Most common questions used to investigate
Is the noise coming from your car a high pitched squealing noise?
Does the noise coming from your vehicle stop when the car's engine is off?
Does the noise from your vehicle continue even when the car's engine is off?
Is the car's engine idling weirdly?
Does the sound of the car's engine seem off-beat?
Does the sound coming from your car sound rough, but still in rhythm?
Is the sound coming from the wheels of your car?
Do you hear a whining or humming sound when your vehicle makes a turn?
Doe the tires of your vehicle make a rhythmic tapping sound?
Do you hear squealing or hissing noises when you step on the car brakes?
Is the sound or noise coming from underneath your car?
Is the sound a deep rumbling noise coming from the middle or towards the rear of your car?
Do you hear a clunking noise under your car?
Common conclusions
At least one of the belts in your car's engine might be loose. If the belts are worn out (if the edges are frayed) you need to replace them, but if they are still in good condition you just need to tighten the pulley holding them in place.
Let the car's engine cool down, then check the radiator cap. The rubber gasket that seals the radiator cap might be broken, replace the entire cap.
Your car's engine is misfiring and the most likely the culprit is a worn or dirty sparkplug. Check the sparkplug cables if anything is loose or broken. Check the sparkplugs one at a time, if they are dirty clean them using a small wire brush, if they are worn out then replace them.
Your car's engine might have lost compression in any of the cylinders. Take your vehicle to the garage as soon as you can and have the technician check your engine for compression.
The bearings might be worn or cracked. You need to take your car to the mechanic to have them replaced, if the problem gets any worse, you will be looking at an expensive set of repairs on your brakes and wheel axle.
Your car might have a flat tire or it might just be underinflated. Pull into the next gas station that you see and pump your tires with air. If it can hold the correct tire pressure then you're good, but if the tire pressure keeps dropping, then you might have a flat. Replace your wheel with a spare and have the flat tire fixed.
Your brake pads are worn down to the metal. Have them replaced immediately before they dig into your brake rotors, which could lead to even more expensive repairs.
The exhaust pipe of your vehicle is damaged. When you catch this problem early enough, the repairs will be cheap. But if you let this problem continue, the damage might get so severe that you have to replace the entire exhaust pipe.
If the clunking comes from any one of the four corners of the car then there might be a problem with your suspension, most notably the shock absorbers. However, if the clunking noise comes from the rear then your muffler might be loose.
References
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