I have a 2007 5-door with 5-speed manual and 35k miles on it (yeah, the warranty is about to go).
When the outside air is wet and very humid, like with drizzly rain, when I start the car the engine makes a rather loud and fast ch-ka-ch-ka-ch-ka noise that speeds up and slows down with engine speed. The noise continues uninterrupted until the engine warms up at which point the noise stops. This happens ONLY in wet and very humid weather when I start up the car after it has been sitting for a while (i.e., has had a chance to cool down).
Usually it happens in the morning after sitting all night. It did that this morning after a night of drizzle. It did it again this afternoon after work after sitting all day in a morning of drizzle and 90% humidity. It did it again this evening after sitting for about an hour and a half during which time a brief shower went through, with humidity still at 90%.
I popped the hood and it sounds like the noise is coming from the passenger side of the engine somewhere near the top and the front. It DOESN'T sound like the noise that I've heard in the videos in other threads about engine noise. This is more of a high-pitched sound like a steam engine would make (chug-chug-chug, not the whistle!), not a ticking or slapping sound.
So far it has happened ONLY in wet\humid conditions and it always has gone away after the engine warms up. It does it pretty regularly in these conditions. Twice when it has made this noise I have taken it to the dealer, but of course by the time I get there the engine has warmed up and the noise has stopped and there's nothing for the dealer to hear but normal engine noise . . . now with my warranty about to run out I'm nervous that this might be a symptom of a bigger problem that will show itself when I am out of warranty.
Any ideas what this noise might be?
Thanks!
ggeinec
When the outside air is wet and very humid, like with drizzly rain, when I start the car the engine makes a rather loud and fast ch-ka-ch-ka-ch-ka noise that speeds up and slows down with engine speed. The noise continues uninterrupted until the engine warms up at which point the noise stops. This happens ONLY in wet and very humid weather when I start up the car after it has been sitting for a while (i.e., has had a chance to cool down).
Usually it happens in the morning after sitting all night. It did that this morning after a night of drizzle. It did it again this afternoon after work after sitting all day in a morning of drizzle and 90% humidity. It did it again this evening after sitting for about an hour and a half during which time a brief shower went through, with humidity still at 90%.
I popped the hood and it sounds like the noise is coming from the passenger side of the engine somewhere near the top and the front. It DOESN'T sound like the noise that I've heard in the videos in other threads about engine noise. This is more of a high-pitched sound like a steam engine would make (chug-chug-chug, not the whistle!), not a ticking or slapping sound.
So far it has happened ONLY in wet\humid conditions and it always has gone away after the engine warms up. It does it pretty regularly in these conditions. Twice when it has made this noise I have taken it to the dealer, but of course by the time I get there the engine has warmed up and the noise has stopped and there's nothing for the dealer to hear but normal engine noise . . . now with my warranty about to run out I'm nervous that this might be a symptom of a bigger problem that will show itself when I am out of warranty.
Any ideas what this noise might be?
Thanks!
ggeinec
but it's been happening on my car for pretty much forever and it hasn't ever gotten worse or led to any problems, so there's probably nothing to worry about.
