Preventative maintenance is crucial to the life of your engine. You do not want to hear strange noises coming from the engine when it is running. Your owner’s manual has the manufacturer-recommended factory-service schedule in it. If you follow that faithfully, you run fewer chances of hearing the engine noises discussed below. In addition, regular maintenance keeps your extended warranty valid.
Grinding
For example, if you fail to have the oil changed every 3,000 miles (or 5,000 miles for synthetic), you may end up with a grinding engine. This is a sign that the oil filter has clogged and, as such, the oil is not able to circulate through the engine. Naturally, this will cause serious damage to the engine.
Hissing
The engine can also hiss or squeal lightly if you have a system leaking its fluid. For example, assume for the moment that the cooling system has a slow coolant leak. As the coolant drips onto engine parts, the heat from parts will make the coolant hiss, squeal, or even sizzle like bacon in a frying pan.
Knocking
Another strange sound that points to engine damage is knocking. This can happen if the pistons are knocking against the interior of the cylinders because the rod bearings are too loose. If your engine is knocking, you may also have a fuel-detonation problem in the combustion chamber.
Popping
Popping noises are known to come from three exhaust system parts: the muffler, the exhaust manifold, and the catalytic converter. The muffler will pop when you accelerate if it has a hole in it. A leaking exhaust manifold will pop when you start your automobile. Clogs make the converter pop.
Rumbling
A rumbling engine also points to a hole in the muffler. If fact, the engine will rumble loud enough that you may end up with a ticket from the authorities. Unfortunately, if your engine rumbles after being parked in a public lot, someone most likely stole the catalytic converter from the exhaust system.
Squealing
Finally, during mileage-milestone checks, we inspect the belts in your engine to see if they are worn or loose. If the accessory belt is loose, your engine will squeal loudly when you fire it up. The engine can also squeal when you turn the steering wheel if the power steering pump needs to be replaced.
It’s important to have strange engine noises looked into right away to avoid additional engine damage. Act immediately to reduce the strain on your engine and the cost of the repairs.