As your car ages, wear and tear take its toll. Noise is something you don’t want to hear as it signals potential trouble in your car.
One of such noises is a loud popping sound during acceleration. Today, we’ll look into possible causes of this issue.
What Causes Car Popping Noise When Accelerating?
If you hear any car popping noise when you accelerate, it is because of unused fuel leaving the car engine.
The vehicle’s hot exhaust ignites this fuel to make an unwanted sound. When you accelerate hard, an engine overrun isolates the throttle. It results in a popping sound.
Car popping noise when accelerating will happen when you speed up quickly. It will also occur when you leave the pedal immediately after driving hard.
Your car might hesitate or lurch but can restore functionality immediately.
Since unused fuel gas gets in the exhaust channel, the sound might come from the car’s center. It may cause a backfire from the exhaust pipe in some old vehicles.
Despite acceleration being the leading cause of this backfire, there are other causes. The following are the common causes of backfire in modern vehicles.
Increase In Fuel Mixture
When an engine has excess fuel, the air to fuel ratio increases, causing a backfire, the fuel that remains in the exhaust or cylinders explodes, giving a popping noise when you accelerate.
Poor Engine Timing
When a car engine delays timing, it causes a backfire problem. The backfire will sound like a car popping noise as you accelerate.
The problem starts when an ignition cycle delays in the car chamber. It ignites fuel when an exhaust valve begins to open.
It doesn’t wait for the valve to open fully.
Carbon Tracking
If carbon tracking is on the spark plug cables, it will produce a popping sound. The sound will come from the forefront of your car.
The sparks begin changing between the wires and eventually create shortcuts that accelerate popping noise.
Broken Distributor Cap
Cars that don’t have ignition coils on spark plugs have distributor caps. The cable set disperses electronic spark to your car plugs.
If moisture uses any crack to enter the system, it disrupts the process. The result is that the current jumps to an incorrect location.
Constant car popping noise while accelerating means you visit a professional mechanic.
Some minor problems are a red alert if you drive a vehicle hard and hear repetitive sounds.
Damaged Ignition Coil Or Distributor For Old Vehicles
The ignition coil is the common cause of car popping noise when accelerating.
Some cars have different ignition coils on every spark plug, and others possess a single coil with one sparking cable on every spark plug.
Old vehicles have either ignition or distributor coil. When you separate the spark plugs, unplugging the coils will help you to spot the misbehaving cylinders.
If you get any faulty ignition coil, replace it.
Damaged Spark Plug
Damaged spark plugs are another reason for misfires in your car engine. Spark plugs can wear out with time due to firing the cylinders.
An engine spark plug is easy and cheap to replace when spoilt.
If you haven’t replaced your engine spark plugs, replace them to limit the car pooping noise when accelerating because of a misfire.
Manifold Gasket Leaking
The intake leaking at your cylinder heads is a common problem regarding the spark plugs. The old cars without the steel intake gaskets were more prone to this problem.
If you own any old engine, check the leak signs around your intake manifold gaskets and any damaged vacuum hoses.
Reduced Fuel Pressure
Reduced fuel pressure can result from a damaged fuel pump, pressure regulators, or clogged fuel filters.
The reduced fuel pressure leads to a lean mixture inside the engine that results from cylinder misfires.
Injector Problems
Any damaged fuel injector leads to engine misfire though it’s hard to diagnose if you don’t do flow testing on the injector.
Damages Inside Your Engine Or Low Compressions
If you check all possible causes of the popping noise when accelerating but you haven’t seen any, the engine has internal damages or low compression.
Problems with adjusting the timing belt can lead to low compressions that give rise to engine misfires.
If you have recently replaced the engine timing belt, check if the mechanic fitted it well.
Faulty Cylinder Walls
An engine misfire can cause a car popping noise when accelerating. It sometimes results in a distinct smell of a coolant, steam, and gasoline mixture.
Such a scent indicates damaged cylinder walls. It would be best if you visited your mechanic to tackle the problem.
Other Possible Causes Of Popping Sound
For an old vehicle, mainly a truck, it has ball joints.
The vehicle’s front suspension holds the ball joints, sometimes generating popping sounds as the car is on a bump or taking a sharp corner.
If the vehicle takes timely service, this sound shouldn’t make you panic. It’s a normal thing from these joints.
If this popping sound is persistent on each bump or curve you take, it’s a red alert of a problem of worn-out parts. Visit a mechanic.
If the sound happens when you take a sharp corner or in a pothole, you need to replace your shocks.
How To Solve The Problem Of Your Car Popping Noise When Accelerating
Don’t do anything if the problem occurs when you speed up and suddenly leave the gas. It’s a common issue with many cars.
It comes from fuel distribution to build combustion to aid forward movement. For the strange sound, check the car display immediately.
If you see an engine warning, the car onboard computer may turn on a mode. It will limit the power going to the drivetrain.
Make your first stop in a garage for a professional check by a mechanic in such a situation.
Is your car popping noise when accelerating with a bit of rumble? Park in a safe area and let the engine cool down.
After cooling, open the hood and check for disconnected or damaged hoses and wires. Are they fine?
If not, work on them. If yes, turn on the engine and listen for sucking or hissing sounds.
They are indicators of air leaks.
These problems will need the replacement of the wires or the spark plugs. If the filter has a problem, it will need replacement.
If everything seems okay, the fuel injectors might be the problem. Clogged injectors make the engine get little gasoline.
It will strain to perform its duties.
Conclusion
Your car popping noise when accelerating can result from many factors like:
Clogged fuel filter
Dirty air filter
Damaged spark plug wires
Corroded or worn-out spark plugs
Ignition problems or internal ignition wiring issues
The car popping noise when accelerating isn’t a good thing. Take your car to a mechanic to solve the problem once.
Patrick started his love affair with cars in his childhood. Over the years, he claims a sturdy hold on his driving skills, along with a thorough understanding of cars. We can expect some interesting, holistic, and pleasurable blogs with his flair for writing and his love for cars.
Being a car enthusiast, Patrick has experience comprising of two decades in which he has ridden some of the meanest and strongest machines in the automotive industry. His previous avatars include an automotive professional, photographer, and journalist, and you will certainly experience the roundness of experience in his piece on this site.
In his second decade of reviewing cars and analyzing tools, Patrick is all set to give you convincing, reliable, and the latest information regarding what’s happening in the automotive industry. Currently, he owns a BMW Z3 but cannot get his eyes off Aston Martin DB5. He is a car enthusiast; he loves cooking and listening to music, especially jazz. Here are some of the pieces written by our ace author.
