From the sound of your brakes to the roar of your car engine, you are aware of the regular sounds of your car. But when there is a new and unfamiliar noise coming, you will immediately notice it.
If the sound continues for a few days, it’s time to find the root cause, especially the grinding noise. These noises can create a negative impact on your car’s MOT.
Oftentimes grinding noise is coming from the rotating parts of your car or any other parts that rotates can cause grinding. If your car starts to make a grinding noise, don’t ignore it and get your car checked by a technician who can find and fix the problem before it turns into a bigger problem.
If you want to know find the root cause by yourself then you take this blog post as a guide. We will talk about all possible causes for your car making grinding noises.
If you are car’s engine running and the sound is not coming from the brakes, then chances are you may have a problem with your water pump. When grinding noises come from the water pump it usually means you have worn bearings.
You can replace the bearings, but the seals will most likely be worn too, so replacing the whole water pump is a better way to fix the problem.
You shouldn't try to replace the bearing because a faulty water pump could cause your engine to overheat which results in more damage and cost you more to repair.
When the engine is running the alternator charges the battery and gives the car electrical power. As it gets older, the bearings inside the alternator slowly start to wear out and the pulley becomes slack enough to move side to side while spinning. This side-to-side movement causes a grinding noise.
When you turn on your air conditioner and you start to hear a grinding sound, this indicates a problem in the compressor. The compressor sends refrigerant through the air conditioner’s lines and exchanges heat to cool the temperature inside the car.
Often the pistons make a grinding noise when the compressor wears down. If this happens you need to repair your air conditioner but this won’t affect the overall performance of your car. However, you should consider to repair or replace the air conditioner if summer is approaching.
If you hear a grinding sound when you change gears, it shows a problem with your car’s clutch. The use of the clutch is to separate the engine from the wheels which allows you to change gears. The clutch consists of the clutch plate, flywheel and a pressure plate. If something goes wrong on one of these parts, you will likely hear a grinding noise with more different symptoms:
When pressing the clush grumbling and squeaking sounds come.
Facing difficulty while changing gears.
Slipping clutch
Sticking, spongy or vibrating clutch pedal.
Usually, clutch repairs can be expensive, but the cost depends on the type of the problem and your car’s model and type. If you feel your clutch may need a repair or replacement, take your car to your nearest workshop as soon as possible to avoid causing more damage to your car.
If you are taking a corner while driving your car and you hear a grinding noise, chances are you have a worn wheel. A worn wheel bearing may make a quiet grinding sound all the time when you speeding up and slowing down but the noise often becomes louder when you turn your taking a turn.
Other signs of causing grinding noise can be uneven tyre wear, ABS failure and the car pulling to one side. Don’t ignore the signs of a worn wheel bearing because when it fails, the damaged wheel will stop working. In some cases, it will fall off which is not safe if you are driving at high speed.
The constant velocity (CV) joints are placed at each end of the drive shaft which connect the wheels to the axle and transmission. They are responsible for shifting torque to the wheels at a controlled speed and do the up-and-down movement of the suspension system.
If the CV joint has a problem, you will likely notice your car pulling to one side while driving because the wheel losing power and this movement may also cause a clicking, ticking or grinding noise. Don’t dry your car with a damaged CV joint because it is not safe and will cause your car more damage.
When you hear grinding noise when you apply the brakes it is most likely due to worn brake pads. But, it usually happens at a later stage of brake wear and is come before by a high-pitched squealing or squeaking sound. Worn brake pads can become a reason to fail in your MOT Test Northampton.
Most of the causes mentioned above which make grinding noise can be repairable during car service. You will hear the grinding noise because the metal backing plate clamping onto the disc instead of the pad, which is worn out. It is always best to replace the brake pads as soon as possible because you will face difficulty stopping your car when applying brakes.