macintosh14568

I've been having serious problems with my 2003 civic 150,000mi. I've taken it to about 5 shops (even the dealer) and no one can figure it out.

Symptoms:

• LOUD engine or transmission ticking mainly in 1st and 2nd gears. (also heard when revving in neutral.
• Overheats when sitting idle for a few mins.
• Strong smell of coolant coming from the engine compartment (no leaking though).
• When the clutch pedal is pressed the ticking seems to stop. I read the transmission problems post, however he/she failed to describe specific noises.
• Side note: Cold air intake sucked up water a few years ago, but the ticking didn't start until recently.

Big Ups! to the person that figures this out! I really hope its not the head gasket though.

Thanks everyone! Love the forum/community, keep up the great work!

wade623

sound like you have the input shaft bearing problem too the transmission will have to come out and be taken apart the noise is caused by the plastic in the bearing breaking and all of the ***** arent held apart anymore noise stops because when you push the clutch in it isnt spinning the shaft anymore and the noise stops as far as the overheating you could have air in the system or it could be the fans arent turning on if it is only while you are sitting still it could be something wrong with the fans if you smell coolant it could only be a small leak it doesnt take alot of coolant to be able to smell it if you dont see any on the ground i would first check the thermostat housing seals if it is leaking between the thermostat housing and the motor the coolant will evaporate before it gets to the ground especially if it is only a small leak

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...save-some.html

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

The overheating is the head gasket for sure
The noise is the input shaft bearing

Problem figured out. Now, the solution is probably to buy a used engine/tranny assembly and get them swapped in. It sounds like your current engine hasn't been well taken care of, who knows what other problems are going to arise while/after you fix the big problems you have now.

macintosh14568

That sounds pretty pricey...The car overall isn't really in great shape either, I think i'm just going to cut my losses and buy a new car. Thanks soo much for the help guys, I really appreciate it!

wade623

wont be too pricey if you just do it yourself

Matt_75

Lol, easier said than done for most on here.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Lots of people on this site do stuff themselves. We do have a select few who come here to find out what the problem is and pay a mechanic, but mostly DIY'rs.