Hey everyone. My 2013 Honda Civic EX Automatic has a grinding metal sound that's driving me crazy. It sounds like metal on metal scraping and gets quieter as the engine reaches operating temperature. I know it doesn’t have anything to do with wheels or brakes bc i checked the sound while in park, in gear and just brake boosting and holding it at 1500rpms. Before that, i checked the rotors and brakes and there weren’t any obvious signs of wear from anything trapped in the dust shield or anything like that. The AC was not on. I have owned the car for a year now, it has 58k and i bought it with 47k. The sound was slightly there when i bought it but a mechanic said it was just a belt and the belt was changed by the dealer (aftermarket) but the noise was still there. I had a new idler tension pulley installed (under warranty) and that helped a little. My guess is a pulley going bad. Sometimes after sitting overnight, it has a pretty weak start so maybe the alternator pulley isn’t spinning fast enough? Sitting for just a couple hours its fine though. Tension seems fine on the belt. I have brought it to Honda a couple times and they never hear it and they say the audio file is too low quality to hear anything. I'm hoping you guys can help me out. Having a friend brake boost, i learned i need a new motor mount but haven’t gotten under the car yet to see which one. Also, the tensioner pulley seemed to move a little more than i think it should. I forgot to mention, while driving, the sound only happens when i am pressing on the gas pedal, as soon as i let off, it immediately goes away.

Sorry for the long post, any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Were you able to figure what the issue was because we just encountered the isssue on our 2013 civic as well it would be appreciated

 

My mechanic replaced the tensioner belt pulley and changed the serpentine belt. The issue went away for a bit and there’s still some occasional noise but it helped.

For peace of mind, the car is running perfectly after 5 years of ownership. The sound is scary since it sounds like metal scraping but i havent noticed any long term or major issues from it.

Wishing you the best! I hope this points you in the right direction.