of ECU may get extra performance from higher octane fuel but it should also run ok on basic supermarket fuel

Other possibilities are loose cats (thre are a few of them on the ST220) loose exhaust heat shield(s) or the DMF (yes, its a petrol car with a dual mass flywheel, un-nessesary in my opinion, especially on a v6) - it is less likely to be this with it being recently replaced but cannot be ruled out entirely especially if it was driven very hard (eg drag starts etc)

you eventually get to know all the different sounds and recognise what they are, they can almost be "comforting" - untill you hear a new one you don't recognise!

thanks chaps, definitely not a 'knock' and seems underside as opposed to under bonnet, so i'm thinking FOCA you may be right with Cat/ or Shield the funny thing is I just got a Catalyst error code logged when the EML came on today, which I've just cleared - ill get it up tomorrow and get a good look underneath and see if there any rattling from the CAT

ill let you know how I get on...

thanks chaps, definitely not a 'knock' and seems underside as opposed to under bonnet, so i'm thinking FOCA you may be right with Cat/ or Shield the funny thing is I just got a Catalyst error code logged when the EML came on today, which I've just cleared - ill get it up tomorrow and get a good look underneath and see if there any rattling from the CAT

ill let you know how I get on...

There are 4 cats, 2 pre-cats close to the front and rear manifolds, and 2 main cats, one under the engine and another further back after the flexis - you can get aftermarket manifolds that eliminate the pre-cats ( better flow/ performance/ revs, lighter, more reliable ) but still pass an MOT

You can get complete systems that improve flow and a a fraction of the weight of the stock system, the stock system is so heavy a lighter one improves performance

Cheers FOCA - however i didnt get the car to the garage till today for the Wheel Bearing, to find out the bearing when removed colapsed and the Hub also has some hairline fractures - bummer...

Just waiting on the parts arriving so carless until tomorrow...