I've recently aquired a 2001 and love it so far, but man, is it NOISY! Although it's not bad at highway speeds, it really has a rattle at idle/slow speeds.

My 1994 is noisy, but nowhere near as bad (good?!?) as the newer one.

Has anyone else noticed a difference between those years?

 

Yeah, the 12v are generally more quiet than the 24v. I think its a combination of injection pump noise and the fact that the 24v run more timing. Also, if yours is a 01.5, it probably doesn't have the underhood insulation from the factory. I don't know why they did away with this, but I think it help kill some of the noise. My buddy has a early 01 and his is a bit quieter than my 02 from outside or inside the cab at idle.

 

Mine is noisy too, 24 valves has something to do with it.

 

Amen..............

 

Isn't that the whole idea?
Add about a quart of two cycle oil per tank full and it will quiet down a little, still retaining the nice rattle. I also hear a valve on mine, it comes and goes, so I think a valve adjustment might help some too.

 

I think the 2001 was the noisiest mine was terrible from new. The dealer told me that undercoating helps.... Not that much.. Mine has been, shall we say off road a number of times at high rates of speed. After one such event I did notice that the noise had become MUCH louder. After much investigation I found the rubber boot around the transfer case lever was not sealing to the floor and the metal strip around the outside of it had become bent. What a difference that made, just straightening it out and a bead of sealant around it.

 

More valves + louder injection pump about sums it up. I like it better than my old 12v, personally.

 

I prefer the noisier ones myself. Sure makes the new ones sound so quiet.

 

Mines actually louder than my dads '01, but either way the CR motors embarass me. It's just not the same anymore...

 

Don't forget that the 2001.5 also did away with the rear cup holder & the lighted ring around the ignition.... think of the cost savings DC made over those deletions.... some VP in charge of cost cutting & other stupid ideas probably made a HUGE bonus because of those savings.

 

I have an 01 w/disc brakes in the rear, underhood insulation, rear cup holders, but no rear wheel well liners. It is hit and miss on the little things between 01 and 02...so you can't really say having items or not is a trait of an 01.5 or an 02....I've seen them in all different configs.

I don't have the lighted ring around the ignition though...guess it just depended on what they had left on the shelf. Maybe mine was before they ran out of underhood insulation and rear cup holders...

 

Dads 01.5 has rear disc, no cup holders, lighted key ring, original AC condenser was black, underhood insulation, no wheel well liners (would it anyways since its a dually?), etc...

 

wow, that is odd, I thought they did away with all that stuff including the plastic trim along the bottom of the tailgate for 01.5 and added the rear disc brakes then. I bought an 02 because I wanted the discbrakes, those rear drums are a bear to keep adjusted.

 

Well, I'm glad that the noise is "normal", not a sign of something wrong. Like many (most?) here, I like the rattle, in fact don't think I'd like one of the new ones. The first time I experienced one of those, he was next to me at a light and I couldn't hear his engine over my 1991 Jetta Diesel. And that thing wasn't THAT loud!

Thanks for the feedback!!