Metallic grinding noise when accelerating?
 

I recently started noticing my car makes a metallic grinding noise when I lightly press the gas pedal. It's more noticeable when the engine is cold, but it will sometimes do it when the engine is warm. I haven't been able to figure out if my speed or RPMs have any affect on it (I've localized it to between 40-60mph). It's when the pedal is pressed at just the right spot, but any place before or after that it doesn't make a peep. It sounds like it's coming from the front end driver's side. Doesn't make the noise when turning. I can hear the noise when the windows are rolled up and the radio turned off, and when the windows are down. It's really loud, and annoying. It reminds me of a table saw, to put it into layman's terms.

I'm hoping it won't cost an arm and a leg to fix when I take it to the dealer.

Any ideas what it might be?

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auto or stick

what is the year make and model any mods?

i'll give ya a hint... Scion xD... since it's in these forums... there's your make and model...

My guess is a loose heat shield somewhere.

It's a 2008 automatic.

I did a little testing while I was out today.

The noise is kind of like the sound of brakes that have started to wear down to metal on metal. It's really bad when the engine is cold. After the car has been driven for at least 15-20 minutes the noise isn't as noticeable, and kind of hard to replicate.

My speed doesn't matter - it makes the noise no matter how fast I'm going when the gas pedal hits just the right spot.

Doesn't happen when I slow down or brake.

When the car is in park I can't get the noise to happen, although I only tried this after I got home from driving the car around.

I googled around, and a lot of people have said it might be the heat shield. I'm taking the car in this weekend for an oil change. I hope it's an easy fix.

UPDATE

Just got back from the dealership. Got my oil changed and tires rotated. Had them check on the noise. They couldn't find anything. :flame: It's really hard to miss, except when the engine is warm, which is probably when they drove it instead of letting it sit for a little while.

As I was driving back I had the car sitting at 60 just coasting and the noise was constant (I wasn't using cruise control). The engine was well beyond warmed up as I had been driving for at least 20 minutes, and hadn't been sitting long since they test drove it.

I'm thinking my problem might lie somewhere with the accelerator? Unfortunately, I'm not car savvy, which is why I'm trying to get some help from you guys.

The guy told me to bring the car back if it still made that noise. I almost told him I'd be back in 10 minutes. lol

I might drop the car off one night and have them test drive it after it's had time to sit for a while. The noise is hard to miss when the engine is cold.

Anyone have any other ideas?

hub/wheel bearing ?
Try shifting in to neutal and turning the car off when you reach the speed where you can hear the noise and see if it continues.

Hmm I'll have to give it a try

Try getting it on video and then show it to your service rep.

Shifted the car into neutral, but the car still made that noise when I pressed on the pedal at that spot.

It's going to be hard to get it on video since it's hard to hear inside the cabin, and with the windows down it will be impossible...unless I drive by a wall...hmm..

UPDATE

Took the car back to the dealer finally. They looked at the car, and "banged around on the heat shields" but didn't find anything. They couldn't see anything wrong. Went on a test drive with the guy, but the buzzing noise was too low for him to hear. lol I know what I'm listening for, but he doesn't. The engine was also warm. I left it for them overnight, and am driving a Camry until tomorrow. It's like a tank compared to my xD! lol I told them if the engine is cold they'll hear it before they even get out of the parking lot. If they don't find anything then I give up, and if my car falls apart, well...can't say I didn't try. lol

YAY! Got the car fixed!!!
 

They didn't find anything this morning, so I went out with them AGAIN and drove the engine cold. Got that flippin' whistle/buzz/whatever noise to happen for a bit.

10 minutes after they took it in the shop it was fixed and ready to go.

It was a vacuum leak, apparently. Something about when I got the brake recall done and they didn't do something right with the throttle body and the plate that sits above it or something.
I was too busy thanking my lucky stars it wasn't a major problem, and I didn't have to pay for anything to really understand it all. lol

Oh, and I guess the proper term to use would have been a "whistle" and not a "metallic noise." lol

So if anyone has their brakes fixed due to the recall and they start hearing a weird whistling noise...now you know what it might be!

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Having a same problem it first started doing it when I first got it.
 

I got it checked to see what it was they where saying that it was my transmission but I don't think it is that. The noise only starts when I accelerate at a different speed if I got 20 or even more it will started making the noise I am really afraid if I don't get the noise fixed.
I am going to go back someday and figure out what and where the noise is coming from. My car is a 2004 Honda Silverpilot.


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Umm.....OK, you're responding to an 8 year old thread on a forum for Scion xD's, and you don't even own a Scion?


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