zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Wrenching
/
Cool Tool: Locate Where That Terrible Noise Is Coming From With A ChassisEAR
Cool Tool: Locate Where That Terrible Noise Is Coming From With A ChassisEAR-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:31

Image for article titled Cool Tool: Locate Where That Terrible Noise Is Coming From With A ChassisEAR

Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at for quick wiring projects, the for rusty bolt removal and for the perfect wire cut every time. This week’s cool tool, the ChassisEAR, turns you into a car doctor so you can find out where that really bad noise is coming from.

This suggestion comes from reader Sheryl, who says this device will find where any noise or vibration is coming from. She says it worked great troubleshooting problems on her Pontiac Bonneville.

Strange noises can be an annoying menace to the DIY wrencher. Not only can they be hard to find, but they can cause a lot of worry. It was always the best part of the classic NPR show ; when the caller tried to reproduce the worrisome sound their car was making over the phone and the Magliozzi brothers tried to figure it out.

My parents’ 2011 Ford Expedition EL has made an alarming number of noises over the years. Many of them I’ve been able to find with nothing more than a long screwdriver held up to my ear. However, a concerning audible warning recently developed that neither I nor my parents’ mechanic could pinpoint. To make matters worse, the noise seems to only happen at speed. That means screwdrivers and mechanic’s stethoscopes are useless. This is where the ChassisEar can solve this headache.

Check out from The Auto Rules YouTube channel:

The ChassisEAR is a neat piece of kit. You get a receiver, transmitters and clamps that function as a microphone.

Using it is easier than it looks. Hook up the clamps to the transmitters, then attach the clamps to the parts you suspect are making noise. Turn on the system then listen to the output.

The multiple clamps output audio to different channels. In theory, the clamp making the most noise is likely closest to what worn part is keeping you up at night. However, different car parts can present different acoustic environments, especially at speed, so this system may not be a surefire way to pinpoint issues. Still, it beats racing up and down the road and guessing what’s happening.

Sadly, a tool this cool does come with a hefty price tag. The costs $230.

While generic versions do not seem to exist out there, some on car made their own interpretations of the tool for far cheaper.

Do you know of a weird or unique but must-have tool you think every wrencher should have? Do you want to see us put a type of tool to the test and see how it performs? Shoot me an email or drop it down in the comments!

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Wrenching
Update: I'm Still Burning Money
Update: I'm Still Burning Money
When I I’d just picked it up from having Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 front and rear subframes grafted into its crumbling body. When the car came back to me in May, the clock started ticking. I had until mid-September to get the engine and transmission mounted in the car, clean...
Jul 29, 2025
Feast Your Tired Eyes On Some Unrelenting Car Repair Horrors
Feast Your Tired Eyes On Some Unrelenting Car Repair Horrors
It’s the end of the day on a Friday. Whether we’re at work or not, your brain is probably elsewhere. So, rather than stare at your inbox, or a spreadsheet or whatever, why not stare into the abyss of this Just Rolled In video, where a guy with an...
Jul 29, 2025
I Ordered A Carbon-Fiber Roof For My Porsche 996 Turbo And I Might Throw Up A Little
I Ordered A Carbon-Fiber Roof For My Porsche 996 Turbo And I Might Throw Up A Little
I bought maybe the cheapest Porsche 996 Turbo—that’s right, —on the market a year ago, and I’ve mostly been happily stacking miles on the odometer since then. I have been working on making the car my own with a period-correct set of wheels, some extra carbon trim, and a...
Jul 29, 2025
Can You Solve The Mystery Of A Chevy Silverado HD That Kept Blowing Fuse Blocks?
Can You Solve The Mystery Of A Chevy Silverado HD That Kept Blowing Fuse Blocks?
Owners of old are to getting stranded and having to wait for a tow, but drift car driver was caught off-guard when the that tows his mysteriously broke down. The pickup refused to start when and his family were at a drift competition in Englishtown, New Jersey, and their...
Jul 29, 2025
Crappy Jack Stands Can Kill You, But Which Ones Are Safe?
Crappy Jack Stands Can Kill You, But Which Ones Are Safe?
Everyone who has worked on their own car has likely heard approximately one million times that you should and that it’s only safe once that vehicle is resting securely on jack stands. ? Given how relatively simple jack stands are and the fact that they have to do one job...
Jul 29, 2025
This Restomod 1956 Hyster Forklift Is Certified Fresh
This Restomod 1956 Hyster Forklift Is Certified Fresh
It’s one thing for you to be forklift certified, but it’s quite another thing for your forklift to be certified badass. Most of the forklifts I’ve used at jobs have been unreliable, smelly monstrosities that have been repaired by . This restomod Hyster is definitely not like that. What’s...
Jul 29, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved