zeroptzero

Hi all, I am noticing my distributor is making a rattle noise on cold start up. It sounds like a can of marbles. The odd part is that once the engine warms up a bit it is dead quiet. Even shutting of the motor and restarting a few minutes later does not reveal any odd noise and it remains completely quiet. I didn't notice the noise in the past. I just did a timing belt replacement and the cams were removed during the project. I took the intake cam out and reinstalled into into the distributor end, everything seems to be installed properly, everything lined up and turned smoothly. The car runs great, no issues other than cold start rattling, within 5 minutes it goes dead quiet, and never makes any odd noise after that. It is very smooth running too.

Any advice or experience with something similar to this on other Integra's ? I assume it is the original distributor, cap and rotor look newish. Thanks for any reply.

wunfstgsr

Other than the rotor being loose or your valve lash being off. Did all this start after the timing belt change? post a sound clip.

zeroptzero

Thanks for the reply. The noise seems more prevalent after the timing belt installation, I don't remember it in the past. Valve lash is good. If something is off I would expect the noise all of the time, but this goes away as soon as the engine warms up, weird. I took out the distributor tonight, the rotor is good, cap is in good shape. Distributor shaft on the back of the distributor seems to have some play in it, maybe too much, it moves side to side by about 1/8th of an inch. I've reinstalled it and tried to realign it to see if that makes a difference. There was no signs of metal wear or dust in the distributor.

wunfstgsr

That play is most likely the culprit, or the timing belt is loose but I doubt that is what makes the sound. Try a friends dizzy and see if the sound goes away.

zeroptzero

I took out the distributor and tried to realign it and I gave it the once over. It is still noisy on cold start up, the noise completely goes away after a few minutes when warm. the entire engine is extremely quiet and smooth and performs well. No dust or metal shavings anywhere inside the distributor. I put my ear on the end of a screwdriver (crude tester) and the noise is all in the distributor. The valvecover area is normal, the injectors are normal sounding, the header sounds normal (valves). I assume my distributor is starting to wear out at the shaft bearing perhaps, no adverse performance at this time so I will wait for it to get worse before I replace it.

K20.ek

I would say replace your cap and rotors if you have t already.

zeroptzero

Thanks I will look at that next since I do not know how old they are, though they look to be in good condition.

K20.ek

I had a noisy distributor too and found out it’s my rotor. ( but on cold start was noisy but while warmed noise was faint ) I did the ratchet extension hearing test like you too and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from my distributor. So I just had another spare on hand and replaced it and noise stopped.
Also check your screw goin to your rotor, could have fallen out or not on tight.

but that’s what happened to me, it could be the same as your issue and mayb not but cheap tune up checked off your list is a plus and helps narrow the issue down.

zeroptzero

Thanks for the help on this. Yeah the most perplexing part is that the noise goes away when warmed up, if it was noisy all the time I'd say the distributor shaft was the issue, but it gets quiet after a few minutes. Your issue sounds very much like mine, I will do the ignition rotor , thanks for the additional info.

zeroptzero

This still has me perplexed, I don't know how the distributor can be noisy like a diesel engine or can of marbles on cold start, but once warmed up it sounds quieter than a Rolls Royce. When the engine is warmed up it is dead quiet, so much so it is beyond what you would expect from a brand new engine, eerily quiet and smooth. Valve lash is good, if it wasn't it would remain noisy at warm temp operation. I put a longer screw driver on a bunch of parts again today and held it to my ear once again. No noise from any valvecover areas when listening for valvetrain noise, nothing from the injectors, nothing from the header flange (exhaust valves), nothing from the intake manifold flange (intake valves), nothing from the vtec solenoid. The driver side of the engine is totally quiet. When I put the screwdriver on the rear side of the distributor (where it mounts to the head) when cold, I hear rattling, and when I put it on the front of the distributor I can hear the sparking noise inside the cap. When the engine is warm the sparking noise inside the cap is much quieter, and the noise on the rear side of the distributor is perfectly quiet / gone.

I've got a new distributor cap and rotor on order for good measure. I don't see the distributor being pressurized by oil or anything like that, unless there is a bearing that is oil fed ? I still don't see any dust or metal particles in the distributor or any oil leakage like you see when they go bad. I may need to pick up a spare distributor to compare it to. You would think a bad distributor would be noisy at all times, that would make sense to me, not on and off related to temp. The noisy distributor rattles for about 3-4 mins, then completely goes away.

trm4life

I had a similar issue myself. Apparently common with aftermarket distributors. It's honestly nothing to worry about in my experience, I've been told it's common by other Honda owners. I replaced my distributor recently, and this one isn't as noisy if at all compared to my last one. I assume it's simply the manufacturer of the part... try a used distributor from a junk yard maybe?

zeroptzero

Thanks very much for the reply. I am starting to think that someone put in an aftermarket distributor sometime in the past. The internals look too new to be the original. I have replaced the cap and rotor and coil as a test but nothing changed. It doesn't bother me if it is somewhat normal as you stated, if that is the case then it is fine with me. I was just worried that the distributor might die on me sometime soon. To me it sounds like the rattle noise is coming from the rear of the distributor shaft, where the cam mating part attaches to the shaft with a pin and lock washer/retainer. I think it rattles on start up, and then once it is immersed in motor oil in the cavity under the cam cap it goes quiet. It probably goes quiet before the engine is fully warmed, so maybe just enough time for the rear cavity to be immersed in motor oil. That is my best guess right now. So as long as it is safe I am good with it. I really appreciate this and all replies on this issue. It puts my concerns at rest, Thank you.

stin1

iTrader: (1)

There is a bearing in there . Most likely source of that noise you are talking about.

zeroptzero

I think it rattles when dry on cold start, the oil in that rear part of the distributor must drain off after the engine sits for long periods of time. But once it is oil soaked it mellows out.

trm4life

I had the same assumption myself.

zeroptzero

Thanks for reassuring me on this issue, I will stop worrying about it now, I think it is exactly as you noted with an aftermarket dizzy. Thank you.