r/Cartalk • u/Comfortable_Slide575 • 18h ago

Weird Noise Is this normal?

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so recently my (Subaru forester 2010) has been making really weird noises, I put them off until eventually it started making a really loud banging/rattling & squeaking noise. And the next day started smoking from the engine, So I took it to a mechanic shop and they fixed/replaced my timing belt, water pump, engine thermostat but the next day my car now is still making the same clicking noise and the belt is doing this again, is this normal? Any help or advice is appreciated!!!

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u/Brokewrench22 18h ago

The engine thermostat doesn't affect it. It's controlled by the heater control thermostat inside the car.

If it's doing this with the ac on, there's a good chance that your refrigerant is low and the compressor isn't able to build pressure. It will continue to try, fail to build, reset and try again. Does the AC work?

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u/Comfortable_Slide575 17h ago

Yea I I actually just had my AC fixed by tires plus about a month ago and crazily enough that’s when my car started having issues, I was in the parking lot after they “fixed it” , I had a bunch of engine lights pop up and they said it was a faulty code so they were gonna wipe it out, started my car and the lights were still there so they sent another guy out and “wiped” the codes again, the lights didn’t go away so they said it was an oxygen 02 sensor that needed replaced, said they couldn’t take me in that day to fix it so I decided to leave, immediately after starting my car and pulling out my car started rocking back & forth heavily to the point where it was undriveable and had to leave it there. Short story I truly believe tires plus messed something up because ever since then my car has had issues back to back, I pay for a 200$ diagnostic “everything is fine” and a week later my car is undriveable again. Been a month long of paying thousands of dollars for my car to still keep having issues when it’s drove perfectly fine ever since I got it

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u/Brokewrench22 17h ago

A bad 02 sensor isn't going to cause the car to be undrivable. Maybe less power or poor fuel economy but it should still run "ok". An unplugged component or a ground not hooked back up after a repair can cause the o2 sensor to set a code, but that's not a bad sensor, that's the sensor doing its job and alerting you to a problem. Did they fix that problem?

As far as your AC, the compressor will always cycle. The more demand (the more it has to work to maintain the desired temp), the longer the duty cycle. On a 2010, the ecu controls the compressor The computer is just doing its thing to maintain the temp you set it at. If the car is cold inside I wouldn't be concerned. The video sounds noisy but recordings often do. Its hard to pinpoint a noise or determine if its normal from recorded sound.

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u/Brokewrench22 18h ago

It's your AC clutch operating normally. If it's cycling while your ac is on, have the charge checked. If your ac is off, it's perfectly normal. It cycles occasionally to keep oil circulating. It also comes on with defrost to dehumidify the air it blows on the windshield.

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u/Brokewrench22 18h ago

It is also controlled by a thermostat inside the car. It goes on and off to maintain cabin temperature.

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u/Comfortable_Slide575 18h ago

It turns on and off when the AC is on but when the AC is off it stops spinning completely, and I had the thermostat changed as well (which they recommended) my car wasn’t making any noise the first day I got it back and now it’s making the same clicking noise that this belt is making

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u/m00ndr0pp3d 18h ago

That click is normal you probably just didn't notice it before

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u/gregkiel 8h ago

Completely normal

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u/Ok_Weekend_5692 18h ago

I am no mechanic but I think that the air conditioning compressor. There is a problem with the clutch. You might want a new compressor.

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u/chunkypion33r 2h ago

Sorry to say, but I see no reason why your timing belt needed to be replaced based on what you've said (doesn't mean the timing belt didn't need replacing for other reasons, i.e., worn belt or "smoke" you're talking about was steam coming from waterpumo leak). That clicking sound is indeed your ac clutch coming on and off, Subaru is very well known for their loud AC clutch.