Horrible thwapping noise
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1
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Horrible thwapping noise
I am clueless about vehicles so please forgive my horrible description....
I have a 99 Durango with only 35k miles that mostly sits in the garage.I have regular oil changes even thoughits never even close to 3000 miles between them. I had an oil change aweek or two before the noise started. I had a repairman over to fix a ding in the windshield and when I checked on him he was under the truck and said he dropped a wiper screw or something. This could be completely coincidental but soon after it started making a hissing noise coming from the passenger side that can be heard from inside and outside the truck. Its pretty subtle and sounds a lot like the white noise a stereo making on full volume with no music.
A few days later it started making a "thwapping" noise (yes, I know, a technical term). It sounded like something caught in a fan or belt and would only happen when I was going about 30. All of the gauges were fine and it was driving fine.I looked under the hood to make sure it wasn't something super obvious... like a tool ... and could see nothing.I made a service appointment for two days later. In the meantime the sound got worse and while driving on the highway it sounded like whatever was thwapping flung off and it was completely back to normal!
I took it to the Dodge dealership service center and they could find nothing wrong with it other than the hose to the wiper fluid was disconnected. They said the hissing noise was normal and had no idea what thethwapping noise could be. I noticed today that the oil gauge fluctuated a lot...going up to 90 or so when accelerating and down to 30 when idling. It normally doesnt move at all. I'm worried that the service people missed something....any ideas? Thanks in advance!
I have a 99 Durango with only 35k miles that mostly sits in the garage.I have regular oil changes even thoughits never even close to 3000 miles between them. I had an oil change aweek or two before the noise started. I had a repairman over to fix a ding in the windshield and when I checked on him he was under the truck and said he dropped a wiper screw or something. This could be completely coincidental but soon after it started making a hissing noise coming from the passenger side that can be heard from inside and outside the truck. Its pretty subtle and sounds a lot like the white noise a stereo making on full volume with no music.
A few days later it started making a "thwapping" noise (yes, I know, a technical term). It sounded like something caught in a fan or belt and would only happen when I was going about 30. All of the gauges were fine and it was driving fine.I looked under the hood to make sure it wasn't something super obvious... like a tool ... and could see nothing.I made a service appointment for two days later. In the meantime the sound got worse and while driving on the highway it sounded like whatever was thwapping flung off and it was completely back to normal!
I took it to the Dodge dealership service center and they could find nothing wrong with it other than the hose to the wiper fluid was disconnected. They said the hissing noise was normal and had no idea what thethwapping noise could be. I noticed today that the oil gauge fluctuated a lot...going up to 90 or so when accelerating and down to 30 when idling. It normally doesnt move at all. I'm worried that the service people missed something....any ideas? Thanks in advance!
Hall Of Fame
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 14,228
Likes: 19
From: Riverton, UT
RE: Horrible thwapping noise
The sound could have been the tool that the service tech dropped. It probably flung out. As for the whistling noise, he might have disconnected a vacuum line while playing with the window or when he dropped the tool trying to retrieve it. Have a vacuum test done on the truck to see if something came disconnected. Oil pressure should stay in the normal range and it still sounds like it is. Even with my built motor and being new I still It runs at 65 on cold and I've seen it run down to 35 while on a long drive.That might be associated with a vacuum leak.
Champion
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,186
Likes: 2
From: Reno, NV
RE: Horrible thwapping noise
The hissing sound is probably from the a/c. Turn off the a/c and it will stop turn it on (even on heat the a/c is kicking on) and it will start again. Mine did this after it was parked for a few weeks at an aamco waiting for a rebuild on the tranny I'm thinking it leaked while sitting. The thwapping might have been the compressor as well. That would be where I would look.