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Look guys I'm sorry for bringing this back but holy s*** I really need help this is driving me NUTS.
Things I've done:
Fit cat-back exhaust with new resonator
Tightened the S*** out of the flange at the bottom of my header
Removed all heat shields from cat, header and above resonator
Looked around for anything loose under the dash
Applied new silicone sealant to the header gasket (which is still good)
Lubricated the belts pulleys
Found that the top timing cover was missing the two bolts that hold it in, and put new ones in
Looked for anything loose in the engine bay, there was nothing
Asked mechanics and none of them had any idea
Yesterday I handed my car over to a workshop that specializes in japanese cars for them to have a go at fixing it, they told me they adjusted the tappets and checked all the belts and things in that area and around the timing belt, apparently the idler pulley was a bit loose and the bearing was noisy, so they replaced the bearing and tightened it back up. (although on the receipt it said "R&R A/C tensioner pulley and replace bearing") after this they said they couldn't hear it anymore, and this morning when I drove my car I couldn't really hear anything, but tonight I noticed it was there again, only now instead of starting to buzz at 3000RPM it's doing it at around 4200RPM and is a bit quieter. So whatever they did it affected it somehow. I'm not sure if it went away and came back after a bit of driving or if I just didn't notice it till tonight.
I've been told that sometimes it can be the tensioner pulley for the timing belt, so I bought a new one and supplied it to them, however they told me there's no way a tensioner would fail till around 200,000km on the clock, and when they finished the work they said the tensioner seemed fine.
When the sound begins around 4200RPM it's starts like "bzz.. bzz..bzzbzz.." and then 4800-5000 is just "bzzbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" all the way up the rev range. And you can't hear it from outside the car or even if you stick your head in the engine bay and rev it.
I've been told many times by mechanics and others not to worry because it's not affecting the engine at all, but I know its not normal! and I really wanna get rid of it! :(
ANY help would be so much appreciated and if there's anyone in ACT who could come look at it please tell me!
stats on my car incase it helps:
DC2 VTi-R 1995 B18C2
ODO: 134,XXXkm
Doesn't burn oil, smoke at all, and no power lag or anything.
I've been very nice to the car, never had my foot to the floor in the 4-5 months I've owned it.
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don't go to mechNICS on this, they are just gonnA SAY WHATEVER AND MAKE YOU FORK OUT FOR IT.
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yeah thats right, I don't want to but I've been stuck on this for months and I don't know what else to do to solve it.
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Hi Super-DA9, I think I may have the same problem as you. I've been meaning to video clip my noise and post it here for sometime now, just been busy with stuff. Anyways can you post a youtube clip of the sound? Mine comes on at ~4000 rpm carries right through to ~6rpm and then dies to the redline. A mate of mine who knows his cars says it could be a loose bearing and that I should live with it. I'm going to try and post a clip soon and don't worry I've done just about what you have trying to figure this problem out.
Valve clearance adjusted = no good
Exhaust flange rewelded = no good (exhaust guy said that it was an internal engine problem)
Done tests and its not a transmission thing, purely engine for now.
I just hope this problem can be solved because it is driving me crazy everytime I vtec her.
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It's good to hear I'm not alone here, yeah I agree, it's so discouraging to rev up your car when there's that f***ing gay noise up the top half, and ruins most of the fun in driving it.. :(
I'd take a video but I'm fairly certain the camera's microphone wont be able to pick it up over the exhaust sound. I might give it a shot anyway.
Also mine's dropped it's starting point back to 3000RPM. It seemed gone when I got it back from Advanced Tech Automotive, but then it's gradually come back with a day or two of driving it. The only things they told me they did was adjust the tappets and replace the bearing in the A/C tensioner which was apparently a bit loose, tighten it back on + re tension belts and piece it back together, so I thought the A/C tensioner must have shook itself loose again because tappets don't just change their clearances in a day or two, so I took it apart myself, took out the tensioner and it was still fine..?! So now I'm REALLY confused.
I doubt it's a structural or major issue because my car is performing fine and normally, but it's so @%#$@ing annoying!
If you discover anything more on this, don't hesitate to share it with me, as I will let you know if I find a fix for it or anything that helps. :)
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I've made a brief list of other things that could possibly cause a noise like this, some thing are doubtful but anyway here's some of it, let me know if you think any of these are common/likely or whatever.
• Injectors tapping due to being clogged
• Clutch buzz from the thrust bearing (although this is unlikely as the car still makes the noise when the clutch is in)
• Metal header gasket buzzing against the head (also unlikely as I've removed the header and re-fitted it with sealant on the gasket)
• Exhaust leak from the header area (I can't see any cracks or holes though)
• Crack in the header mount (someone had a similar problem with their prelude and said this was the issue, haven't had a REAL thorough look at mine but it looks okay)
If anyone comes up with ANY idea's even if they're super unlikely please post!
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Hey dude,
I've know your pain, having to push vtec every now and then to keep the engine fresh, but being too scared cause of that stupid noise afraid you'll be doing more damage to the car. Sorry I haven't been too attentive to this problem, it's just that I'm in the process of getting my car ready for a respray, sick and tied of driving around with body filler by now ( I know 9 months is a long time, been busy can't help it). Anyways here is list of things to check for
*Exhaust flange before the cat converter, make sure that seal is even all round because as you know when you rev the engine, it tilts back and causes an exhaust leak
* (most likely my problem, but haven't had the time to check it out) Camshafts warped or damaged, no matter how many times or the clearance you give your valves if the camshaft is no good the clearance will be off no matter what. Also could be a flogged bearing.
* Vtec rocker arm warped and damaged as above the same thing, replacing either of these is not going to be cheap either way.
Other than that I'm basically blank for ideas. I'm going to get it checked it out Honda specialists here in Perth when I get a bit of time up my hands, but one thing is for sure don't every trust your car to OEM Honda, cause they will most likely get an apprentice to work on your car...
I will post my findings as they come.
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Yeah, I wouldn't go OEM unless I had NO other choice. hmmm, well it really sounds like a spun bearing somewhere on the belts side of the engine, but I've checked all the belt pulleys except the alternator. got my car booked in at advanced tech again on thursday so I'll ask them to check that out while they're at it.
I'd think it'd be more of a knock if it was something bent or damaged internally but I'll ask them to look at my cams too.
The noise seems to get more audible and starts a bit earlier when the car is at running temp or after a hard drive. When the cars only just warmed up to the first line on the temp gauge (which is what I let it warm up to every time I drive) it's barely noticeable for the first 5 minutes or so of driving unless you rev it up. Not sure what that could mean but it seems temperature reliant too.
In any case I'm praying to find out exactly what it is on thursday, and I'll post up the details when I get the car home.
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speedo cable's grease has dried out? i had a da9 that sounded like a nest of baby birds lived behind the tacho.
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yeah my DA had the exact same thing, only problem here is that DC2 doesn't have a cable and the noise follows the RPM, not the speed. :(
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Have you ruled out a transmission fault as well? A friend of mine said it could be transmission related however that was quashed when I revved it in neutral to still find the noise, yea its weird how the noise follows the rpm and only in mid range.
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yeah it's still there when I'm in neutral too, and pushing in the clutch doesn't make it go away. :(