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Today I left my car at the Honda dealership to have the rattling noise in my engine checked. Of course the head mechanic couldn't find anything in the engine that is causing it. He said that all 7th gen Civics make this sound (true or bs?) and that there it is nothing to be concerned about.

I am still doubtful though because this rattling sound only happens when I accelerate and it just doesn't sound right on a new engine. This is my 3rd Honda and the only one, out of the the three, to have a cheap rattling sound in the engine. My other two Hondas had higher mileage (nearing 200k miles) on the original engines and they sounded better!

Overall, I am very happy with my '02 EX but that damn noise is driving me insane!!

 
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is it all the time when accelerating, or just sometimes? It could be your exhaust manifold cover. Mine is missing the bottom bolt and it makes a noise, but only at certain RPMs when vibration is at a certain point.

 
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Does it happen only when you take your foot off the gas after accelerating ? I had this problem too, but it was just that the air filter box was not screwed on tightly enough after I changed the air filter. And another time, the almost exact same sound was being cause by the accelerating wire (?) in the engine bay rubbing against the clutch fluid reservoir after I did some mods... got rid of that with some padding.

 
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It happens every time I accelerate. Its mainly noticeable, with the window down, when I am taking off in 1st gear and accelerating from 2nd gear. Basically, the rattling noise is occuring at around 1000rpms to just above 2000rpms. As the rpms and road noise build I don't hear it.

My Civic is new so I haven't had to change the air filter and I haven't done any mods on it. The noise I am hearing sounds more like metal rattling. I will check the exhaust manifold cover. At this point I don't care where I have to look because I am sick of hearing it and being told its normal.[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/IMG]

Thanks for the advice guys. If anyone has anything else to add please do so because I am facing a wall as far as if I should just deal with it or check other parts in the engine to fix it.

 
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Since your car is brand new, insist that the service manager or one of their mechanics ride in the car with you so that they can hear the noise for themselves. If they still refuse to help you out, I would consider getting in touch with American Honda and get them involved and have them start a file for you, just so they have on record that you have this problem with your brand new car..... they can be more helpful than you realize.

 
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I took the car in about a week before yesterday for the rattling noise. I was able to drive with a mechanic and he heard the rattling. He told me that they would need the car all day in order to find where its coming from. Thats why I brought the car back to the dealer and left it there yesterday. I told the service manager that a mechanic had driven my car a week before and that he had heard the rattling noise.

Thats why I'm pissed about the whole thing. If a mechanic heard the rattling sound and told me that it wasn't a normal sound then why am I being told that it is normal? According to the service manager, the top mechanic drove my car and then drove a new Civic right after mine and heard the same noise. Thats why they are telling me all 7th gen Civics do this...its normal. I don't buy it though because after driving with the mechanic a week ago and hearing him say that it was the first time he had ever heard this rattling noise in a 7th gen Civic that tells me that something isn't right.

I doubt I'll involve American Honda over this issue. I don't want to be too fanatical about it. I will probably just go back to the dealer and ask to drive a new Civic. If I hear the same noise then I'll deal with it. If it sounds normal (like it should in the first place!) then I will demand that they inspect my car again and whatever is causing the noise be fixed. Otherwise, I am going to report the dealer to the B.B.B. and call American Honda.

 
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My 01 CIVIC has the same thing. Try this: Turn your heat temperature all the way to COLD, see if the noise still exists. Then turn your heat back to HOT, and then listen for the noise. If the noise only comes back when the haet temperature is on hot, tell the Honda mechanics to bleed out the air bubbles in the coolant pipes. It is a very simple fix and according to what I know, lots of 01 civics have them.

The problem bothered me so much, I spent a week trying to figure out the problem, and finally did. Honda people fixed it within a half an hour after I told them it only happens when the temperature is on HOT.

 
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Unfortunately, the rattling noise my car is making has nothing to do with the what the temp gauge is set at. I hear the rattle whether the gauge is set on cold or hot. My car was manufactured on 11/2002, so maybe Honda did something to fix that problem with air bubbles in the coolant pipes on '01s.
I appreciate the advice though Flash31.

 
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There is nothing fanatical about going to American Honda. If you have a beef with your dealer or your car, American Honda will usually try to help you out by contacting that dealer directly or recommending another dealer to you. They are usually quite helpful on these matters.

And as for that noise being normal, it definitely is NOT normal, even if you hear it on another 2002/2003 Civic. A Honda engine should be super smooth all the way to redline. I've been a member here for a while, and to my knowledge not many people here have complained about having that kind of noise from the engine. I've heard about the water bubbling sound, but not this one.

Another possilbility is that it could be part of the engine breaking in. I had a few minor sounds and gurgles at the beginning when I first got my 01 EX coupe.

 
Rep Power: 344

is it more of a ticking noise or a rattle? if it's a ticking noise then it is the strut. there has been a problem with many 7th gen civics and their struts. the dealership i work for said that most of the time, all that needs to be done is tighten the 3 bolts on top of the strut. however, doing this too tight could snap the bolt. so, try tightening those bolts, preferably with an air gun...or ask the dealer to do it...

 
Rep Power: 310

Air gun? You mean a torque wrench I think. 33 lbf-ft is the spec.

 
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The strang noise coming from the engine area is a rattle. I haven't heard any ticking noises coming from the struts and hopefully I never will...it's too new to be starting that crap.

 
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Mine does kinda the same thing @ about 1800 rpm. I took it in & "its normal" they said. mine sounds like a slight knock. its hard to hear, but its there. I ahd them start up a brand new one & it did the same thing. Many others @ car meets I went to did the same. SO I chalked it up as they all do it. Make them start up a few new ones around the dealership & prove it to you that they all do it. If all are supposed to do it, then they shoud too.

Now mine make a gravel in the catalytic converter rattle. Eventually I will get that taken care of. My warranty is up so I am SOL on honda fixin it.

 
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Does the noise occur all the time, or only when your car is cold? I have an '03 Ex coupe. I noticed a rattling noise in my car engine too when I accelerate, but it only occurs when it isnt warmed up yet (the needle is still below the C). Could this be the problem?

 
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The rattling noise is occuring whether the engine is cold or hot. I have noticed that when I start it up and the engine is cold there is a squeaky rattling noise (only way I know how to describe it) in the engine. If I let the engine idle for about one minute the noise subsides. The rattling I hear though when I accelerate is always there.

I'm positive that the squeaky rattling I hear when I start the engine, and its cold, is related to the rattling I hear while accelerating. When you first start your car up and the engine temp is cold it idles at a higher rpm (around 1500rpm?) for a very short time. Its when its idling at the higher rpm that the rattling in my engine occurs, but subsides once the rpms go to just above 1000rpm. The rattling is based on how much vibration is occuring in the engine and the higher the rpm the more vibration the engine encounters. This vibration causes whatever is loose in my engine to rattle.

This whole thing blows my mind because something(s) in my engine is either loose or off track, yet the Honda mechanics say that all 7th gen Civics make this noise. BS! My engine only has 4000 miles on it and it sounds like crap because of that damn rattle.
I have already driven with a mechanic and he heard the noise. He said that it did sound out of the ordinary, but I had my car looked at about a week after this and another mechanic (the head guy) drove it. I wasn't able to ride with him and I guess he didn't hear it or he didn't feel that was a big deal. He didn't bother to inspect my engine for this reason. I guess he didn't want to waste his precious time to find the problem and fix it, so he tried to convince me that he drove a new Civic on the lot and heard the same noise. Sure...so Honda is manufaturing Civic engines with loose parts! I'm sick of this crap and I guess I'll just have to go to other Honda dealers until the problem is solved.