2000 Civic EX sedan (Automatic) 95K Miles

Okay, here is a very odd problem...

I start the car, and put it in reverse, and step on the gas... everything is totally normal.

When I put the car in DRIVE and give it GAS, I feel a vibration and hear a very dull almost a metal on metal rubbing sound for about a second and then it goes away. If I put it in park and then drive again it does not make the sound. It is ONLY when the car is first started and I step on the gas for the very first time.

IF I turn the car off and back on again and put it in drive and give it gas, it makes the sound again. It's quite loud also. It does not occur at any other time, just that very initial gas pedal pressing.

Anyone have any ideas? Is it a bearing? transmission? engine component? Throttle body? I can't diagnose it because I can't step on the gas and have it in drive so the wheels turn while listening under the hood!!

 

Maybe a motor mount?
Anyone else?

 

I thought about that too, however, wouldn't it make noise EVERY time I stepped on the gas? This only happens the very first time I step on the gas, after I turn the car on and never again until I start the engine again.

I did find something else out. It seems that if I just feather the gas when I put it in drive, the noise lasts longer than when I give it a GOOD nudge of gas when taking off.

I have not yet confirmed this, but I think the noise comes from mostly the passenger side, however, I *think* it made a sound on the drivers side when I had the wheels turned as if making a right hand turn. Normally, when I back out of my drive way, I turn left and I hear it on the passenger side, but this time I went right and I thought I heard it on the drivers side???

very weird!

 

Wow i'm stumped.You don't have a mechanic you can take it too?

 

haha i COULD but currently the problem is just in the "annoying" stage and not at a mechanical fault stage... just wanted to start getting ideas or possibilities to start narrowing down. I don't want to take it in and them say 'oh its your tranny' and i replace it and it's still there. This is one of those things that takes an OLD fashion mechanic who can really tell what's wrong instead of just going by what a computer read out tells them... which it's NOT throwing a code, and they'd simply say... "nothing's wrong".

hahaha ...er...

 

sounds like you need a tuneup. cold starts will do that. when the engine isnt warm, and you give it gas, its initial movement is all hesitation. therefore sending your engine into a "bucking" like state. it will move your mounts all over the place and probably send your exhaust rubbing up into something. hense your metal to metal sound. good luck with it

 

it had a 90k service about 8k miles ago. Tbelt and Wpump replaced also... HOWEVER, i recently bought the car and I have the records for it, but did not notice any plug wires, dist. cap/rotor, or spark plug replacement on there as I believe it said it was declined. I don't know why they would have declined it if it was included in the service, so I am going to get to those soon. But I do not think that's the problem, but they need to be replaced anyway. Hope you're right!!

BTW, even if I let the engine warm up to operating temps, it still makes the sound. It will make the sound ONLY in drive. I can rev the engine up all day long in park, put it into drive and start rolling with no sound until I give it gas. I am going to test the mounts this weekend and see if it's those to rule that out...

 

that fine hydraulic mount on the driver side likes to take a ****...