Identifying Odd Engine Noises

You’ll hear a lot of strange noises over the lifetime of any vehicle. Some of them are harmless; others could indicate a more serious issue is starting to go down under the hood. Regardless of what type of vehicle you own, keep an ear out for the following sounds that could suggest you need to drive it in for repairs.

Clicking or Tapping

A clicking or tapping noise from the engine could be one of several things: worn or damaged parts, low oil pressure, or an excessive valve lash. At the first sign of an engine clicking, check the oil dipstick to see if the levels are low. Most of the time, all you’ll need to do is add extra oil to fill it up to the full mark. If that doesn’t solve the problem, check the oil pressure.

Clunking While Braking

When you hear a clunking sound when applying your car’s brakes, your brake hardware could be damaged. Additionally, this type of noise can also occur when your steering system components are worn down or a disc brake caliper isn’t properly mounted.

Squealing Brakes

When your brakes squeal when applied, you need to bring your car in for repairs right away. This unsettling sound can indicate loose disc brake calipers, worn indicators, worn brake pads, debris on the brake rotors, or a number of other things.

Grinding Gears

If you drive a manual transmission and you hear a grinding sound when shifting gears, chances are your clutch is worn out or needs to be adjusted. There could also be a problem with your transmission or shift linkage. When that’s not the problem, check your power steering fluid. When levels are low, your car’s steering could produce a grinding noise.

Squealing During Acceleration

When your car squeals when you hit the gas, it’s generally an issue with your drive belts or pulleys, which can slip, loosen up, or become misaligned. This sound could also suggest that you’ve turned the steering wheel to its limit and need to turn it back into position.

Rhythmic Scraping

A rhythmic scraping noise generally comes from the brakes at low speeds. When this happens, your brake rotor is either warped or the brake drums are out-of-round and need to be replaced as soon as possible.

Popping

A popping sound from under the hood, when combined with an engine that hesitates, could indicate some serious issues with your car’s engine. There may be something wrong with the ignition, the spark wires may have gone bad, the spark plugs may have been dislodged, the carburetor may have a bad power circuit, the catalytic converter or fuel filter may be clogged, or the air filter might be dirty. There’s a long list of possibilities with this engine noise, so your safety bet is to bring it in for professional maintenance.

When in doubt, have a professional technician give your vehicle a once-over. Being able to accurately describe these strange sounds can help lead the professionals directly to the problem, so don’t be afraid to speak up, either.