Q: Car howling and jerking at stops

asked by on November 10, 2016

Hi there; when I turn my key over it sounds as though my car is howling at me and all while driving down the road, that has been happening for about two weeks now. Also when I come to a stop at a light or sign my odometer will jump around to read 10mph or more when the car is currently stationay. my car also seems to have trouble turning over in the morning some days.I use this car many times a day and am driving over an hour a day with it. If you have any ideas as to what may be causing these I would very much appreciate the help. Thank you.

My car has 588134 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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A howling sound is often times a sign of a failing or weakening alternator. As you may know, the alternator is a unit that is responsible for charging the battery while the engine is running. When the alternator begins to fail, a common symptom is that they make a bit of a howling noise. This may also explain the trouble the car has turning over in the mornings resulting from a weak battery as a result of the alternator not charging it properly. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose your vehicle’s charging system.

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