Car Engine Noises That Mean Trouble

If you take excellent care of your automobile, it’s possible that the engine will never make a strange sound. If you aren’t that great about the factory-schedule services, your engine will start to make strange noises when things go bad. We are going to list the various noises car engines make below when they are in trouble and the common causes of these noises.

Grinding

One sound that you never want to hear coming from your engine is grinding. If you have failed to get your oil changed, the oil filter could be clogged and preventing oil flow. Unfortunately, the grinding noise that you hear is the engine parts grinding against each other. This can damage your engine beyond repair if you keep driving your vehicle.

Knocking

Another sound you don’t necessarily want to hear is knocking. This is either a problem with the rods and rod bearings or a detonation problem in the cylinders. The former can damage the cylinders because the knocking is being caused by contact with the pistons. The latter is an indication you don’t have enough fuel in the combustion chamber or you have the wrong type of fuel.

Popping

If your engine is popping, it is actually the exhaust system that is popping. The catalytic converter can be clogged by the very carbons and sulfur that it cleans out of your vehicle’s exhaust. It will pop if it gets clogged. The exhaust manifold will also pop if it is leaking.

Rumbling

Speaking of the exhaust system, your engine is going to rumble if there is a hole in the muffler. It will make an even louder rumbling noise when you press down on the accelerator. The engine will also rumble if the catalytic converter has been taken from the exhaust system.

Sizzling

It may seem strange to hear sizzling coming from your engine, but if you do, you have a fluid leak. The fluid is sizzling when it drips onto hot engine parts. It may also sound as if it is hissing. If your engine is overheating, the coolant may also start to boil, and you will hear the boiling.

Squealing

Finally, squealing noises generally come from loose belts. Specifically, your accessory belt may need to be tightened or replaced. In some cases, the problem isn’t the belt. Rather, it is the tensioner or pulley, and replacing that part will stop the squealing.

As you can see, strange engine noises can point to serious problems with your automobile’s engine. As such, you should head straight to our shop if your engine is making a strange noise.