98 prelude base. Came out of the gym and heard this noise to me it is more higher pitched than a rod knock and doesn't change frequency when I rev it a little like a rod knock would but I could be wrong.

There is a video on youtube that has the same noise but the poster never replied on what the cause was (Link below)

I am about to start troubleshooting and wanted to see if anyone has experienced this noise before or any advice on where to look.


So far I have verified the valve clearance = good
Used a stethoscope on the valve cover, lower block and around the exhaust and didn't pinpoint any obvious areas
It sounds like its coming from the passenger side, could it be a trans or clutch issue? Sound doesn't change when I press the clutch or while driving

I initially thought piston slap but I drove it home about 15 miles and the sound did not go away, It also seems weird that I never heard this before then all of a sudden, this loud after starting, it wasn't a slow progression that got worse
Oil was a little low 1qt but not enough to cause a bearing to go out
I don't drive it hard or race and stay on top of the oil (1qt low is about the max)
no smoke out the exhaust and no oil leaks

Any advice is appreciated