Took the car to the Muffler Shop today. Needed to address the rattle. I had peeked under car and I thought it looked like it was rusty..so was kinda fearful. The guy went under...said "good news..and bad news". Your muffler and exhaust are fine..but that noise I hear is from the engine". :-) The muted tick tick. I had driven about 40 miles to the shop..car parked for about 30 mins..he pulled it up on ramps..was fine..left it idling..and up it went..few minutes later..tick, tick. Nice day..shorts weather. The car was smoking from the pipes..I said "thats not good is it?" and he said "there was enough humidity in the air.that could be ok".

I questioned the small rattle I get occasionally, and he looked back at pipe under car. Wiggled it a little..took a torch to one place..then looked again..reached up..about midway under..pulled a plate with holes right out from above something...threw it on ground, said "there's one rattle". lol

Couldn't find anything else. He said the underside of the car was ok, saw nothing wrong with it.

I still hear something occasionally, but we all do right. There is still a bolt that my son thought the exhaust might be hitting..that might be causing the other noise depending on if the car is level or not. It's mostly going backward..like a low moan of sorts.

I hear what sounds like brake pads squelching..mostly right after startup and within first block, so I will address that. Today I noticed a similar little squelch while I'm driving..wonder what that is? Like its turning with the wheel. The brakes wouldn't cause that would it?

:-) I thought of all you today. I was coming home on this two lane highway with a couple major hills. I left a Isuzi truck that had been riding my tail at 65 mph..like he was sitting still on the biggest hill. Downshifted to 3rd at the curve that has an bad outside tilt to it..just past halfway up..came out of curve accelerating and then up to 4th..and left him a block back and into 5th after I crested the hill. He was able to catch back up with me about a mile down the road and then stayed on my tail until I turned. Must have been a 4 cyl..I remember those days on the hills...