Our '13 Wrangler Sport started making this nasty noise today while my wife was out. It's coming from the engine bay, and is quite loud at start-up. The wife drove about 8 miles to get home, and it wasn't making any noise when she got back. I started the engine again after she parked and the noise was right back. The belt seems pretty tight. Weather has been extremely wet (about 6 inches of rain in the past 4 days).

See the video to hear the noise... can anyone help identify possible problems?


Notes:

• Car has death wobble at around 45 to 55 mph. Started about 9 months ago, but since the roads around here in rural hawaii are mostly limited to 45 mph, we haven't taken it in or diagnosed the issue. We mess up and go too fast about every 2 days or so, so that's about 200 death wobbles!! It's pretty violent, and goes away at around 33mph.
• 90,000 miles on the odometer
• Oil + filter changed 3000 miles ago.
• Front rotors and pads changed 2000 miles ago.
• Front differential fluid changed 800 miles ago.
• Front right ABS sensor changed yesterday

THANKS GUYS!

 

Sounds like the starter is not fully disengaging from the flywheel. What you are hearing is the starter pinion not fully retracting and it rubbing on the flex plate which makes that awful rattling metal on metal death by 1000 marbles sound. New starter motor would be fix.

 

Csamtb - exactly the area I was thinking. Might be flex plate too. But that general area. Not sure about the death wobble - if you have changed to bigger tires and wheels and you still have the stock ones then start by putting them back on. Hard to diagnose from a distance.

 

+2 on the starter likely being that engine noise.