Problems with my car please help

**BlinkFan0072** · 08-06-2006, 09:35 AM

Last week i drove my car home and was fixing to turn it off when i heard this clanking noise. it is inside my engine bay and sounds like someone is softly hitting a snare drum. dad says it's the water pump. and my girlfriends dad said it was a pully.. but guys i swear it's coming from inside the engine. the car runs perfect. i did notice a small decrease in oil pressure though.. maybe 2 or 3 psi.. just a very small amount may be nothing at all but i don't know.. the noise accelerates with the engine and it isn't a constant beat but is a random rattling noise. my oil levels are fine.. and i just switched it to syntetic oil also.. it doesn't do it when it's cold.. it only does it after it gets warm... any help would be appreicated.. thanks!

**BlinkFan0072** · 08-06-2006, 11:39 AM

anyone.. i could really use some help

**0rion** · 08-06-2006, 06:29 PM

These are tough to nail down because it's just a guess unless I can actually listen to it in person. I'll take a stab at it though and hopefully get you on the track to figuring it out. Sounds like a bearing issue to me. The last water pump I had go out sounded like marbles rolling around inside it, wasn't a fixed noise meaning it fluctuated, and increased with engine speed. Sound familiar? I would start looking at your water pump, power steering pump, a/c, and alternator for bearing problems. Use the screwdriver stethoscope trick to isolate the noise. In case you've never done it. Take a long screwdriver and put the tip against the water pump with the car running and stick your ear to the end of the handle. If it's the pumps bearings you'll know immediately. If it's not then move to the next accessory until you find it. Hope this helps.
ps
if you have long hair put it up before sticking your head down near the belts.

Wouldn't be fun getting scalped by a serpentine belt.

**gnomee** · 08-06-2006, 08:07 PM

I agree with the above post. Rule out the accessories before you look at the engine. I would just take the belt off and turn each pully by hand, chances are you will find it that way, the pulley will turn hard or slow and mostlikely make some noise compaired to the others. Also you can take the belt off and start the engine and if the noise is gone then it is not in the engine and it is in the accessories.