Addressing the Weird Sounds your Car Makes

Depending on the type of car owner you are, strange sounds often lead to some problem with your vehicle. For the avid car owners, the immediate recourse would be to head on to the nearest mechanic for checking. For others, as long as the car is running, it doesn’t matter. Of the two, it would be best to follow the lead of the avid car owner.

Knowing what sounds you shouldn’t ignore, and how to best describe them to a mechanic, can save you lots of grief – and money – down the road. April is National Car Month, a time when car inspections are emphasized, so paying attention to any strange sounds may make the difference in getting your sticker or not.

Strange car sounds can be just nuisance noises, or signs of something more serious. Certain sounds should not be ignored as they can indicate a serious problem. If you hear:

• Clunking or thumping, it can mean: A defective universal joint, prop shaft, or rear differential.
• Heavy knocking or pounding from the engine/drive train: Worn crankshaft bearings, bad connecting rods or loose bolts in the automatic gearbox torque converter.
• Pinking or pinging: The fuel you are using is too low quality for your engine. This can be easily remedied by switching to a higher-octane fuel, or having the ignition timing checked.
• Metallic screeching or scraping: A sign of worn brake pads.
• Squealing: A loose fan belt or loose fan/air-conditioning compressor belt.
• Thudding or thumping: A loose pulley or loose exhaust pipe.
• Low-pitched rumble: Wheel-bearing wear.
• A ticking which increases in speed as the engine is revved: Non-lubricated tappets due to low or dirty oil.
• Whining: Differential or transmission wear.

(Source) Press

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