Bicycle Mechanics - 105 nosecap rattle

Any ideas on how to silence the loose/rattling nosecap on a 4 year old 105 shifter? Can I just take the thing off...and if so, how?

Yeah. Peel back the rubber boot. You'll see a little screw on top of the cap. Take it off and re-seat the cap. (Or it could just be loose.)

Bubble gum.

Tried the screw thing...this is an older 105 without the screw on the top.

So how's it held on?

Well...that's my question to those who are wiser than I. I can't find an attachment mechanism, and my initial attempts to gently pry it off only seem to gouge the plastic nosecap itself. Do I just bust the whole thing off? Is it some kind of poorly designed friction fit?

What's the model number of the brifters?

I'm not sure I can find a model number. On the back of the large lever is the number 21. And of course, they are 105 flight deck compatible. Other than that, where would I look for a number?

How many speeds?

Nine speed... And it's got a triple in the front. All 105 stuff

The cap is held on with small tabs on the top and bottom. You do have to pry it off, the top works easier (try to pry up as much as possible). Underneath, there is a #2 phillips screw to tighten. If that doesn't completely stop the rattle, use a small rubber shim between the cap you pried off a second time, and the rest of the brifter.

Silence is golden.

Tool boy...you are indeed a genius! Though I must admit that when pried enough to free it from the clutches of the shifter, the aforementioned nosecap took off like a cyclist being chased by a rottweiler! After a small search, I retrieved the nosecap, tightened the phillips screw, marveled at the engineer who thought this was a good idea, and then popped the cap back on. Mystery solved...the wife's bike is quiet and everybody's happy. :) Thank you again.

Hmm. The earliest doc I have (2003) for the 105 ST-5510 brifter shows that the nameplate (the "cap" over the front cover) is retained by a tiny little Phillips screw right at the top, up under the nose of the rubber boot (technically, the "bracket cover"). (Ultegra and DA use the same arrangement; Tiagra uses a one-piece front cover.)

You sure you didn't break off the flat bit at the top of the nameplate when you pried on it? That would explain why it was so reluctant to leave.

Btw, Shimano no longer makes these older docs available online. There's a torrent that collects many of them: http://www.demonoid.com/images/downbg.gif

Black electrical tape, folded over so it's sticky on both sides.

Yeah. Peel back the rubber boot. You'll see a little screw on top of the cap.
I remembered wrong. It's not under the boot; it's under the black plastic piece covered by the boot. To get at it, compress the brake lever and it will emerge from hiding.