Has your vehicle suddenly started making a strange sound that it doesn’t usually make? If so, you should get it checked out as soon as possible to see what’s going on. A clicking sound is one of lots of different sounds you don’t ever want to hear coming from your car. It could indicate an issue with any number of parts within your vehicle. If you ever find yourself asking the question “What is that clicking noise?”, you should have some general idea of what it might be. Here are several car problems that can cause clicking sounds.
Clicking Noise Coming From the Engine Area
When you first hear your car making a clicking noise, you should try to see where it’s coming from. If it seems to be originating from the engine area, this could potentially be a big problem. More often than not, it’ll suggest that your car either has dirty oil in it or that the oil has run out completely. Either way, this might result in a lack of lubrication and cause some of the parts in your car’s engine to start to click when they rub together.
Simply changing the oil might be enough to get this clicking sound to stop. But if you let it linger for too long, it could lead to serious engine problems. You might even put yourself in a position where you’ll have to get rid of your car and buy a brand-new vehicle soon.
Clicking Noise While Driving Very Slowly
Are you hearing your car make a clicking noise when you’re driving it at low speeds? And does it sound like it might be coming from one of your tires? When this is the case, you might have a brake pad that’s come loose from a brake caliper. In this instance, this brake pad is going to “click” as it spins around, especially when you’re applying your brakes. You’ll need to arrange to have brake pad replacement performed to stop your car from clicking. It’s another issue you should address immediately to stop it from becoming a bigger problem.
Clicking Noise When Making a Turn
If you hear your car make a clicking noise almost every time you make a turn, there’s a decent chance a worn-out constant velocity (CV) axle could be to blame. CV axles allow your car’s transmission to move its tires around while you’re driving. Oftentimes, a torn shaft boot in a car’s CV axle will leak grease and cause components within the CV axle to dry out. It’ll lead to an almost constant clicking when you’re turning your car, since the components will produce this sound when they rub together.
If you’re able to catch this issue early on, you may be able to steer clear of having to replace your entire CV axle. But if you let your car keep clicking when you turn it and choose not to do anything about it, you might end up with a much bigger bill on your hands due to having to replace a CV axle. It’s why you should spring right into action when you hear this kind of clicking noise and have your car repaired.
Single Clicking Noise While Starting
It isn’t all that uncommon for vehicle owners to experience issues with their starter motors at some point. Most starters will last for about 100,000 miles before needing to be replaced, but some will also give out much sooner than that. The starter is responsible for helping to get your car’s engine going when you stick your car key into the ignition and turn it. But if you hear a single clicking noise when you attempt to get your car going, you might need to replace your starter at this point.
Rapid Clicking Noises While Starting
If your car makes a clicking noise repeatedly when you go to start it, your starter should be in decent shape. But you might have something going on with either your battery or your alternator. You’ll know your battery has gone bad or your alternator has died on you when you hear a rapid clicking noise while starting your car. You might be able to jump-start your car in this case, but it isn’t going to stay on for too long if it needs a new battery or alternator.
What To Do if Your Car Is Making a Clicking Noise
Did your car just start making a clicking noise either when you go to start it up or when you’re behind the wheel driving? It might be tempting to let it continue to click in the hopes that it’ll go away and stop clicking eventually. You may get lucky and only hear the clicking noise for a minute or so before it stops. But most of the time, this clicking noise will continue until you fix whatever is causing it.
It would be worth driving your car down to the service center at a local auto dealership with a great reputation, such as Huffines Kia Corinth. We’ll put our factory-trained technicians on the case to see what’s going on with your car. They’ll typically be able to listen to the clicking noise to determine where it’s coming from and figure out the problem you’re having within just minutes. It’ll make it possible for you to get your car fixed right up so that the clicking noise doesn’t linger for too long and lead to other potential problems.
Bring Your Car to Our Service Center To Get a Diagnosis
If your car is making a clicking noise, you shouldn’t hesitate to have it looked at by professionals. We invite you to drive it down to our service center in Corinth, Texas. We’ll take a good, long look at your car and find out why it’s making a clicking noise. We’ll also make the necessary repairs to it and use high-quality parts that’ll get your car running like new again. Touch base with us today to schedule service.