Whistling Noise on '90 Accord EXi

[scott1e]

Hey guys,

Recently purchased a '90 Accord from my mates grandfather and it is in mint condition, everything about it seems tight and in good condition, however I have one problem with a whistling noise..

I drive an auto (shame :|) and when taking off in first and second gear, I get a sort of whistling or whining noise coming from the engine bay.. Its hard to describe but to a few of my mates, they describe it as sounding like a supercharger or turbo sort of sound (which it isnt...) Its quite annoying and Im considering taking it in for a service if I cant find out what the problem is by you guys..

Edit: Topic changes further down the page

Cheers,
Scott

[SiReal]

Hey Scott, welcome. I have a mate with the same accord and I've got one 2001 but auto as well. This I have learnt, is not a problem but rather a design construct. It is just the way the gearbox is made and it completely normal. My car has done 50K kms and its got the same noise, so does my mates 92 with 180K kms. So no need to worry. Just ensure the usual Transmission checks are done each service using honda Transmission fluids and your car should be set for the long run. If still concerned, just take it to Honda or at least ring them up first. :) Hope that helps.

[scott1e]

Thanks alot champ :D such hospitality for a new member..

Yer mine has only done 150km.. I didnt think it was a problem with the engine, but perhaps just something loose which could be easily fixed.. In saying that, is there an easyfix for it? Or do I just bare with it? And claim it to be a supercharger lol.. Its in for a service on wednesday anyway so we will see then :)

[scott1e]

Ontop of this does anyone know where my incompetent father can pickup an instruction manual for my 16 year old car? Cheers

[SiReal]

I don't think there is a fix to it and I think you'll have to bare with it. You can however turn up your stereo :) I've got supercharger as well, in case you didnt know. hheheh....

Anyway, ive noticed a few of these service manuals/books on ebay recently. Just type in Accord and there should be a few floating around.

[94_Accord]

hey dude, i have the exact same problem with my 94 accord, its a weird noise to describe but i know how u feel. it is rather annoying.. im interested in seeing whether they can give you an answer on wednesday..

[amato2]

i asked my uncle about this because he used to work at honda in the early 90's anyways my mum's 300,000km CB7 accord does the same thing...apparently the way the gear box was designed its emit alot of noise compared to usual box's..my uncle says its more of a honda CB7 accord trait, i have noticed but when im driving my mum's car at low rev's 1000rpm - 3200rpm's the noise is there and its very loud but after that all the way till the red line the wine type of noise dissappears and the sound of the CAI takes over...try getting one of those if you really want to make the noise go

[scott1e]

Sorry try getting a CAI? Your problem sounds exactly the same as mine but I just need to know what a CAI is?

Cheers

[SiReal]

hehe. thats funny. its a Cold Air Intake so the car soudns like its got a pod filter *booorrrtt booorrrttt*

It just covers up the sound.

[scott1e]

Surprisingly I got a few more answers on OCAU..

Some people said it could be holes in vaccuum pipes on the car, and another guy said replacing the alternator might help.. Anyone have any ideas about this?

[amato2]

dnt worry about spending so much money...because it will never end it just the way the car was desgined so id save the money you spend on trying to fix the winie noise that all 90 accords make and spend it on performance mods such as the Cold Air Intake go to Autobarn they will have em. and get a decent header and exhaust...apparently the stock exhuast robs so mch power from this car then you will have a decent and reasonable quick accord

[scott1e]

Ahh but I just want to get rid of the sound lol.. Hopefully by adding a bit of grunt to it, I can achieve this effect.. However I dont have money rolling out my ears so how much does a CAI (im learning quick) and header/exhaust cost?

Just for clarification i went for a spin tonight and its definitely only audible in first and second gear...

BTW: My mate's '90 Accord which is bloody similar to mine barr colour (same Km's and same condition ect ect) makes no noise at all, so what was that about a known fact for such models thats how they were made?
Im not trying to sound like a know-all (I couldnt be further from it) im merely curious to fix this problem :P

[amato2]

yeah thats the exact same as my 90 accord...anyway what i did for a CAI was go to autobarn ask for a pod air filter the usually retail for around $30 ad while your there get a 3in connector so you can connect the pod to your intake....then ask them for some air ducting of some sort so you can channel cold air from the bottom of the car towards you intake.......as for the exhaust i only know one place near my house as im new to the hole exhuast thing its in tullamarine

[scott1e]

I got the car back from service today and these are the things which will need to be fixed up in the near future (it passed rego check mind you):

* Vehicle requires L/H and R/H Drive Shafts.
* Air and Fuel Filters
* Spark Plugs
* Noise in gearbox between first and second gears (which Im assuming is only fixable by a new gearbox? Or a louder noise deterring the original sound)
* Engine sump appears to be patched up (which may indicate a hairline fracture)
* Front and rear exhaust will need to be replaced soon (which means a new exhaust for me :D)

Anyways.. can anyone estimate a pricing for the new parts?

Cheers,
Scott

[SiReal]

scott1e, thanks for keeping us informed. Very useful information that one. especially with the noise. Very odd...hmm.mine has noise and its a 2001 model. It doesnt affect the car so i wont bother fixing it just yet.

[scott1e]

Im gunna record the sound later on and chuck it up so you guys can hear and rate against your noise... (My noise is better than yours hahah only playing) But yer... I have about $1300 i can spend on it at this point in time which will probably buy me 3 nuts and 2 bolts but ill see what I can fix..

[amato2]

well the air intake will cost $30 buck if you decide to do a DIY job......dnt go buying honda orginal parts for the other motor stuff..last time i did that it cost me $1500 where as if i went to repco it would cost $500.....as for the exhuat go to a specialist and id say opt for a 2.5 inch madrel bent exhuast including header and a nice big twin tip at the back and make sure u get a high flow cat....then get it dyno tuned and report how much those old but very great f22a9 make

[scott1e]

Right... all sounds a bit hard to comprehend :P

At the moment Ive been quoted

Labour: $240
Air Filter: $28.50
Fuel Filter: $32.95
Spark Plugx4: $15.80
Throttle Body Clearner: $14.95
CV Shaftx2: $290

Total: $622.20

How do these prices sound, and could I get cheaper/better alternatives for different prices?

[amato2]

well it sound good get them done but if your gonna put a pod filter on the car dnt worry bout the air filter.....and the spark plugs get some iridium one from repco they last longer and make a bigger spark using less power as for the CV shaft i had to do them too and i paid 350 back then so thats ok......and i will explain your exhuast mod step by step to you ok

[scott1e]

That'd be great mate.. I appreciate the help.. Ive added you on msn if you want to talk via that instead.. At this stage Im going to get it up to scratch with the shafts and whatever else needs to be done... but exhaust will be next... I also have to fix the interior trim but I should be able to do that this weekend..

Edit: It'd be good if I knew someone a little closer to home with the same enthusiasm for my car.. Because anything that I mention to my dad he doesnt want to know about.. Oh well :P

[scott1e]

amato has been a great help to me over msn and has inspired me to start some modding only a week after I first purchased the car..

So basically Im getting the CV shafts, Throttle Body Cleaner, Fuel Filter, Spark Plugs (installation) done by my mechanic for roughly $635 all up, including labour and GST..

Nothing special or hard, but somewhat significant as its my first mod to the car.. Will be my replacing my air filter with a Pod air filter.. The intake pipe fitting will come at a later stage when I have time... Ill also do some major time consuming work *cough*, which involves gluing my door material back on lol)

Future Upgrades, well im a student in my last year relying on what Ive saved up from the past (not much) and struggling to write my resume for a new job so they will be few and far between but I plan on..

* Replacing the intake pipes
* Setting up some sort of a sound system
* Replacing the header, exhaust and tips
* Replacing all panels with some sort of body kit..

Anyways Im ranting on too long and you guys arent interested in such an old car on a tight budget anyways..

Peace :P