a week ago i downshifted instead of upshifting (whole story behind it, freak accident type) and now when i bring the car up to 5k RPMs , just about when VTEC kicks in, it sounds like compressed air is coming out of the motor...ive had the timing belt changed cause my mechanic "KNOWS" that, thats what the problem was..i told them to do a compression test and a leakdown test..they said they did it, but i cant be sure and they adjusted the valves..but low and behold after it all...my car is still making that noise at 5k...the car idles fine, there isnt a valve tap and it doesnt happen while in neutral and the car just doesnt seem to be firing on all cylinders, there just isnt that little bit more of kick the car should have, well atleast thats what it feels like....can anyone help me out?? getting kind of bent out of shape over this whole thing.

 

maybe they installed a BOV?

 

...no stupid, it was making the sound before i brought to the mechanic if you actually read the whole thing

 

i had the same problem with my old GSR...... i could never diagnose it until one day it just blew a puff of blue smoke out the tail pipe and never did it agian.... i never thought anybody would ever have the same problem.... i still have no clue what it was to this day... maybe a clogged CAT?

 

wow...um, did the car still run like crap after it did that??

 

i had the same problem as youre description im tellin you... i had several mechanics look at it and still, no body could diagnose it.

no, it ran perfect after it like fixed itself...

 

thats weird...not a bad theory cause ive been driving with a bad CAT for awhile only cause im torn between $1000 for honda cat...$55 for univerals that might not work or $1000 for full exhaust..header, highflow, exaust..but yea, thats still very weird and i dont know if i want to go that route yet

 

if it doesnt feel like its running on all cylinders then try pulling the plug wire from each cylinder to see if it bogs down, if it does change then your fine. If it doesnt change then that cylinder prolly isnt working right. While the car is idling...

 

if you do find the problem be sure to update this thread... cuz im really interested why it was doing that.

 

well, it totally just escaped my mind when i brought the car in to have them check that...i guess im gonna end up bringing it back for more work..im just trying to get a list of possible things that it could be so they know where to look..so please, keep all the info coming...it helps

 

i definitely will update it incase their are others with same problem

 

i dont think anyone will be able to pinpont the problem... what i would do is start eliminating variables.. CAT, valve adj. (i did that and it didnt help), compression(mine was fine), what i would do next is use some SEAFOAM for sure....

 

yea, good call il see if i can get some of that and give it a shot...couldnt hurt i guess...its just becoming a pain in the ***

 

Probot is a bitchin band. I'd also check for leaking HG, IMG or EMG.

 

im thinking its a leak that was sealed. My car does the same thing, at higher RPMs i have that supra turbo sound, REALLY loud. and im NA.

it could have been some carbon dislodging from the IM, and sealing and exhaust leak at higher loads.

Im trying to figure out where the leak is comming from, I do have a small film of oil all over my block, and the bottom of the oil pan seems to be covered in oil. But my oil level is fine.

Maybe its my IM gasket? or maybe the exhaust mani-head gasket.

 

well, i was thinking the IM or Exhaust Mani gaskets...i havent checked my block for oil residue but maybe i should..and yea my car too sounds like its got a gross sounding turbo..i just put a seafoam like product in my gas to clean the CAT out just incase it might be a clogged CAT and it doesnt seem to be the issue...im gonna get the plugs, wires and get those gaskets check and i want to get the exhaust checked underneath the car...keep the info coming

 

its from the engine block somewhere...there is a big difference from an exhaust leak by your cat, and a leak on your engine block. it sounds like a turbo spooling, and your scared to rev it high. sometimes it whistles too. this seems like a leak, but idle is fine, however my intake sounds like it is farting all the time at idle

 

i meant that it sounds like its coming out from the engine bay, my bad

 

PCV valve?

 

mine does the same noise... but mine is when im at 6rpm and i shift it does that compressed air sound too like i have turbo.. i think it'll b the same problem iono.....lmk wat happened after all and how u fixed it... goodluck dude

 

well i pulled each spark plug wire out from the cylinders one at a time of course, and each cylinder bogged down so im guessing they are working and maybe i need new plugs...as for the "5k turbo sound" i think im leaning towards it being an exhaust leak..or atleast i hope. still praying that this is going to end fairly cheap and that il just get my car back the way it was. dropping it off at the mechanic on thursday to find the problem i told them not to call me til they fix it.

 

sounds like a vaccum leak... any idle problems?

 

nah, idle is fine...and i could be wrong on this..but i think if it were a vacuum leak it would sound more like a high pictched whistle...this sounds more like a leak, like lots of air is escaping very quickly and rapidly

 

a better description would be that it sounds like a very crappy turbo spooling

 

I just purchased a 2000 Ej6 Hatch, and it does the same thing. All of your descriptions are correct, it really sounds like a turbo spooling. I went under the hood, looked around, and concluded that it was the intake the car came with. It is a poorly installed intake, and the rubber boot that connects it to the TB is bent out of shape. Now that I read all of your posts, I believe that my conclusion was wrong. Another thing that happens to me is while in 3rd or 4th gear at random times, the car bogs down. It appeared to me that it was lack of sufficient fuel delivery, but then again, it may have something to do with this spooling-compressed air sound.

Please keep the info coming...

2000 Civic Ej6 Hatchback (Ek) - D16y7 Non-Vtech motor.