Noises are the second most-searched car symptom in Fort Bend County after shaking. The trick to reading them is the same: not what it sounds like, but when it happens.
Clicking when turning
A worn CV joint on a front-wheel-drive car. Rhythmic, speeds up with the wheels, loudest in tight parking-lot turns. The boot has usually split and let the grease out. Replace the axle before the joint lets go.
Clicking when trying to start
Rapid clicking with no crank is a battery without enough charge to turn the starter. One loud click and nothing is usually the starter itself. Heat kills Houston batteries in three to four years; a load test takes a minute.
Squeaking when braking
Usually the built-in wear indicator telling you the pads are near the end. Squeaking after new pads is often glazing from not bedding them in. Squeaking only in reverse or first thing in the morning is common and often harmless — surface rust on the rotor. Grinding, on the other hand, is metal on metal: stop and call.
Squeaking or squealing when accelerating or with the A/C on
A serpentine belt or a tensioner that has lost its grip. Loud on cold starts and with the compressor engaged. Belts harden fast in our summers; it is a small job if caught early and a tow if the belt lets go on Highway 6.
Whining that rises with engine speed
Power-steering pump, alternator bearing, or a low transmission-fluid level. Whining that rises with road speed instead is a wheel bearing or differential.
Rattling over bumps
A loose heat shield is the cheap answer; worn sway-bar links or strut mounts are the common one. Rattling from under the car at idle is often a heat shield on the exhaust.
Knocking from the engine
Deep, rhythmic knocking that rises with rpm needs the engine off and a call to us. Lighter ticking on a cold start that fades is usually lifters and often normal on older engines.
Bring it in, or text a short video with the sound to (281) 761-4672. Most noises can be narrowed to two or three possibilities before we ever see the car.
Questions about your car?
Call (281) 261-0400 or text (281) 761-4672. 1653 Cartwright Rd, Missouri City — Quail Valley Shopping Center.
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