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What’s That Hissing Sound in My Car? Know the Causes

  • Cars Explained
  • Silas Smith
  • 5 minutes

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Noises emanating from your car aren’t uncommon. Clearly, they indicate that something is wrong with your car, and you must fix it ASAP to avoid severe damage. Today we’ll take a look at the causes of hissing sounds in your car and find out if it is okay to drive with it.

Imagine you’re comfortably cruising down the road, and suddenly some unusual hissing noises start to come out of your car. What do you do? Well, it is always better to pull over to a safe location in the event of any such noise, whether it’s hissing, clicking, grinding, rattling, clunking, or whatever. 

Though many of these noises are common and temporary, ignoring some of them, in most cases, can lead your car into serious trouble and burn a hole in your pocket if not properly taken care of. 

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Hissing sound in a car: know the causes

A hissing sound in a car is, in most cases, associated with leaks. It could be due to leaks in various components such as a cooling system, an exhaust system, a faulty hose, or even due to engine overheating. There’s a link between most of these flaws, and we’ll see how. 

Is a leak in the cooling system the major cause of the hissing sound in a car? 

The cooling system, as its name suggests, helps the car cool down. The radiator, water pump, cooling fan, thermostat, and hoses all play vital roles in this process, allowing the engine to remain at a safe operating temperature.

We know that while an engine works, fuel is burned, which gives rise to heat. The coolant system helps transfer this heat to the coolant. This fluid is pumped around the engine by the water pump and eventually reaches the radiator via a system of hoses. It is at the radiator that the exchange of heat from the hot coolant coming in through the hoses with the surrounding air happens. After this, the coolant undergoes recirculation with the help of the water pump. 

From this, we believe that you have a rough idea of how a coolant works. It is a complex system, with many parts subject to leaks. So, the chances of a hissing sound occurring from the car are high if any of these components are faulty.   

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Faulty hose or vacuum line 

Hoses form a major component of the cooling system. They transport coolant fluid to the radiator and participate in the recirculation process. Hoses are made of rubber composites, making them capable of withstanding engine vibrations. These are extremely flexible and vulnerable to breakage. 

When there’s a crack or a hole in the hose line, it sucks in the air, causing a hissing sound in the car. 

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Leaky hose symptoms

When handling high-pressure, high-temperature fluids along with sludge and other particles, these hoses often break, causing a hissing noise in the car. Also, other symptoms include faster idling and the illumination of the check engine light, in addition to the hissing sound. 

You shouldn’t ignore a hose leak, as it can lead to the leakage of harmful fluids. This in turn can cause damage to a car’s internal components. 

Exhaust Leak  

As you might already know, a properly working exhaust system helps emit the gases produced from the engine, through the tailpipes and mufflers. However, a faulty gasket or a broken exhaust pipe or manifold can cause a hissing sound to occur from inside the car. 

The best way to identify this is to notice if any steam is coming out from the hood or by inspecting the temperature gauge for unusually high temperatures. 

This, however, isn’t as problematic as a leaky hose. A replacement can easily solve the issue. However, in most cases, this could also be due to a loose connection, which you could resolve within minutes without much hassle.  

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Can engine overheating cause a hissing sound in the car? 

Yes. An overheating engine can be one of the potential causes of a hissing sound occurring from within the car. Though you may not notice it while driving due to engine noise, the noise becomes more evident while idling. This is due to the heat-induced sizzling of fluids or liquids in the engine. 

Apart from the hissing sound, overheating is also characterized by steam emanating from the engine room. A visual inspection can help you identify the problem. 

Is it okay to drive with a hissing sound from the car? 

Though it is okay to drive a few miles with a hissing sound coming out of your car, you must make sure that those miles are to the nearest service station to get the system fixed. Don’t risk being stuck in the middle of the road by pushing on despite warning signs of an overheated engine or a broken hose; doing so might inflict irreparable damage to the vehicle’s components and affect its driveability. 

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