American car owners, hold onto your wallets. The cost of repairing your vehicle has increased by 20% in a single year.
Owning and maintaining a vehicle has never been cheap, but these days, it’s practically a luxury. Gas is expensive and pandemic supply line troubles have made simple repairs a nightmare. And then you notice a new sound while driving that makes you wonder if you’ll need to sell a kidney to fix the issue.
Do you have a rattling noise when accelerating? Today, we examine the cause of a car rattling noise and possible fixes.
What Causes a Rattling Noise When Accelerating?
Unfortunately, the rattling noise on acceleration does not have a single, easy fix. You’ll need to diagnose each possible item. Let’s take a look at a few possible causes.
Broken Heat Shield
Your car’s heat shield protects its manifold from heating other more delicate components in your vehicle’s hood. Over time, moisture and debris can rust it away, causing it to break down.
When broken, it may rattle loose from its seating. Replacing it should stop the rattling noise and keep your hood from overheating. Depending on the scale of the damage, you may need a full car exhaust repair.
Damaged Engine Mounts
Your engine mounts are what keeps the engine in place while driving, thus preventing it from moving out of place when going over bumps or potholes. Most engine mounts use a mix of metal and rubber that, like other components, wears down with time. When they get “threadbare,” they may cause that rattling noise from the engine.
Unfortunately, you will need to remove the engine to replace the mounts. This could be a somewhat involved and expensive process, so check the other possibilities first.
Poor Transmission Lubrication
Your car’s gears turn inside the transmission, requiring oil to lubricate them. This is a critical component of your vehicle, without which your car would not function at all. Poor lubrication from insufficient transmission fluid can thus create a noticeable rattling noise.
This could lead to more serious issues if left unfixed. Add new transmission fluid ASAP. Leave this issue untreated and it could lead to a transmission that is permanently damaged.
What If It’s Not the Above Issues?
The above three issues are arguably the top three most common reasons for a rattling car when accelerating. If you check all of them and don’t notice an issue, it could be something else. Potentially something more severe, like an engine problem.
Again, we can’t give you a single potential issue or fix here. It could be the torque converter, the motor mount, the V-belt pulleys, the wheel bearings, or something else. At this point, we highly recommend taking it to a shop for a professional to look at it.
Fix Your Car Today
Do you have a rattling noise when accelerating? The most common issue is a busted heat shield, worn engine mounts, or a lack of transmission lubrication. If it’s not one of those, then you should absolutely head into a shop to get a professional opinion.
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Piran is the bestselling author of the Zobuz, TheHearus and other well known Blogs. Her books have sold hundred of copies and are published in different languages.
