When your car starts making a strange new noise – or emits a strange new smell – it’s not necessarily something major. The first thing to do is calm down – and not assume the worst. The second thing to do – if you’re not mechanically inclined – is to find someone you trust to have a listen.
And a look.
One common – and alarming – noise that modern cars often make that isn’t usually something to worry about is an exhaust rattle. It’s probably not a death rattle. It’s a good bet the catalytic converter heat shield – a thin piece of metal tack-welded to the converter’s body, to prevent its very hot surface from touching – and possibly igniting – dry leaves and such underneath the car – has come partially loose.
When it does, it makes an obnoxious racket – and if you don’t know about the heat shield’s propensity to work itself loose over time – you might think there’s something badly wrong.
The fix is as easy – and cheap – as having someone who can weld tack-weld the shield back into place or (field expedient) just pry the thing off. This will not affect the car’s function – or emissions – in any way.
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Just remember not to park over dry (and tall) grass – until you can get the shield repaired.
Rising smoke is another blood pressure riser. But it might be something that’s more of an aggravation than cause for alarm. Unless you drive an electric car. In which case, leave the car at the first sight – or whiff – of smoke. Lithium-ion electric car batteries can – and sometimes, do – spontaneously combust. And when they do, they burn fast – and very hot. Stop the car, get out – and get away from the car.
Immediately.
If it’s not electric car, smoke is probably the result of an oil seep – or a water leak. The seep – as from a leaking valve cover and then onto hot metal engine parts – which makes the smoke – is usually nothing serious. Pop the hood, see whether you can source the smoke back to the seep. If you see a little seepage around the edge of a valve cover or intake manifold, you can probably keep on driving. But make sure you check the oil level first (seeping oil is leaking oil) to make sure your engine isn’t running low on oil – and check it again, regularly – until you can get the seep fixed.
If it’s a steady drip – look underneath the car with the engine running – you will want to stop driving the car because that indicates significant and possibly even pressurized leakage that could quickly result in the engine running low on oil . . . and then not running at all.
Or the transmission – if it’s an automatic. Running an automatic with low fluid can destroy it in just a couple of minutes or even less, if it’s a big leak.
Don’t risk it. Park it.
