Q: Car makes what I would describe as a helicopter noise under the hood when I step on the gas; it's worst when changing gears.
What is the rattling noise coming from my engine? I drove 500 miles from Boulder to Salt Lake yesterday, and when I got here, I noticed a rattling sound coming from the engine when I accelerate. It gets quieter once the gear has shifted, then gets louder again before shifting into the next gear. At idle, my engine sounds normal, with no rattling. When I got to SLC, I checked my oil and nothing showed up on the dipstick, so I put in 3 quarts of oil. What is the most likely problem here? Rod knock? Lifters? Wrist pin knock? And what would a repair likely cost? (I.e. Is the car now junk?)
My car has 179200 miles.
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Hi there. If you added three quarts of oil to your engine, it is very likely that you may have internal engine damaged; possibly in the cylinder head hardware like lifters; as that is what typically makes a constant clicking noise when they are loose, damaged or not properly lubricated. The question that needs to be answered is how did your engine lose 3 quarts of oil in the first place. Usually older engines will ’burn’ oil, but at a very slow rate. I think before you attempt to drive back to Boulder or any longer trips, you should have a professional mechanic come to your location and complete a car is making a noise inspection, so they can determine what is causing the noise. Hopefully it will be something easy to fix like a damaged drive or serpentine belt pulley.
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