Thread: Something going bad on my engine?!

Okay so heres what all went down last monday... so i went down to platteville, Wi for the day (a lil over 4 hours to get there) and i noticed that there was like a whine to what i thought was just my tranny. I thought its no biggy cause my dads 2001 monte carlo ss with the 3800 has made that noise too. But as i was driving around platteville i went to turn into a parkin lot and it sounded like there was a metallic clank from like somewhere in the engine bay. I parked my car in the lot and did what i had came there to do. Now i then left platteville and heard the clank again. I then got out into the country and was taking on some hills. The whine that i had heard earlier was still there and it remained until it like shifted into 3rd i believe AND it sounded like my exhaust was much louder than it used to be. It still persists and i kinda like it cause it seems to have given the car more power but at the same time its one of them things where "if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is" and ill give up the loud exhaust and power so i can keep my car alive and running.

Anybody had this same experience with their car or potentially know what it could be?

is the car louder inside? maybe the downpipe rusted and the clank was it moving when you shifted

The car is louder sounding on the inside for sure but not to the point where it is like loud enough to disturb me and my music. lol. So is it okay if i keep running the car like that if the downpipe is rusted and has come loose?

^^^ alright ill keep an eye out for that. Anything that may harm my car tho?

not your car, possibly you.

look under thecar you should be able to tell right away

i looked and all looks fine and dandy. only thing is a couple weeks ago i took the back half of the exhaust off the hangers so i could put on a reciever hitch to maybe it was then that i broke somethin. i dont know for sure tho.

Originally Posted by SMazza

Sounds like a good bet that is where the problem started.

Yup, interesting how prior work is the first place a good mechanic looks for issues.

I'd also check the gasket at the catback. Likely it blew out. Slight increase in exhaust would make sense.

Would that gasket potentially cause the temperature at the tailpipes to be increased by chance? And now my car was pulsating after i turned off the AC. Now im getting worried about this...

Your best bet is to hang on to some of those questions and go outside to look at the car.

Many things "can" happen.. it's going to be tough for us to help you diagnose things when you mention checking anything, yet continue to ask further pointed questions w/o us having more info. You are our eyes, ears and hands.... it's time to get out there.

So i spent some quality time under my car this morning. To be honest with u guys i know like nothin bout cars. Would love to know alot more and im tryin. Im definately not a good set of eyes to find things wrong here seein as how i couldnt really tell u the parts i was lookin at that well but while i was under the car i found it very difficult to move around to look at everything cause i had like a lil less than an inch between the car and my chest and im not anywhere close to bein fat. I couldnt touch cat cause it was hot obviously cause i had to move the car to put it on blocks otherwise i woulda been wiggling the exhaust it to see if somethin were loose. While i was down there i noticed oil leaking from what i beieve is known as the pan gasket and popped the hood to look around and noticed my anti freeze is bout an inch under the cold line. Im just goin to drive it around till it stops on the road somewhere i guess and then get it fixed by an actual mechanic.

Ok, being the first mention in this thread about you not knowing much, how about you tell us what you see and we'll tell you how to find things. Like an exhaust leak.

If you think you have a leak, with the car cold and up on blocks, start the car and reach over to the loudest point. Likely you feel air moving. That means that is the location of the leak.

Sorry bout not tellin u that earlier. Hope it didnt make u too mad at me. But anyways i just went out and got back under it and wiggled it around and nothin seemed loose but when i started to pound on the cat with the palm of my hand it sounded like there was a rattling noise or somethin comin from where the u bend and the cat come together. I didnt notice anything strange and there seemed to be hardly anything for rust on the exhaust system. Then i started it up and went back down to feel for a leak someplace and went down the whole system but found none. I then did a walk around of my car and when i got to the back a put my ear down by the left rear tailpipe and listened. It wasnt pulsating today like it did yesterday but i did hear like a high pitched whistling noise. It wasnt very loud tho. Then i went and listened under the hood but didnt hear anything out of the ordinary from that.

if you hear stuff bouncing around it the cat when you hit it its time for a new cat, and by hitting it you may have just opened up the clog it had.

Isnt there like an engine light that comes on for the cat too?

Originally Posted by burgundybullet

Isnt there like an engine light that comes on for the cat too?

sometimes not always.

is your car gut less feeling, if it was clogged up it would have very little power, its like the old bananas in the tail pipe trick. (very week feeling when getting on the gas?)

makes the engine sound like a vacuum cleaner. and the tail pipes get quieter.

Sounds like it could be. I dont really know if its any quiter at the pipes. The getting on the gas part doesnt make sense to me cause when i try to accelerate fast and the pedal is to the floor it doesnt seem the greatest but then when i dont even try it seems like it actually sped up quick. One of my pals drove it and said somethin bout it almost feels like even tho ur goin forward, somethin is kinda like holdin u back. I didnt know what he was talkin bout tho.

unbolt the cat and start it up, if it revs up faster you know its the cat, a new gasket is 10 bucks at best. if the engine runs better with the cat off you got a bad cat then.

or take it to a shop for a back pressure test.

most of the time if you hear stuff bouncing in the cat its done for.

i had a friend call me up stuck, i told him to hit the cat and listen to it and it, it was all rattles, he whacked it a few more times and his truck started again and he was then able to drive it to a shop to get replaced.