Odd rattle when engine stops rotating?

[xirdneh]

my friends Tercel has an odd rattle
when he turns the engine off it rattles right after the crank stops moving
its like three or four taps closely spaced
i want to say its coming from the back of the engine
but you never know for sure sometimes where a sound is coming from

[splatterdog]

After it's completely stopped? Not just almost done turning. Maybe just hearing the fuel pump as the engine is winding down?

Going to have to poke it with a stethoscope.

[Petros]

something loose in the catalytic converter or exhaust pipe perhaps? or the exhaust pipe itself is loose.

[MR2Di4]

Check the clamp that connects the manifold downpipe to the bracket bolted to the transmission. Mine made an awful racket until I discovered it had slipped off and was just dancing around on the pipe...

MR2Di4

[ARCHINSTL]

Check the clamp that connects the manifold downpipe to the bracket bolted to the transmission. Mine made an awful racket until I discovered it had slipped off and was just dancing around on the pipe...MR2Di4

Ditto that. If someone replaced the downpipe, they may not have secured it correctly.
I noticed this when I replaced the OE pipe with a Bosal down pipe; I had to make spacers to fit in between the pipe and the trans bracket - and had to use a U-bolt as well.
Tom M.