Last time, we talked about the top reasons your car is rattling. But, truth be told, there are a lot of potential causes of this pesky problem! Without further ado, here are more reasons your car is rattling.

More Reasons Your Car is Rattling

1. Your timing belt or chain is loose/worn

Your timing belt is an essential part of your engine, making sure that your pistons, valves, and crankshaft all move in the correct sequence. It’s designed to work at a specific tension.

However, this belt or chain can become loose with age and use. When this happens, the reduced tension in the belt means that the chain can hit surrounding parts as it moves. These impacts are behind the rattle you’re hearing. Your timing belt or chain is likely the culprit of the sound if you notice the rattling noise increasing with acceleration and decreasing with deceleration.

2. Your drive belt is worn or broken

Much like the timing belt described above, a loose or broken drive belt will smack other engine components as it rotates, causing a rattle as it goes round and round. Sometimes, misaligned belt pulleys can also cause a rattle.

3. Bad or loose water pump pulleys

Your water pump is powered by pulleys that help make sure this crucial component operates normally. If the bearings on pulleys become loose or worn, they can cause a rattling noise during engine operation.

4. Your exhaust system is loose

If your mystery sound is coming from the bottom of your vehicle, it’s possible that your exhaust system is loose. This can happen due to age, corrosion, or road damage to the undercarriage of your vehicle.

5. Your starter is defective

How can your engine starter cause a rattle? It can happen if the component known as a ‘bendix’, which connects the starter to the engine itself, goes bad. This component connects to the engine when you turn the key so that your engine can start. If the bendix goes bad, the component may not engage or disengage as normal, causing that pesky rattle.

6. Piston problems

Your pistons may be the problem if your engine is very old or very worn. In these cases, the age of the engine means that the pistons no longer fit snugly into their cylinders. You can identify this particular problem if you notice that the rattle starts when you initially turn on the vehicle but goes away once your engine has warmed up.

7. Bad fan clutch

If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, your rattling noise may be the result of a bad fan clutch. These types of vehicles have an engine-mounted cooling fan to help keep your engine working at an optimal temperature. If the clutch attached to this fan goes bad, you may hear a rattling noise. This particular issue often happens alongside high engine temperatures and/or overheating.

More Causes Of Car Rattling – Inside Your Cabin

As if you needed even more causes of car rattling, we haven’t even talked about noises from inside your cabin!

If the source of the rattling is coming from somewhere inside your cabin, identifying the source of the rattle may be a little trickier. Here are a few places to check if the noise is coming from inside your vehicle.

• Glove compartment
• Door pocket
• Center console
• Cup holders
• Trunk
• Folding seats
• Luggage compartment covers
• Under your seat

Car Rattle Repairs And More At T3 Atlanta

Whether you have a mysterious car rattle or you simply need routine maintenance, T3 Atlanta can help. With our extensive experience repairing Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota, and Lexus vehicles, we can quickly assess your vehicle and get your vehicle back into top shape. Give us a call at one of our two convenient Metro Atlanta locations!