2000 Nissan Maxima makes rattling/thumping noise. What could it be?

I have wrecked my 02' a few times but I have some issues with the black plastic rubbing underneath. Sometimes it flips down and rubs the road. I just use zip ties and patch it up. That plastic is mostly just for aerodynamics and being retarded.

I have a rattling/ thumping sound but, it is from my exhaust being loose behind the catalytic converter. (accidentally, rough roads here in rural Tennessee, consequentally it actually brings the power curve down and gives me more low end torque).

I mention this because I have been fooled about where a sound is coming from. Acoustics is a complicated science.

It may be the shocks, bouncing is not the only problem they can produce.

You are probably correct in it not being the cv joints.

I have had some issues with the thin metal behind the brake rotors rubbing. It took quite a bit of convincing and replacing parts before I was convinced this was where the noise was coming from.

Because of my stubborness I can replace an axle in my 02' for about $75 and 1 hr of work so I have troubleshooted that quite a bit. Almost definitely not your issue.

Anything a repair shop or autozone tries to upsell you is most likely bull sh*t. From your post I believe your a chick so ask a friend to come with you and weigh in on these decisions. A smart guy will take you aside and explain the pros and cons of what the mechanic suggests and let you make the decision since it is your car.

Check the catalytic converter. I have a 2k Maxima and when the converter went bad I kept hearing a

rattle in the front on the drivers side. Something inside the converter went bad, disintegrated and made

a low level rattle.

Somehow the rattle was being transmitted to the front of the car or there's something up front connected to the catalytic converter that went bad.

It was years ago and all I remember was an annoying rattle and when I took it in to the dealer they had to replace the CC. I was a few thousand miles past the emissions warranty but the dealer covered it anyway. Sweet.

Nancy -- Wow, are you ever way off on more than one point in your comment! First of all, about your comment regarding girls not being allowed to drive because they don't respect the mechanics of cars -- well, that's a huge and erroneous assumption on your part! Being female makes no difference in how responsible or irresponsible a person is when it comes to taking care of anything. I know plenty of women who are way more diligent about maintaining and caring for their possessions than men are! The next point -- you said I should ask my dad or granddad for help. I'm not some inexperienced ignorant teenage girl who depends on her father to take care of things for her! I'm a grown woman and I've been driving, owning vehicles and taking care of ALL of life's issues (including every vehicle problem) for MANY years -- all by myself and without ever depending on any man to come to my rescue! And the next point -- that problem I was having with my Nissan happened several years ago, and it WASN'T the starter, like you had said it was. The starter wasn't even considered, because the symptoms weren't indicative of a bad starter. The actual problem was the shocks. Once I got the shocks replaced, the problem was completely solved. It doesn't matter now, though, because I got rid of that car three years ago and bought a new car. But I'm thinking that maybe YOU shouldn't be allowed to drive, since it appears that you obviously don't completely understand the mechanical workings of an automobile (specifically, the difference between a starter problem and a shock absorber problem).

Tiff --- what cost $86 at the dealer--can be done for free and a auto repair garage. The noise you hear is the starter. Probable $150 and car is fixed. Ask DAD what your suppose to do. Or Grandad. Keep going and it coulld a $1000 to repair if it is grinding on the flywheel chewing the gears off. If you don't care--sell the car. Girls should not be driving because they refuse to fix a broken part. They have no respect for the mechanics of the automobile.

Listen closely does the thump sound also happen during that moment the motor starts up. Or when the car is placed in gear park to reverse neutral to drive that may be a torn right top motor mount. That will make a thump sound not a metal to metal clank.

ok Blondie it will be the sway bar connecting rod worn, they have a small ball joint type end to it, this is what is common wear item on most modern cars and for nissan. or it could sway bar D mounting bush worn through or has worked its way out from under D camp and bar is hitting on clamp over bumps.