Right after I start my car (any time of day, I think), and put it into drive, before I've gone very far or fast at all (1st gear), I frequently hear a little "zip" sound - kinda' like the transmission is confused. At first I thought it was mainly when I was going downhill, but that's not necessarily so. It's not all the time, either. Any ideas what could be wrong? I have about 130,000 miles on this new-to-me sedan, and most of the other little things that used cars surprise you with were minor and have been addressed. Thanks!

 

The next time you hear the sound, try to distinguish if it's comoing from the front of the car (directly in front of you--driver's side), or if it is coming from beside you (your right hand side--shifter area). The reason I'm saying this is because the ABS solenoids will actually prime, and make that weird "zip" or "clang" sound exactly on the same drive pattern that you've described--right after you start the car, and begin to drive away slowly. That sound will only happen once, at the start of every drive cycle.

If your transmission seems to be shifting fine, up and down, and doesn't seem to be slipping while accelerating, then I would try to REALLY see where the noise is coming from...my money's on the ABS actuator.

 

So, if the ABS actuator (or solenoids? - don't know about these things, sorry!) - prime (there is no "clang" at all, more like a zipper zipping), is that normal? And if it's them, would that be the sound in front of me or to the right, in the middle by shifter? Thanks so much!

 

If it is the ABS actuator/solenoids (same unit), then that would be the sound directly in front of you. It kinda' sounds like a buzzer, an electronic buzzer sound of some sort (sorry man, that's the best way I can describe it!). If it is actually a zipping sound, like literally a zipping sound, then it may be something else other that the ABS actuator. If this is the case, I would suggest having a dealer look at it.

 

Thanks, again. I'll check again when I get in the car...But....if it's the solenoid/actuator priming, is that a bad thing? Should priming cause that noise normally, or does it indicate a problem?

 

it is normal..

 

It's completely normal...you should hear it each time you begin to drive, but only once.