Hearing A Strange Car Noise? Don’t Ignore It….

Click Click…Clickity Clack

If you’re driving at low speeds, have your wheels turned, and hear a thumping or deep clicking similar to riding down train tracks, your drive axles may be in trouble. Specifically, the constant velocity joints, which manage vertical inputs from the road, send power to the wheels, and allow you to steer.

Clunking

If you hear a clunk when driving over potholes or bumps, there’s a variety of issues that may be at play. Faulty stabilizer link-pins, bad ball joints, worn control arm bushings, or even a loose exhaust system may sound like a drum-line performing in your undercarriage. A free multipoint inspection can help to identify the exact cause.

Moaning or Growling

If you hear an angry, almost animalistic growl while turning, you may be facing the impending failure of your power-steering pump. While not outfitted on every new vehicle, if you have a hydraulic setup and ignore the issue, you risk losing the ability to turn properly. In this case, it’s better to assume you have hydraulics instead of assuming you don’t and ignoring the sound.

Related Article: Signs Your Power Steering Is Broken

Shrieking

If you hear a shrieking sound coming from your engine, you may have a serpentine belt issue. The rubber may be brittle or the tensioner may be failing due to inappropriate pressure being applied. Your belt may be slipping, which needs to be addressed before it snaps or pops off entirely.

Screeching

If you hear a high-pitched screeching when you apply the brakes, your brake pads may be at the end of their functional lives. Small metallic tabs are embedded in the friction material to start audibly rubbing on the rotor to let you know they need to be replaced. If ignored, these shrieks may become low growls, which occurs when the pads have been worn down to the steel backing plates. No brakes means no stopping, which is never a fun ride.

Related Article: Is It Time For New Brakes?

Howling

If you hear a howling noise and it seems to be coming from the back of your rear-wheel-drive car or truck, it may be due to one of the components in your rear differential. Bad bearings, worn gears, or pinion preload may cause these sounds in driving situations ranging from accelerating, steady-state driving, or decelerating.

Knocking

If you hear a knocking from your engine, it may be a sign to get your valve clearances adjusted or ensure your lifter is pumping up. If the knocking is deeper and increases with RPM, your rod bearing may be on its way out, or your engine may have spun a bearing, both of which will require extensive repairs.

Metalic Rattling or Pining

If you hear a metallic pinging or rattling from your engine while accelerating or the engine is under load, there are three main combustion issues that may be ongoing: spark knock, pre-ignition, or detonation. These issues are due to abnormal ignition, and the sounds specifically are due to different pressure waves within the engine colliding. If ignored, you may destroy your pistons entirely!

Crunching

If you hear gears grinding or crunching in a manual transmission vehicle, you may require extensive service that will grow the longer you ignore it. Grinding noises may be due to a dragging clutch or a worn out synchronizer, which is the part of the transmission that facilitates shifting between ratios. Transmission issues, if ignored, can become major repairs.