What To Do About The Grinding Noise When Starting A Car
While diagnosing the grinding noise problem when starting your car is complicated, the repair isn’t complicated at all. In virtually all instances, the wise, cost-effective fix is to replace the starter.
While it is theoretically possible to repair the Bendix drive, install a new gear, and/or replace the solenoid, for a lasting repair replacing the entire starter unit is the right thing to do. The good news is that replacing a starter is a common procedure that is not hugely expensive.
If there is damage to the ring gear on the vehicle’s flywheel, however, the news isn’t as good. This is a time-consuming and challenging job because it most often involves removing the flywheel, which in itself is difficult.
Reasons Why Your Car Makes Noise When Turning
In normal conditions, your car should never make noise at all when moving. But as you know, your vehicle is made up of several moving parts.
Some of these internal parts move independently, while others move jointly. Regardless, your car should always run smoothly.
If you turn and your vehicle and it makes some funny noises, you should take immediate action. Your car may develop these noises because it involves a lot of moving parts when you turn the wheels. Sometimes a car making noise when you turn maybe as easy to solve as just lubricating it.
However, this is a temporary solution. Even though the sounds may temporarily disappear, you still need to take your car to an auto service shop.
Turning your car causes stress on most moving parts. Eventually, some parts will wear out. It may result in strange noises like groaning, screeching, whining, or a rubbing sound.
These signs are an early warning that your car is straining to control internal moving parts. The process of turning your vehicle needs a healthy pump, belt, and lots of power steering fluid.
Noises When Starting A Cold Machine Which Can Provoke Them
Below are discussed in detail the main most common types of abnormal noises when starting the machine on a cold, as well as their possible causes:
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The Car Makes A Screeching Noise When Starting
A car makes a screeching sound for two main reasons.
The first reason is a faulty Bendix drive, for which youll need to get a new starter motor. Also, if there is a broken gear ring on the flywheel, so you have to get a new one.
The second reason is a damaged serpentine belt. There could also be a problem with the tensioner and idler pulleys, so check them as well.
To fix a serpentine belt, a belt dressing spray / belt conditioner would work well.
You may need a belt squeal spray i.e. Gunk Belt Conditioner. See the Latest Price Here.
Various clicking and rattling coming from the machines can be quite annoying and if you have had enough of them, sound deadening material for cars will provide you with peace while driving.
Where there are so many options available in the market, the butyl sound deadener works the best.
Why Is Car Making Noise When Starting
At the point when a vehicle ages, its parts tend to loosen. The components inside begin to relax because of the vibrations of driving on uneven streets and various surfaces.
A few sounds are normal, given how old the vehicle is however, a few noises appear to come from the vehicle that is not normal.
There are various kinds of noises a car can make when starting, including clicking, grinding, whining, rattling, shrieking, or even pounding. Each type of noise indicates a different problem.
Lets have a look at why is a car making noise when starting the engine and what each sound means.
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Groaning Yawn While Turning
Diagnosis: Failing Power Steering Assembly
Another issue that you can feel with the steering is a groaning yawn like noise while you make a turn. This can be a serious issue if you dont look into it in the early stages. This is a really serious issue and believe me, if you dont pay attention to it in the early stages, you can eventually lose control over the steering as well! If you are experiencing such an issue, you should immediately get it checked at a GoMechanic workshop near you.
Making Noise At High Speeds
While the car is at high-speed, noises points towards a broken CV joint, differentials, or bearings. There are two different sounds you should note.
- Humming like noise
A crunching noise shows that the problem is in the CV joints. If you have bad coupling, your car makes a commotion each time you make tight turns.
Humming noises point towards an issue with your wheels. When you take a turn, wheel bearings are the ones that carry the weight of the car as it shifts through corners.
You should never ignore this problem. It leads to uneven tire depletion and wobbly tires.
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What Is The Grinding Noise When Starting A Car
It is something many of us dread every time we turn the key or push the button to start our car. Instead of a short whir followed by the quiet rumble of the engine starting up, we hear a prolonged grinding noise.
Sometimes, after the banshee scream of the grinding noise, the car will start. Other times it won’t, and it takes several turns of the key or pushes on the start button to crank the engine over and get it going. Of course, in the worst cases, the engine doesn’t start at all. The ringing in your ears is the only evidence that you ever turned the key. This begs the critical question: what is the grinding noise when starting a car?
You need to know what causes the grinding noise you hear and what doesn’t cause it. Further, we’ll give you a way to tune-up your listening skills so you can begin to discern the mechanical problem you might be facing from the sound of the noise you hear.
That is a skill that top mechanics have developed over years of hearing various noises emanate from the vehicles they work on, based on the consistent types of sounds various components make when they malfunction. Battery-related issues sound different than starter-related issues, for example.
“Usually, when I hear the sounds the car makes in particular situations, I can get a pretty good idea of what’s wrong,” said Automotive Service Excellence-certified mechanic Eric Charles. “After a while, you just get a sense of these things.”
Common Car Noises And Their Diagnosis
Each one of us loves driving cars. Isnt it? The real trouble begins when our car starts making strange noises which leave us clueless about what is really wrong with our dear machine and if we really need to rush to the mechanic to get it sorted! In todays featured, we will be discussing 10 common car noises that our customers have reported. Thats not all, we will let you know if you really need to visit a mechanic if your car is making a particular noise. Before you go ahead, remember the last drive with your car and check if it made any of the noises mentioned below!
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Replace Damaged Car Parts
After understanding the root cause of shaking, it is time to repair and replace the old and damaged parts to avoid more shaking. It is best to go for a car repair, but you can also do it on your own if you are reluctant to give your beloved car to someone else. Here are a few basic tools that you will need.
- Gloves
- Eyewear to protect yourself
Vacuum leakage makes the car slow and damages the engine along with gas mileage. This can be detected because cracks and holes appear on the vacuum hoses, making it easier to notice.
Open the trunk to find the vacuum system the vacuum hoses will be right in the middle. Check the hoses carefully to confirm that this is the real problem. Then remove the damaged vacuum and put it aside. After a complete examination, remove the vacuum lines. The lines will be inside the vacuum hose which was taken out earlier. When the temperature is cold, the vacuum lines are damaged and shatters, which is responsible for broken hoses or vacuum leakage. The only solution to this problem is to install a new vacuum hose.
How To Fix It
The only way to fix this condition is to replace either the whole axle assembly or the outer CV joint. My professional opinion is that its better to replace the entire axle assembly its usually cheaper, even if you can even find the outer joint sold by itself, and it doesn’t make much sense to mix old parts with new parts.
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Loud Bang Especially While Driving
There are two fundamental reasons why a loud bang can be heard while driving. It could be because of engine backfires or a problem with the catalytic converter.
In the first scenario, backfires usually occur when the engine is receiving more fuel than what is absolutely necessary. This can be caused by a dirty or clogged air filter. You may still have the normal amount of fuel being supplied to the engine. But because the air filter is clogged, there is less air going in to complete the mix. This results in a substantially higher proportion of fuel relative to the air component. Engine backfires can also be the result of delayed engine timing, a cracked distributor cap, or even carbon track that forms between adjacent spark plug wires.
While engine backfires are the most likely culprit for a loud bang while driving your car, it is also possible that the problem is in the catalytic converter. This device located between your engine and the exhaust is what effectively neutralizes harmful gases by converting them into generally harmless compounds. You can have this checked by a mechanic, too, just to be sure.
Bendix Clutch Dust Contamination And Grinding Noise
Youve probably never heard of Bendix Clutch Dust Contamination. If you drive a car with a manual transmission and you recently had the clutch repaired or replaced it’s possible that dust from the old clutch contaminated the gear on the starter. As a result, this causes dry operation and the starter will start making a loud noise when the starter is engaged. However, you can rest assured that this is usually a short-lived problem.
If the problem persists you should have the mechanic who completed the clutch replacement inspect the area and clean it. If that doesnt solve the grinding noise you hear when you start the car there might be another problem with your vehicle.
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Car Makes Noise When Accelerating At Low Speeds
What does the noise sound like? Different noises can mean different things. Two common noises you might hear from your wheels are slapping and chirping. Both slapping and chirping can mean different things but youll want to take them both seriously as they could be a sign of serious damage.
- Slapping Do you hear a slapping sound that gets faster as you speed up? You probably have a damaged tyre. It can be very dangerous to drive with a damaged tyre, especially if the damage could lead to your tyre blowing when you are driving. There are also hefty penalties for driving with damaged tyres. So if you hear any slapping, stop driving immediately and sort your tyres out.
- Chirping Do your wheels sound like theyre chirping when you accelerate at low speeds? It could mean theres a problem with one of your axles. Get a mechanic to take a look as soon as you can. If your axles fail, your wheels could lock up, or even come loose.
Clicking Sound Coming From Underneath The Car When Turning Left Or Right
If you hear a clicking sound coming from underneath the front side of the car when you are making a hard left or right turn it is your CV axle going bad.
You may also experience shaking or vibration in the steering wheel as you are accelerating and the vibration stops as soon as you let off the accelerator. A CV shaft is a steel shaft that connects your gearbox and your wheels. It has a joint on each end covered in a rubber boot. Most of the vehicles will have a CV axle on each side on the front. Some cars even have a CV axle in the back.
In order to see if your CV axle is going bad, you will need to get underneath the vehicle. Inspect the rubber boots and look for any cracks or other visible damage. The boots are supposed to be filled with grease in order to lubricate the joint. What usually happens is they get old and cracked. The grease gets out and the dirt comes in and it destroys the joint which is why youre hearing the clicking sound.
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Sound #: A Rumble & Roar Under Your Rear
- What you hear: A loud roaring sound coming from somewhere underneath the drivers seat.
- Whats happening: You probably have a leak or crack in your exhaust system’s manifold. The roaring you hear is excess engine noise that would normally get silenced by the muffler. When your exhaust system fails, all of your engine’s sound waves and vibrations get channeled into the car.
- Cause for concern? The driver’s seat is vibrating like a massage chair, which is kind of nice. And the noise isnt too noticeable when the radio is cranked up. Maybe you can let this one slide? Nope. A malfunctioning exhaust system means that you could have poisonous carbon monoxide venting into the cabin. Dont delaythis is a sound you want to get checked out right away!
How Does My Car Start
When you push the Start button or turn on the ignition key of your car:
- Electrical power stored in the car battery flows to the starter solenoid or starter relay.
- The starter relay or solenoid switches on your starter motor, which converts the electrical energy from the car battery into mechanical energy.
- This mechanical energy gets transferred to your cars flywheel, which is connected to the engine crankshaft.
- Once the crankshaft starts moving, the combustion cycle inside your engine begins, your starter motor gets disconnected, and your car starts.
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Scary Car Noises And What They Mean
When your car stops purring and starts making scary sounds, its time to head straight for the repair shop and have it checked out by a technician. Car sounds can range from clicking to booming, squealing to chirping. They most often occur during specific actions, like steering, stopping, and accelerating. Many car noises can indicate major mechanical problems and definitely should not be ignored.
If your car has one of these issues, especially one that isnt an easy DIY fix, you should take it to a mechanic. Carfaxs service shop search tool has ratings and reviews of service shops in your area. To make it easy to track your cars scheduled maintenance, check for recalls and check prices for repairs, you can sign up for our free Carfax Car Care tool.
Here are 17 of the most frightening car and engine noises and what they could mean.
What Side Of The Vehicle Is The Noise Coming From
The most important part of identifying where the noise is coming from is to remember that turning side doesnt mean location. Just because a noise happens when you turn in a direction, doesnt mean that the source of the problem is on that specific side of your vehicle.
This is because turning your vehicle changes the position of the load: if youre turning left, your right tire/wheel/CV joint is also turning left. The load is shifting and therefore reveals if any of your supports are starting to fail.
If you think the noise is only coming from one specific area of the vehicle, you can do a few physical checks to confirm. For instance, if you swear you only hear the noise from the front passenger side tire, you can try to recreate the noise by rocking your tire back and forth.
If you can recreate the sound by rocking the tire, you can confirm the general location of the noise. This makes it easier to explain the issue when you bring your car back into the shop.
That being said, harmonics are a huge factor. A noise can sound completely different or have a different location depending on whether or not youre testing on the road or in a garage, so do keep that in mind.
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