1984 Olds Delta 88 Rattle

I have wire wheel caps on a car with 26K miles, but on passenger side I can hear what sounds like a few rocks in the hubcap.

Any ideas on the noise, I can hear it when windows down and something like a barrier or wall present on RH side to reflect noise back to me in car.

Can the wheel covers be loose??

Unfortunately, that's par for the course on these wheel covers. The covers are made up of a number of parts (not counting the spokes). I've had the retainer on the backside rust out, causing rattles. I've had the spokes come loose. I've had the retainer bolt come loose.

You are using the retainer bolt in the center under the emblem, correct? This preloads the hubcap against the retainer cup and cuts down on rattles.

I eventually got rid of mine and went to aluminum wheels.

To be honest Joe I have never taken off the covers. I bought the car from a broker, he put on new Cooper whitewalls at 23,500 miles. The car still had original tires on it.

So it not rust.

So I need to pull over a cap and look. Whats the retainer bolt look like is it the locking nut?? I have a key for the wheels.

G.K. You need to take a small screw driver and pry off the OLDs emblem cover in the center and you should see a bolt. If on correct you should see the small bolt centered , try snugging it up with your key. If it is wrong it will be in sideways loose-take a magnet and slide it out and spray some wd -40 inside and try to re-install the bolt in the center and snug it up .Re-install the little emblem cover and your noise should be gone. I suspect the last time it was removed it was just left loose inside there. ronvb

To be honest Joe I have never taken off the covers. I bought the car from a broker, he put on new Cooper whitewalls at 23,500 miles. The car still had original tires on it.

So it not rust.

So I need to pull over a cap and look. Whats the retainer bolt look like is it the locking nut?? I have a key for the wheels.

I unscrewed it but it didn't want to come out. I screwed it back in and the seems tight but moves??? So crammed a piece of rubber washer around it nor sure that will work but it is the rattle source I think.

I have not taken out the car since. Is the bolt supposed to be like that??

As I recall, the three-legged "retainer" goes on before the lug nuts are installed. It's supposed to be loose on the lug nuts, rather than tight. It's the retainer that's probably rattling around, rather than loose parts on the cover itself, from what I have seen. There were TWO types of wheel cover factory locks, dependent upon which retainer is on the car . . . which is a model year thing.

One type has a threaded stud on the peak of the retainer. This stud sticks through the inner part of the center of the wheel cover, under where the noted Olds emblem is snapped in. This type uses a wheel lock "nut" which is screwed down onto the stud and holds the wheel cover tight to the wheel, ALSO keeping the retainer tight against the lug nuts, so "no rattles".

The other type has a three-legged retainer, installed before the lug nuts are installed, loose against the lug nuts, which had a threaded NUT on its peak. When the same wheel cover is installed, a "lock bolt" is installed into the retainer and when tightened, keeps the retainer tight against the lug nuts . . . no rattles.

For each style of retainer, there are about 4 different "locks", color coded. The color dab on the end of the retainer's stud identifies which color lock nut is used. Similar, as I recall, with the "lock bolt" configuration.

Now, here's a little secret I discovered when trying to get the correct "key" for a customer's used car. The prior owner had replaced the "lock bolt" with a normal 1/4-20 bolt! Just the right size for a normal socket to fit inside of the cavity in the wheel cover! I was amazed, but not surprised, after I thought about it. As the particular "keys" are or have been discontinued from GM, this might be the best way to get around that situation. All that's needed is to carry a small ratchet, a 4" extension, and the needed socket. Of course, this would pretty much do away with the "theft-deterrent" feature, but then you'd need to have the corrrect socket to "borrow" the wheel covers, which might be something many "operatives" might not be expecting.

Just some thougts and recollections,

NTX5467