13 Costly Car Noises You Should Pay Attention To

You car might be a durable and well built model, but it is only as good as the sum of its parts, literally. Various parts of a car will eventually wear out at some point. You have to be mindful of the “strange” car noises while driving. Those out of the ordinary sounds usually mean it is time to replace a part or face a serious problem.

Here are some of the common car noises you might hear while driving:

1) Sound of Rushing Water

When you hit the brakes and come to a complete stop and hear the sound of rushing water under the hood, the brake fluid is probably leaking. Leaking brake fluid means your brakes are likely to malfunction soon, so you might want to get this checked out.

2) Strained Cranking Sound When Idling

The water pump might be on its way out. The cranking sound could be the belt rubbing against the water pump bearings, which are likely suffering from a weakened seal.

3) Squealing Steering

When making a turn, you might hear a squealing sound from the steering column. The power steering fluid might be low or leaking, causing a lot of friction.

4) Grinding Sound

This is an indication of the brake pads wearing out. The grinding sound is there to inform you that pads are getting too low. After too long, that grinding sound will turn into a real issue as bare metal rubs against and wears down your rotors.

5) Squealing at the Slightest Turn

If you hear a squealing sound even when you slightly turn the steering wheel, then the problem might be a loose belt. The power steering fluid is probably not the problem if the wheel turns easily.

6) Sizzling Under the Hood

Sizzling under the hood means fluid is touching the hot engine. This could be an oil leak, a transmission fluid leak, or a coolant leak and you will not know what the source is unless you check.

7) Loud Noises

A loud “boom” sound coming out of the tailpipe could be the result of the catalytic converter not properly regulating the fuel system. Beware, a faulty catalytic converter could very well cause a fire if not fixed.

8) Knocking and Pinging

These sounds are also connected to the fuel system. Generally, when the octane of the fuel is too high or you have simply made the wrong brand selection of fuel for the car, the engine is going to knock.

9) Scraping Sounds

Metal on metal scraping could be indicative of something being out of alignment. The scraping sound is literally two components rubbing on each other. The severity of the scraping is going to depend on what parts are affected.

10) Rattling

Rattling is often a loose muffler. The muffler could eventually fall off the car if this problem is not corrected.

11) Tapping in the Engine

Your engine oil is probably low, so unless you want to see the car turn into scrap metal, add more oil. Check the oil afterwards because you may very well have a leak, an issue that should be fixed immediately

12) Squealing and Dragging from the Tires

Yes, you guessed it, if you hear a squealing sound from the tires, then chances are great that one or more of your tires is low or outright flat. The car may drag a bit on the ground and slow the vehicle due to the inability for the tire to do its job.

13) Hissing Under the Hood

Your coolants are either leaking or dangerously low. Either way, the hissing is likely the sound of your car overheating. Pullover at a safe location and turn off the engine. Do not open the hood until the car has completely cooled or the temperature gauge has moved from hot to cool. Check the coolant (also called antifreeze) level in the radiator. If you want to pour water, be sure the engine has cooled down significantly before doing so and pour it in slowly.

Next time, be cautious when you hear any of these noises. Don’t wait until it’s too late and you are going to have to fork out a huge chunk of money to fix your car!