Car Making Strange Noises, Help Noob Out =)

[jm1080]

well ive had these problems since i bought the car back in the summer, but when i went to mechanic he said it was fine, but listening to other eclipses it doesnt seem normal to me.

Here is the prob:

When i start the car, there is a rattling type of sound that i hear in the front of the car, and its like that all the time, i dont know about my idle, but it idles at 1000rpm then maby goes to 800-900rpm im guessing thats normal, but i donno im a noob
Anyways the exhaust sounds loud and it sometimes loses a bit of tone in sound then comes back, im guessing thats when the idle goes to like 800-900rpm. It also smells like gasoline and it smells alot near the muffler. Im not really sure what this means, if this is normal or what? maybe i better go to a better mechanic??? please help. Thanks

 

[91 Turbo Mitsu]

get a buddy to start the car and you need to listen under the hood and determine where the noise is coming from.Could be from an idler pulley on timing belt or a lifter rattle and find the exhaust noise.Gas smell by muffler sounds like a fuel leak.Start the car and peek under the back and see if you see fuel dripping down. Check this stuff and report back so we can help you more. Travis

 

[fwdturbobov1996]

I have the same problem with my car when I start it. Kind of like a screeching sound for a split second then goes away.

 

[TurboDreamzGST]

the gas smell might also be from the car running too rich....this happened with mine as well....i fixed it by re-circulating my blow off valve because when i bought the car the blow off valve was being vented improperly......do you have any aftermarket parts/mods on the car?

 

[dsmclipse97]

get a buddy to start the car and you need to listen under the hood and determine where the noise is coming from.Could be from an idler pulley on timing belt or a lifter rattle and find the exhaust noise.Gas smell by muffler sounds like a fuel leak.Start the car and peek under the back and see if you see fuel dripping down. Check this stuff and report back so we can help you more. Travis

you dont need a buddy to start the car and listen to the engine at idle. the rattling could be anything from a heat shield (most likely) to the throw out bearing. Like travis said, the fuel smell definently sounds like the gas tank.

 

[dsmclipse97]

I have the same problem with my car when I start it. Kind of like a screeching sound for a split second then goes away.

He said rattling, if its "screeching" then your belts are the culprit.

 

[Gary 420A RS]

check to see if the sound goes away after pressing in the clutch. if not the fix see if the rattling goes up with rpms. with the smell check all the fuel lines. it could be a leak coming from the lines going to the tank. or check the fpr lines off the fuel rail.

 

[dsmclipse97]

or check the fpr lines off the fuel rail.

he said the smell was coming from the back of the car, possibly fuel lines around the tank but definently not lines near the fuel rail. We do need more specifics about the rattling noise like Gary said.

 

[jm1080]

ok today i started the car again, and it didnt smell much like gas at first, but after a while on idle water started leaking or spitting out of the muffler then it smelled alot like gasoline, but it wasnt gasoline then when i turned off the car, smoke started coming out of muffler, not alot but still some smoke.

Also when i started the car, and heard the rattling type of noise, it sounds like its coming from:

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im guessing that the timing belt? ^^ my car is at 70k miles, and i bought it at 68k, and timing belt or water pump havnt been replaced, but they said they were good so im not sure.

Also my cars been leaking oil for a while after i changed oil with this mechanic, and i brought it back to him and he didnt do shit. So i went to another and he said it needed a new filter, cause it was leaking oil from the filter even when it was bolted on tight, dont know if this has to do with anything, but just saying.

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

That's not your timing belt. That's your power steering/AC belt, if it screeches a lot then it might need tightening. You can tighten it from the tensioner bolt with a 14mm socket or wrench.

 

[jm1080]

That's not your timing belt. That's your power steering/AC belt, if it screeches a lot then it might need tightening. You can tighten it from the tensioner with a 14mm socket or wrench.

oh i didnt know that, anyways i took 2 videos so u can actually hear, i uploaded them to photobucket

This 1 is the noise that im talking about:
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j...urrent=S5000486.flv&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch2

This second 1 is the exhaust:
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j...urrent=S5000487.flv&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1

^^sounds weird, and muffler spits out water i think that what it is. then it starts smelling like gasoline.

 

[viperlp01]

That happens to my car i think it is the cams making alittle noise because the oil isn't all the valve cover yet. Also the oil is pretty thick when it is cold so that would stop it from getting thrown all around in there. My car just started doing that very loud at the beginning of a cold start but it is also 30 degrees out now. It does go away. i wouldn't worry about it.

 

[91 Turbo Mitsu]

Water coming out of your muffler means that your catalytic converter is doing its job. I think the ratio is that for every gallon of gas you burn your converter makes a gallon of water.If I remember my ASE tests.The screeching sound could be a bearing in the power steering pump or your belts. Check your belts first and make sure they are tight. Also look at the grove side of the belt and see if it looks shiny(use a flashlight)If it is shiny your belt is glazed and you need to replace it. Also to you can remove the belt and see if the noise goes away. This will help narrow down your problem.As far as the gas smell,is it coming out of the muffler? travis

 

[jm1080]

Water coming out of your muffler means that your catalytic converter is doing its job. I think the ratio is that for every gallon of gas you burn your converter makes a gallon of water.If I remember my ASE tests.The screeching sound could be a bearing in the power steering pump or your belts. Check your belts first and make sure they are tight. Also look at the grove side of the belt and see if it looks shiny(use a flashlight)If it is shiny your belt is glazed and you need to replace it. Also to you can remove the belt and see if the noise goes away. This will help narrow down your problem.As far as the gas smell,is it coming out of the muffler? travis

where exactly are the belts? and are you talking about timing belt or some other belts? sorry for confusion.

And the gas smell it seems like i smell it near the muffler, sometimes it doesnt smell, but most of the time it does smell, and i think im wastin more gas than its supposed to.

And viper its always made the noise and its never cold here in florida.

 

[91 Turbo Mitsu]

In your picture you were pointing at the power steering pump. That is the belt I am talking about removing to see if the noise goes away. As for the gas smell take a big piece of cardboard and lay it on the ground then park your car on it so it is towards the back and let your car sit and idle for a few minutes then drive of the cardboard and see if you see any spots that could be a fuel leak. Just be careful especially down south because gas is more volatile in warmer temps.keep in touch so we can figure this out. Travis

 

[jm1080]

In your picture you were pointing at the power steering pump. That is the belt I am talking about removing to see if the noise goes away. As for the gas smell take a big piece of cardboard and lay it on the ground then park your car on it so it is towards the back and let your car sit and idle for a few minutes then drive of the cardboard and see if you see any spots that could be a fuel leak. Just be careful especially down south because gas is more volatile in warmer temps.keep in touch so we can figure this out. Travis

yea i pointed to that belt that keeps winding or watever when car is on, if i take that off, wouldnt it break or something cause its connected to alot of other things and i would haev no idea how to take something out that goes deep into the car.

and as for the cardboard thing, i dotn have 1 but the only leaks are of oil in the front of car, and no leaks on the back only the spitting of water, when on idle.