StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

I have a weird sound and symptoms coming from my car. 2000 Civic Ex 170K
When I give it gas it makes a static/high pitch zapping/sucking sound from under the engine. I feel loss of power, and i'm scared to keep it that high so i either switch gears or let off of it a little and it goes away.
I went to autozone to check my batter,starter,alt and it all passed.
I have changed the plugs,wires, NEG battery ground cable, distrubitor cap & rotor, fuel filter and Coil.
They hook a machine up to my OBDII sensor and they couldnt find anything.
No check engine light on. Starts up and idles perfect.This started happening after I changed to platinum plugs and NGK blue wires. Changed it all back, still acting up..

EDITED FOR VIDEO

#1 IDLE

# 2 DRIVING

Can it be arching ? (I put dieletric grease on all the boots and have NGK plugs and wires.. Gap is at .44 on V Power and G power Plats
Vacuum leak? Those sound kinda deep don't they?
VTEC solenoid?
ICM Module?

Please help, I don't wanna bring it in to a mechanic, I don't know of any.
Thanks!

RT_NEWYORK

Why did you make a new thread. Maybe you need to bring it to honda

Joshka89

I highly doubt you'd hear arcing while driving.
You're probably hearing a small vacuum leak.

StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

Check for vacuum leaks with car cleaner, on top of the car and bottom, still nothing :/

Buckshot870

Have you checked your belts bud?

Joshka89

Have you tried to reproduce the sound in idle?
Might be a pulley bearing.
AC on or off?
Moving or standing still?

sleepyaccord96

sounds to me like something is arcing like 7 motha fckers.

Joshka89

I can't even imagine what would be doing that, especially at a noise level loud enough to be heard in the driving compartment while on the road

sleepyaccord96

beats me man...

this reminds me of the thread where someone was referring to a flapping/plastic bag whooshing sound, lol. very hard to help situations with such odd circumstances.

Joshka89

yeah i read that one too.
In this case a video would be helpful.
Or for OP to do some tests and tell us

StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

The AC belt is new, but the other 1 is not, it has some little tiny hairline cracks running down on the inside all the way around, dunno how old it is, but the previous owner said he changed it with the water pump, dunno if that is true or not.
I brought it to a mechanic and some young guy said he has never heard that sound before, but him and some other young go (20yrs) said it sounds like the belts, but its not coming from that direction, more like by the throttle body or intake manifold, i can't figure out where, and neither could the guy.
He took off my dizzy and tried to put 2 others on but they didnt work, and he put mine back on and it still does the same thing..

It does not make that sound at idle, it idles perfect. But it makes that sound in neutral now, when i rev it, but its a long sound under load and lower RPM.
AC off. I dont really run AC, it was empty, but I filled it up last night and still the same.
Moving and standing still, same sound, but longer duration while driving.

I thought it was because of the staticy/zapping sound but no, 2 guys from different Auto Zone's and the mechanic didn't think so, can't see a spark at night either.

I will go outside right now and take a video of it, in neutral and while driving, I HAVE NO IDEA WTF IT IS. IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING ME.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep em' coming.

sleepyaccord96

it could be a million diff things..

Heat shield on cat
cracked manifold
rattling exhaust (anywhere on the whole system)
bad idler pulley
extremely loud valves (needs adjusting)
could be anything man...

I am just throwing some suggestions out there to help. Unfortunately i cannot view youtube at work.

Joshka89

I can see youtube. That video will help hopefully.
It's so hard to describe sounds with text unless you're Stephen King.

If it's near the throttle body it could be the throttle actuator acting up, fuel injectors, some small vacuum leak at the throttle, try the carb cleaner spray test there too

StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

I understand what you are saying, and I'm trying to check everything as best as I can, I tried spraying carb cleaner around alot of the fittings/hoses/gaskets and didn't notice a diff in idle at all.
I need a valve job, but its not too bad, coming from 2 diff people.
I checked the head shield on the cat too and its not vibrating, im upload some videos to you tube, can you please check them out when you get home?

I'm thinking now it has to do more with air or fuel, because that wont always throw a code like a sensor right? I think my ignition is pretty good.
I used Lucas Oil Fuel Injector cleaner and Fuel System cleaner every 3k miles or so, last time a put 2 little bottles to really clean it out. but that was before I drove to C.A. and back, 2 months ago. Didn't have a prob til 2 weeks ago.
I was hoping to find a leak around the intake, like EricTheCarGuy says happens alot, but nothing :/

StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

Bump for video #1, in neutral.
Video 2 will be up in about 30 minutes.

Joshka89

It's that Bztztttt at 0:04 and 0:11
That's a really odd sound indeed.
If that's coupled with loss of power i'm thinking it may be the fuel injectors?
Or the throttle position is messed up somehow.

sleepyaccord96

i will watch the video when i get home in 1 hr. go ahead and make a 2nd vid!

an "in car while driving and it is making the sound would be nice too"

sleepyaccord96

i like the bzztzzzt description ROFL

StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

Those sound like 2 good suggestions, is there any way to check them?
I have a volt meter, but I only know how to check the wires for ohms.
Light on the throttle its okay untill it gets higher, heavy throttle it does it sooner and lower rpm..
Hopefully the 2nd vid will be more helpfull, i was playing with the gas pedal and making the sound at will.

sleepyaccord96

nope.

here i have the solution. me and 2 other ase techs watched your vid and we came to the conclusion of whats going on..

The sound you are hearing is exhaust gasses trying desperately to escape. Why you may ask is my exhaust doing this...here's the answer...

your catalytic converter is clogged to hell and back...therefore when YOU get on the gas and press the throttle the exhaust cannot escape out it's normal path which is of course through the exhaust pipe/muffler. Being the cat is clogged as fck the air has nowhere to go which is the sound you are hearing which is the exhaust air trying to get out any which way it can!

Replace the cat or just remove it for the time being so you can drive normal and happily. being your car is obd2 you WILL have a CEL from removing it. In order to fix this the right way is to replace the cat. None of this has anything to do with your tune up, things happen at weird times and this seems to be one of them.

StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

Hmm, I had a code for a clogged cat or o2 sensor, replaced the primary one, but on the secondary i did the non fouler trick, and the codes stayed off. About 2 weeks ago maybe more the sound (sounded like I had a exhaust) went away on its own, and the lil bit of heisitation went away.. It drove better, and I thought that the road trip to Cali made it clear up on its own.. I will try to take it off right now, I tried earlier and its rusted pretty good. If i break any bots will they be easy to find? Will the car run like crap without a cat ? Because of the codes?
I wonder how you guys came up with this...

sleepyaccord96

by watching your video and with a combined of experience of 3 people totaling 80+ years of mechanical work we call it like we see it and know what we are doing. Thats why when people flame me for being very straighforward and blount about things they tell me i know nothing but in reality i do.


yes your car will be loud without the cat. Yes it will throw a CEL for the SECONDARY o2 which will NOT effect anything major.

long story short.. get that sucker off of there and THEN we will figure out what needs to be done as far as broken or seized bolts/nut... bolts and nuts are the last thing need to worry about right now.

sleepyaccord96

the coming and going of power is the material INside the car moving around blocking and unblocking the air flow...

StuckInTexas

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the reply, I've been trying to get the cat off for over an hour now, I can't even get 1 bolt off with PB Blaster and a breaker bar !!! ***** on there good. Any tips? I dont' own a welder or puematic drill :/

sleepyaccord96

go get a SAWZALL from home depot or lowes and use it and then take it back and tell them it keeps cutting off...LOL..cut the bitch off... if it were me i would take a torch to it and go from there. But i realize you do not have a torch so go get a sawzall and return it afterward