# Automotive Question: Noise in My Head

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-question-noise-in-my-head/388066>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-question-noise-in-my-head/388066 "2007-01-15T14:35:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-question-noise-in-my-head/388066/1 "2007-01-15T14:35:24Z")

</div>

I’ve had a noise in my head for the last 20,000 miles/2 years! It is driving me crazy-neither dealer or mechanic can figure it out! car is 2.2 liter Saturn Ion-A/T-it sounds like ball bearings rattling around a coffee can. Nothing wrong with engine, runs fine! The noise goes away after engine warms up-anybody know what could be causing this noise?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-question-noise-in-my-head/388066/2 "2007-01-15T15:01:41Z")

</div>

Noise “in my head,” is, I’m sorry to say, rather unclear. Are you saying the noise is coming from the engine’s cylinder head? If so, precisely where on/in the head? If you don’t mean the cylinder head, where exactly is the noise? And how many minutes of engine running does it take for the noise to stop?

Anyway, first two thoughts are valve lifters and timing chain tensioner.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-question-noise-in-my-head/388066/3 "2007-01-15T20:49:08Z")

</div>

Fan belt?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-question-noise-in-my-head/388066/4 "2007-01-15T21:12:29Z")

</div>

Possibly a crumbled (bad) catalytic converter.  
Or (This happened to my parents car) mice leaving food in the exhaust system.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-question-noise-in-my-head/388066/5 "2007-01-15T22:45:05Z")

</div>

This might be a stretch, because your engine is a 2.2 liter and not in the list, but check this site about piston slap in General Motors engines. [pistonslap.com&nbsp;-&nbsp;This website is for sale!&nbsp;-&nbsp;pistonslap Resources and Information.](http://www.pistonslap.com/index.html)