Reasons why do car make ticking sounds when turning it off
When you turn off the engine in your car, it continues to run for a short time. This is because there are parts of the engine that need to cool down so they don’t crack when the car starts running again. Usually, this lasts no more than 20 seconds after you turn off the ignition, but some cars can take up to two minutes before all the parts have cooled enough to restart safely.
If you’ve ever listened closely when turning off your car in winter, you might notice another kind of clunking noise when you shut it down. This sound is usually just metal pieces shifting around, and it’s nothing worth worrying about. However, if you hear an alarming “clunk” or “slam,” check your owner’s manual to find out what it means.
While some parts continue moving after you shut off the car, others are in action even when the car is off. One example of this is your windshield wiper blades. They’re supposed to hit a little tab on the glass and pull themselves back into position (this prevents them from breaking if they freeze up to the window). If you drive with your windows open, you might hear these wipers going even after you’ve turned off the ignition – or worse yet, not working at all.
The engine itself also keeps on ticking over after it’s been turned off. As an example of why cooling down is important: if you don’t let your engine finish running its course before turning it off, the pistons will keep moving up and down. If you turn it off too quickly, they might collide with the cylinder head, causing damage that’ll cost you a lot of money to repair.
Since your engine probably has around 200 moving parts, many of which are hot when you start driving again, it makes sense for them to have time to cool off before being restarted. Just because the car is turned off doesn’t always mean everything inside has stopped working.
Fixing Ticking Sound when turning the car off
Since you have probably already realized that the engine still needs time to cool down, now all you have to do is wait. It usually takes around 10 or 15 minutes before everything has cooled down. You can turn on a light in the car so it’s easier for you to see if something starts moving again which means not all parts have completely cooled down yet.
If there are parts inside the car that continue moving even though the car is turned off, it might be causing some kind of clunking sound when shutting it down. If this is the case, get your mechanic to check under the hood and resolve any problems he spots right away. Do note that although this ticking noise might seem like it’s coming from the engine itself, it could also be coming from the car’s trunk.
You should always take care of your car so that if something needs repair, you do not ignore it. If the ticking noise is caused by a loose part somewhere in the engine, let your mechanic know so he can fix this for you right away.