I've been car shopping lately and came across a pretty good condition Accord EX Sedan with the 2.2 engine today. Everything seemed fine except the engine seemed kinda noisy when compared to another car I look at this week, a 97 4 cyl Camry. I know this is kind of an odd question, but I heard somewhere that the Hondas are a little noisy in that year range. Is this true, or is something up? The overall condition of the car would lead me to believe that it has been well maintained.

 

Not really, my friend owns an accord 96 ex 4 dr and his motor seemed quiet after cleaning it and spraying wd-40 on his belts.

 

Depends on the noise. I know they are known for having noisy valves in general, I think. I don't know about other noises though.
What kinda sound is it? is it a constant tick tick tick you hear when the hood is up?
As long as it isn't a loud clunking or tapping, it shouldnt be something that isn't easily repairable.

 

Like "tick click tick click" etc. Sounds like really noisy valves.

 

yeah, mine does that to, it isn't really to big of an issue. Check your spark plugs and make sure they are firing right with the right mixtures etc. My haynes manual has pics of different spark plug issues caused by other things aside from a bad plug. Also maybe get a valve adjustment or do it yourself. That will time them better but like I said, Hondas, and imports in general I believe are known for having noisy valves.
I'm getting a timing belt change soon so I'm hoping that might help quiet it down again...

 

This car had a T-belt xchange at 105K, it's at 118K right now.

 

yeah, that shouldn't change much. The valves are usually noisy, like I said. Also make sure the car is properly warmed up, the thermostat is working fine, and the coolant lines are bled. The car will make much more noise if it's cold.
Did he do everything like the water pump etc with the T-belt change?
Check the spark plugs and make sure they aren't ugly either...