Car Popping Noise When Accelerating – (Causes and Fixes)

It is abnormal to hear a popping noise from your automobile when accelerating since there may be an issue with the smooth functioning of the powertrain system. And if you do not care about it, gradually, it will turn into serious damage. Therefore, today we are going to investigate the problem, ‘car popping noise when accelerating.’ There are some causes for this happening, but you can surely fix them. We will be discussing all those reasons plus solutions for them throughout this article, so you will be able to prevent this from happening in your automobile.

Car Popping Noise When Accelerating 

Let’s see what exactly this issue is. How is this noise made inside the car? When there is unused fuel, it leaves the car engine. Consequently, the hot exhaust of the vehicle can ignite those unused fuels. So, when you accelerate with pressure, the engine will make a popping noise because of the overrun. The fuel flows into the exhaust channel. A noise arises at the centre of the car rather than the front.  

You can notice this noise, especially when you speed up the vehicle quickly. Similarly, the noise might occur if you leave the pedal after driving. Sometimes, the car can lurch or hesitate due to this problem, but it usually functions again within a while.

Eventually, there is a chance to happen a backfire in some kind of the old vehicles due to this issue. There are some other causes that create the backfire apart from the above-discussed one; they have been listed below.

Why does My Car Make a Popping Noise When Accelerating?

1. When the engine gets late in timing, a backfire can happen. The reason why, the ignition cycle cannot function on time because of the engine’s delay. Then fuel is ignited since the exhaust valve opens. Thus, you hear a popping sound.
2. When carbon tracking is placed upon the spark plug cables, you will hear a popping noise that occurs at the forefront of the car because the sparks change among the wires.
3. If ignition coils on spark plugs are absent in your car, distributor caps work instead. And if they are broken, this issue can arise. The moisture can create cracks to enter the system.
4. The ignition coil should be in good condition because a damaged one can produce noise. Old vehicles might have ignition or distributor coils.
5. With time, spark plugs can also be damaged. So damaged one causes misfires in the engine. The issue may occur until you replace the spark plugs.
6. If you own an old vehicle, a leakage in the manifold gasket is also something problematic. So, you have to check the cylinder heads to make sure whether there is an intake leaking.
7. Proper fuel pressure is another important thing for an engine. So, if the fuel pressure has been reduced, an inadequate mixture inside the engine can be occurred due to a cylinder misfire.
8. Fuel injectors must be in good condition for a smooth function in the engine. So, damaged fuel injectors will cause a misfire.
9. If you smell a coolant and gasoline mixture when the popping sound occurs, there may be a problem with the cylinder walls. Thus, faulty cylinder walls are another reason.

How to Fix a Car Popping Noise?

Now let’s discuss how to solve this issue. As we mentioned earlier, the main reason for a popping sound is acceleration. You will hear the noise when speeding up or leaving the pedal after driving. As an immediate checkup, you can observe the car display. If it indicates that turning on mode, it warns that the engine is in trouble. What happens is an adequate amount of power does not go to the drivetrain. So, the best thing you can do is visit a professional mechanic as soon as possible. He will diagnose the case and do whatever is necessary.

And if your car sounds like a rumble when accelerating, you should stop the vehicle quickly because the engine needs time to cool down. After a while, you can check whether the hoses and wires are damaged or not. If they are damaged, there may be a problem, like an air leak. There is no choice except to replace spark plugs and wires. Thus, if you detect something like this, it is better to get the service from a professional because the damaged component will need a replacement most of the time.

How to Check Car Popping Noise?

• First, park the car in a safe place, then set the vehicle neutral and activate the emergency brakes.
• Get the engine working, so you have to turn the key or press the button to open the vehicle’s hood.
• Then check the whole area, including belts and pulleys, to know the exact place where the popping noise arises. Do not miss to check the fan because it should spin without contacting the shroud.
• The next component to check is the radiator cap. Check whether it provides an appropriate seal.
• Then detect the engines’ noises using a stethoscope. If the valve covers are available in your vehicle, you have to listen there too. When you listen to the noise, you will be able to detect which component has the issue.
• After that, you should lift the vehicle using jacks underneath it. Be careful when you are doing it. Then, you have to hear the noise of the engine block and oil pan using the stethoscope. If you can hear a popping noise, the piston pin could have worn.
• Next, lower the vehicle to check the engine’s bottom while locating the cylinder. You have to remove the wires there as well. If you hear a change in sound, then there may be a problem with the rod bearing.
• Then you may need a vacuum gauge to observe the intake manifold hose. Check the reading, and if there are any deviations, the issue may be a blown head gasket. You can confirm it if there is oil in the radiator or coolant with white smoke.
• To check whether the issue comes from the carburetor, you have to check the timing in degrees when you remove the air intake.

Accordingly, you can check the components to identify the faulty ones.

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