You are going on a long journey, but suddenly you start hearing some weird whirring noise from your car. Well, it may be because of different reasons. In this guide, I will be describing some key reasons why this noise comes from your car.
Why is the Car Making Whirring Noise When Driving?
If your car is making a whirring noise when driving then there could be a lot of reasons for it, such as the poor connection of your car’s radio, crook wheel alignment, bad wheel bearings, driveshaft, brake rotor, and pebbles tucked in square tubing, etc.
Now, you may hear whirring noises from different places, and in different scenarios, like the ones during the startup, or maybe from under the hood, etc. Here we will be discussing all these scenarios in detail.
Whirring Noise At Startup
Sometimes you may hear a whirring noise when you start the engine of your car. In such a case, the problem could be due to one of the belts (i.e. a/c, p/s, or alternator belt), or the sound could be due to a bad water pump if the power steering fluid is extremely low, then it may make a noise like that.
Whirring Noise From Under the Car
If you hear this weird whirring sound from under the car, it could probably be due to the propeller shaft center bearing. You can lube the bearing to see if that will help.
Whirring Noise From Differential
A whirring sound from a differential indicates a problem with your car’s ring and pinion gears. Make sure the lube is full.
Whirring Noise from the Clutch When Changing Down Gears
In such a scenario, a whirring sound indicates a problem with the clutch release bearing. Therefore, you will have to get the car’s gearbox out to replace the bearing.
Why is There a Whirring Sound in Car When Accelerating?
Whirring sound from your car, while it is accelerating, could be for different reasons, such as a bad wheel bearing, fan clutch, clogged catalytic converter, or driveline or clutch.
If you hear such noises while your car is accelerating at a slow speed, you will have to replace the rear prop shaft vibration damper or it could also be due to an over-tensioned timing belt. If you hear a slight whirring, then it indicates a faulty water pump.
Car Making Whirring Sound When Parked
Different parts of the car’s engine may make a whirring noise while you are parking your car. Some parts that produce this sound in a stationary car include:
- Fan or Timing Belts
- Coolant Pump
- Gearbox Throw-Out Bearing (in M/T only)
- Camshaft or Crankshaft or Distributor Bearing
- Alternator Bearing
- Power Steering Pump or Driving Belt
Whirring Noise from Wheel
Now, the Whirring sound from your car’s wheel could be due to four reasons.
- Firstly, wheel bearings may have gone bad. To check which wheel bearing is going bad, then you must follow this simple formula, i.e., Right Turn + noise = left bearing is bad, and Left Turn + noise = right bearing is bad
- Secondly, this whirring noise from the wheel could be the tread blocks at the edge of the tire.
- Thirdly, it could be indicating an out of round or flat-spotted tire.
- Lastly, the sound may be indicating a problem with the brake hardware in the caliper.
Product Recommendations
Steelman EngineEAR: It’s a Stethoscope Auto Diagnostics Tool with 60-120 Decibel Meter, Noise-Canceling Headphones, and Non-Conductive Microphone. It can detect pinpoint noises from any part of the car. See the latest price here.
Allsun EM410 Electronic Stethoscope Car Noise Detector for Automotive/Industrial Machine/Household Appliance. See the latest price here.
Read More about Different Noises of the Car while Driving
Conclusion
To conclude our discussion, I would like to advise you to spend most of your time diagnosing and fixing less. If you can’t diagnose the problem by yourself, then the smart choice is to take your car to a professional to have a look over the problem.