Well a few weeks ago i finished the timing belt and i got the car running and it was running great. The next day I took the car on a 3 hour trip. When i arrived i parked it and left it for about 2 days. At that point it was probably around 30 degrees and running great. Well the next day it snows a few inches and the temps drop to around 10 degrees or so. I go to start the car the following day and it doesn't want to start. I assumed it was just the battery and needed a jump but it finally started. But once it started it was making a terrible clanking noise almost like a very loose valves or something smacking around under the timing cover. I drove it around a little and it felt great, other than the noise the car was just as responsive and felt good. I have no idea what this could be since the fact that i did not touch anything and all of a sudden i hear this terrible noise.

 

Hopefully you didnt leave a socket or something under the valve cover, or in the timing cover when everything went back together! Can you ellaborate on the noise? Is it constant now, or is it intermittent? Does the car have a check engine light on, or have any other clear indication of a problem (besides the noise)? I would think if for instance the timing belt slipped a few teeth and the valves were hitting the piston, that the engine wouldnt run like normal at that point.

Get the easy stuff out of the way and then re-post
Check or Re-check:
Valve timing
Ignition timing
And look around for missing tools!
Couldnt hurt to check valve-to-rocker arm clearances as well, plus you could inspect the valvetrain area as well since the valve cover will be off anyway.

 

Check your antifreeze protection level.
What you MAY have heard was the water pump acting like an Ice Vending Machine after the coolant froze from those cold Idaho nights. (It does get cold in Idaho!)

P

 

It sounds almost like very loose valve lash or maybe something slapping against the cover. However that belt was nice and tight when i put it together.

Also if i had left a tool in there i would think that i would have heard it on the way there. But ill check everything you said, most of those were what I thought it may be.

 

Ha i don't live in Idaho, i live in Delaware. Its like an inside joke. But this happened while i was in CT. And its still making the noise while the outside temps are around 40 degrees, above freezing for even just plain water. I use 50/50 mix which is premixed, Peak brand. Also i changed the coolant when i did the radiator about a year and a half ago as well as a few weeks back when i did a water pump. I will check the protection level but i wouldn't think it should be very low. Coolant looks nice and greenish, not discolored at all.

 

Strange things happen in Connecticut; take Senator Dodd for example..
Is this a rythmic noise or more like a Bag 'O Marbles?

P

 

i guess that would be the best why to describe it. CT took a toll on this car lol. There is no CEL and it is a constant sound but only at idle to i hear it. Once im going 50-60 mph i dont hear anything at all, everything sounds and feels normal. Once i slow down it becomes more audible, and is heard most at idle.

 

More on the left, than the right side?

P

 

timing belt side. But i found the problem. Timing belt is very loose, tensioning nut backed off. It was extremely tight when i installed it i don't know how it backed off but it did. Timing is still right on. I used the cloths hanger method to tension the belt and it was nice and tight on there. And i distinctly remember having that tensioning nut very tight. The only thing i can think of is i put the washer that sits under the nut on the wrong side. I had the washer on the outside is that correct ? Or is it supposed to be under the cover ? I don't see this in the install directions. The belt has some little chunks out of it.I don't know if i should replace it ? Genuine honda ?

 

Get another belt.
No telling what damage you can't see.
For something as "Mission Critical" as this I'd use Genuine Honda only.
I'll use Dayco or Goodyear Belts for such things as Alternator drive and such, but not on something that's a pain in the A**s to install.

What year accord?

P

 

1995 lx

 

now that black washer, does it go on the outside of the cover or on the inside ? Just want to make sure.

 

if #25? sits in the grove on adjuster #24 (nut)
Number 24 sits on the adjuster shaft and protrudes thru the lower cover

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...FT-TIMING+BELT

 

Yep a loose timing belt isnt good- im still not sure how that would make a "clanking" noise as you put it- well maybe i would just have to be there. There is however a specific procedure to follow to insure you have the correct tension on the timing belt.


"Adjust the belt slack as follows:

(Make sure your at TDC, and belt is on.. obviously)

Make sure the tensioner adjuster nut is loose (the bolt in the middle, that locks the tensioner) and rotate the crankshaft counter-clockwise (with the 19mm socket on the crank bolt) three teeth on the camshaft sprocket to create tension on the timing belt and the balance shaft belt, and then tighten the tensioner nut to the torque spec. (33 Ft. Lbs.)

This will set the torque on the belt so it wont come loose again.

 

I meant numer 26. 25 is the rubber seal
that sits on the bottom of 24 correct ?

 

i am having the same problem on my civic. clicking noise from the right side of the motor near my timing belts. do you hear it from the bottom. thats where mine is coming from.

 

ok well i replaced the belt. Reinstalled everything. Tensioned the belt and tightened the adjusting nut. I started the car everything sounded great. Drove it about 5 miles parked it. Went to start it again and the noise comes back again. The same thing that happened previously. Drove it once or twice park and then you hear the noise again at startup. The adjusting nut keeps backing off, even after it is nice and tight on there. Are the threads on the stud or nut messed up or something I cant figure this thing out, why would it keep backing out? This is getting frustrating

 

i just ran a tap through the nut and it felt like the threads on that were not bad at all. I haven't looked at the threads on the stud however i would first assume that the nut's threads would go first. I am puzzled.

The only other thing i can possibly think it is is that maybe the nut is hitting the cover alittle bit and not fully seating on the tensioner. The reason i say this is that when i ran without covers i had no issues at all.