Q: Popping/clicking noise coming from under the hood in extremely cold temperatures.

asked by on December 15, 2016

This popping/clicking noise seems to be brought on by extremely cold temperatures. It started last winter and went away when the car was warmed up. It also only happened for a week. It happened again a couple days ago (in extremely cold weather) but the car was warmed up. It hasn't stopped since. It starts immediately after I start the car. The oil level is fine. Doesn't seem to be affected/brought on by turning on the heat.

My car has 118000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi there. During cold weather, most vehicle will have some type of loss of power and misfire when accelerated when the engine is cold before trying to warm it up to operating temperature. The popping sound that you are hearing is called pop back and is the engine having a misfire and firing on the intake of the engine. Check the spark plugs and see when was the last time they were changed. Check the fuel injectors and see if they are leaking. You would need to put fuel injection cleaner in the fuel tank to clean out the fuel injectors. Replace the spark plugs if the vehicle has more than 80,000 miles with the original spark plugs. Be sure to install the OEM parts and not aftermarket. If you need further assistance with the popping sound from the engine compartment, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

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