Hi

I have 2005 2dr Civic Si-G. I has about 125000 KM.

Car has been serviced religiously at dealer, and rock solid until late last year. I started having a sound from engine which is very hard to describe ... something like a spring uncoiling? or something like rocks rolling down a hill but a 'metallic' sound to it.

The sound would happen when engine is cold and accelerating, then would go away after a couple of minutes. Also it wouldn't always happen, maybe 3 out of 4 times. So sometimes car would seem just fine with no sound.

Took to dealer for service, they recommended timing belt change .. had that done.

Same sound problem persisted, didn't have time to take it back right away and still drove for a couple of weeks . Other than the sound, for the two weeks there was nothing unusual .. engine temp indicator seemed normal, no burning smells or anything.

However, things quickly got worse all of the sudden. I was driving and noticed I had the heat on full but cold air was coming out of the vents when I was at an stop sign / stop light. Was about to take it in, and the next day on starting, engine started up really rough and engine check light came on.

Took it to dealer, they ran a leak down test and head gasket repair required, the engine check light came on due to misfire cylinder 1 . The head gasket repair cost $2200

Got it back ... sound is STILL there. Left the car at dealer overnight and hoped the problem could be reproduced in the morning, but that particular morning it didn't happen. The technician said it is probably 'piston slap' and not much to worry about.

I don't know much about cars, but after this experience I am going to try ... really stressful not fully understanding what happened.

Any ideas? Maybe it was just bad luck, suppose these things can happen. Although technician felt the repair should hold up, at this point I am trading in the car unless I can be sure what the real problem is (dealer is offering about $4k). Unfortunate part is I had so much work done in the last year - spark plugs, 4 new tires, timing belt, some fluid changes, new brakes, even had car polished and paint marring removed ... i still feel like there was some underlying problem that was not diagnosed. Should also mention there is recommendation for compliance bushings to be replaced after the winter .. I don't get any sound when going of bumps, and didn't notice any problems with handling yet. Dealer technician assures me this has nothing to do with sound problem

Thanks

 

I would recommend that you inspect your engine mounts closely. There has been quite a few cases where the engine mounts have worn out. And, in cold weather, the sound of the engine rocking plus the fact that an engine moves about more when its cold, could cause the mounts to make more noise then normal.

If they're in good shape, I'd say have a look around your exhaust shielding for any loose pieces. Maybe they're making noise due to flexing.

 

is it still giving you a code? if so, take it to autozone and have em run it. You may need a new head completely. i'd have to hear it, but the fact that its only on heating up means that there may be something wrong with it. Did he replace the thermostat when the gasket was bad? if it was a timing problem then it probably bent the connecting rods dude.

 

AutoZone won't help, he's not in the U.S. I'm with the previous post on the noise, without hearing it, I leaning towards exhaust heat shield noise. On my Prelude, the aftermarket cat would make that sound and it was the heat shields, same thing on our Chevy van (so much for aftermarket parts). Welded them up and no noise.
Compliance bushings are a know issue, and are usually replaced around the 100k mileage mark. If the engine is back to running strong, check out the complete exhaust shielding (front to back). Perhaps you'll find the source. HTH