Weird gun sound

jelazar said:

Yes, you should be concerned about this. Anything else wrong with the car like a check engine light?

I get it that troubleshooting an intermittent problem is hard. You might try doing a reverse search where you think about different things that might make the sound you're hearing, then search for videos that have that sound and see if those recorded sounds are what you're hearing.

For example, a badly worn bearing in a piston connecting arm could cause a sound that's similar to automatic gunfire. Search for examples of rod knock.
Or, a failed timing belt tensioner can make a loud metallic rattle.
An exhaust leak might cause loud rapid-fire sounds, especially during deceleration.

Click to expand...

jelazar said:

Yes, you should be concerned about this. Anything else wrong with the car like a check engine light?

I get it that troubleshooting an intermittent problem is hard. You might try doing a reverse search where you think about different things that might make the sound you're hearing, then search for videos that have that sound and see if those recorded sounds are what you're hearing.

For example, a badly worn bearing in a piston connecting arm could cause a sound that's similar to automatic gunfire. Search for examples of rod knock.
Or, a failed timing belt tensioner can make a loud metallic rattle.
An exhaust leak might cause loud rapid-fire sounds, especially during deceleration.

Click to expand...

jelazar said:

Yes, you should be concerned about this. Anything else wrong with the car like a check engine light?

I get it that troubleshooting an intermittent problem is hard. You might try doing a reverse search where you think about different things that might make the sound you're hearing, then search for videos that have that sound and see if those recorded sounds are what you're hearing.

For example, a badly worn bearing in a piston connecting arm could cause a sound that's similar to automatic gunfire. Search for examples of rod knock.
Or, a failed timing belt tensioner can make a loud metallic rattle.
An exhaust leak might cause loud rapid-fire sounds, especially during deceleration.

Click to expand...

Sisyphus58 said:

FYI, there is an rpm limiter on these cars and it's possible that your ECU is tripping it too early (under the redline @6200 rpm).
I tripped the limiter once when I first got my car and was showing off to my nephew. Instead, I felt kinda stupid when it bogged down and thought I blew the engine. Been extra careful ever since...

Click to expand...

Sisyphus58 said:

Sounds like ignitition related (plugs, wires, distributor, cap, rotor, coils (4cyl), etc
Pull your spark plugs and check for oil on the ceramic section of them, which indicates worn plug seals. Also inspect plugs for cracks and replace if more than 30k miles.
Do a compression test to determine cylinder wear.

Click to expand...