# Knocking sound & now Won't start **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** explorer, ford\ **Created:** [January 17, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717 "2010-01-17T14:03:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Momfrom96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Momfrom96](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Momfrom96)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/1 "2010-01-17T14:03:39Z")
Went to crank my car for church and we heard a horrible knocking sound from the front of the engine. Now it won’t crank at all. Help! We had some rain last night, but it ran fine then. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/2 "2010-01-17T14:54:54Z")
I’m not sure what it is that you want anyone to do. If you were next door I could stop by to take a look. You said you were going to church. While that is nice that you said so, maybe you should think a little about telling people things that could actually be relevant to the condition of your car. Did anyone actually pop the hood and look at anything? Did the vehicle run at all? Were there strange odors or puffs of smoke? What do you mean by “won’t crank at all?” Describe exactly what happens when you turn the key. What year is this explorer? How many miles are on it? What is its maintenance history like? Any repairs lately? ---
**Author:** ![Momfrom96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Momfrom96](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Momfrom96)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/3 "2010-01-17T15:25:51Z")
Sorry…New at this. Started car & Popped hood - couldn’t see anything unusual, but heard the knocking at the front of engine. Then the car stopped running. When you turn the key, it acts like it wants to crank, but won’t - making a rhythmic sound - bu-dump bu-dump. No recent repairs, Oil change due tomorrow. 105,044 mileage on an 03 Explorer. No recent repairs and has been running fine until this morning. Again sorry for irrelevant/lacking info. ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/4 "2010-01-17T17:04:06Z")
The “won’t start” condition certainly reduced the knocking noise. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Momfrom96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Momfrom96](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Momfrom96)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/5 "2010-01-17T17:15:24Z")
why send a comment if u are not going to help, we were told this was a good sight obviously not! ---
**Author:** ![edb1961](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/edb1961/32/122_2.png) [@edb1961](https://community.cartalk.com/u/edb1961)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/6 "2010-01-17T17:15:44Z")
Have you checked the oil or coolant levels? Do you check the oil level between oil changes? Ed B. ---
**Author:** ![Momfrom96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Momfrom96](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Momfrom96)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/7 "2010-01-17T17:23:16Z")
yes oil is fine ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/8 "2010-01-17T17:32:02Z")
OK, try this. Remove the serpentine belt that drives all the accessories. It’s on the front of the engine and will slip right off once you release the pressure on the tensioner pulley with a 1/2 drive breaker bar…Now try to start the engine. If it starts normally, all you need to do is locate the failed belt driven component on the front of the engine and replace it. Did you find this answer helpful?? ---
**Author:** ![Momfrom96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Momfrom96](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Momfrom96)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/9 "2010-01-17T17:37:08Z")
will try thanks ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/10 "2010-01-17T21:03:33Z")
It is a good site,we sometimes have a little fun, you would not last long in the garage if it was so easy for the other mechanics to “get your goat”. The site is a reflection of society, there will always be someone “joking” around. Didn’t you see my “emotion” symbol? 🙂 it means I was making a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Momfrom96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Momfrom96](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Momfrom96)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/11 "2010-01-18T00:25:41Z")
Sorry I didn’t get the joke. I can kid about it now, but this morning wasn’t the time. I really appreciate the ideas & help. ---
**Author:** ![irlandes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5e925/32.png) [@irlandes](https://community.cartalk.com/u/irlandes)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/knocking-sound-now-wont-start/42717/12 "2010-01-18T17:51:48Z")
That was a darned good answer. My DIL’s car in VA refused to even turn over one day, and they took it to a mechanic who said the engine was shot, but it ran fine when they parked it. We dug around on this URL on a page called Mechanic Files, found a highly rated mechanic, who discovered the a/c compressor clutch had frozen and essentially locked up the motor so the starter couldn’t move it. So, Caddyman is exactly right, which he usually is when discussing mechanical issues. I do not agree with those who said this was joking. There are people who study message boards, and they go through cycles from good to bad. Recently, we have had some bullying here. And, sometimes it is our best mechanics, perhaps things happening in their lives, hard to say. But, I certainly applaud Caddyman for great advice!