makri

Folks,

I have a 98 Honda Civic and have recently been experiencing a problem.

I shall try to explain to the best of my knowledge as to the problem that I am facing. For about a week now, I am getting a rattling noise from the engine. I took it to the mechanic and he advised me that the rattling sound is present due to a rusted/old iron casing/shield at the bottom, that has rusted over the years because of prolonged exposure to salt in the winters. He advised me that this is normal in almost all cars that are over 5 years old. He recommended that I tear down the rusted part and I would stop hearing the noise.

Let me explain the symptoms of the noise. When the vehicle is idle(with the engine running ) , I don't hear any noise. The moment I start driving , I hear the noise that slowly increases in tempo when the gears slip to a higher level. Please note that the noise doesn't stay constant all the time. It intermittently does down and gets back. In my opinion, I wouldn't say that it is too deafening a noise, but I sure would be better off without it. Now before I take the mechanics advice, I would definitely appreciate the opinion of the knowledgeable folks in this group.

What do you guys think ? Do you need more information ?

Thanks,

saywhat

sounds like a loose exhaust heat shield, either on the manifold or the cat, happens to the best of us.

makri

So what do I do ??? Do I ask the service guy to tear it out. Is this covered by the vehicle guarantee If I tear it out, won't I be exposing the car to more salt thereby producing more rust.

Thanks

saywhat

Im sure you can just get it tack welded in place to stop the rattling if it is the cat, they really only have the heat shield to dissapate heat more efficiently, so when you drive into a field you don't start a grass fire and so the floor pan doesn't get too hot.