Hi all...

I have a '98 honda civic and I swear the car is just bad luck. I have a subtle chattering noise coming from near the timing belt area. I only hear it when the car is at operating temp and when the engine is around a certain RPMs (1500). When accelerating, around 3000 RPMs, the chattering disappears and I hear a whirring noise instead. When the car is cold, no noise whatsoever - no whirring, no chattering!

I've had the noises for a while. The first time I heard them, I took the car to the repair shop and they told me the timing belt was on too tight. They loosened it and the chattering noise went away. The whirring got worse (at least, that's what it seems).

About two weeks later, the wheel plate got bent and started making a scraping noise. When I took the car to the repair shop to have that fixed, the mechanic noticed that the cam/crankshaft seal was leaking oil. This time the mechanic threw in a timing belt replacement. Now, the chattering is back. It sounds like something rattling behind the timing belt cover. The whirring got quieter, but it's still there, especially after a long trip.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if you have any suggestions on what I should do. Maybe the water pump failing or is the noise normal??


Modified by ixsan25 at 7:44 PM 4/11/2008

 

its water pump. same thing was in a buddies CRX the shaft will be wicked loose and have a lot of play in it when u take the timing belt off. replace it. they are cheap. about a 1-3hour job depending on how skilled you are.

 

I had the same issue...

 

I figured that's what it was... thanks for the suggestions. Makes sense, since the noise depends on the engine temp. The only thing i don't understand is why I only hear it when the engine is at operating temp, and not all the time, if the bottom line is that something is loose.

anyway, starting with the water pump...