I believe this issue has been discussed before, but I can't find it. When acceleratig from a stop, I can hear what is best described as the sound of a marble rolling in the center console. Seems to roll the other way when decelerating to a stop (this is not a rattling sound). When I test drove another car I heard this also, only worse. My car now has 3000 miles and this is getting worse.

Advice on what this is and what the fix is would be appreciated.

Regards,
Bob

 

I heard something similar whan I had my '01 TL. Same thing you mentioned. I'd hear it roll when I would stop, and then roll when I would start to move. I couldn't figure it out and it was pissing me off, but mine sounded lower, maybe under the seat.

I don't remember what made me think of this, but I got and old wire hanger and bent it into sort of a hook.

I started fishing in the vents that are under the passenger and driver seat.

Well what I pulled out was part of a candy cane. The stem of it. Apparently my kids had dropped it and it got kicked into the vent.

Noise was gone after that.

Thought I'd share as the noise may actually not be in your vent.

 

I had the same sound from the center vent area in my old Volvo. For some reason, while I can hear any little squesk and rattle (even those my wife says don't exist), this one never bothered me.

Never did find out what it was.

LL

 

I have that same sound coming from the center console area, specifically under the shift knob. This is a new occurence and started after the dealer removed the console to repair my radio. The dealer is aware and will address it at my next visit.

 

I have the exact same condition. I hope somebody can shed some light on it.

 

Try this experiment... start the car.. .keep it in park and tap the break pedal. If you can reproduce the sound it's the 'locking' mechanism for the shifer coming into place.

If it's the same sound I'm hearing... I hear it when I do the above, or when I first start from a complete stop...or when I come to a complete stop while rolling.

I took it into the dealer when I first heard it, the service manager quickly dismissed it as 'play in the shifer because of the 'manual mode'... but I took a Tech along with me for a ride (who's been working on Acura's for over 10yrs at the same dealership)... and he heard it immediately but had no idea what it was. So he jumped in another RL and it did the exact same thing. So he postulated that it was a locking mechanism for the shifter that 'clicks' into place when starting and then unlocks when you stop. He didn't know they had that. (Which doesn't fill me with a warm fuzzy feeling)

 

If I move the shifter around agressively, I can hear the noise, like something rolling around (not like the brake release clicking on and off). When I purchased my car, I had two to choose from. The other car had this same sound, only it was way more pronounced; any acceleration or braking caused it. The volume of it was the same, only it was more frequent. My fear is the sound in my car will deteriorate to the same level.

For some reason I thought this issue was discussed several months ago, but perhaps not.

Bob

 

open up the sunroof
tip car over and shake agressively
loose item will break free and fall out of the sunroof
problem gone



sorry guys I couldn't resist... curious as to the solution...

 

You know... it's pretty easy to get into the center console. Just open up the cup holder and pull on the center plastic that's around the silver shift plate. There are two clips by the cup holders and two by the ashtray looking thing in front. Have you opened it up and looked around?

 

NavyDoc.....To my surprise, I was able to reproduce the sound I have been hearing by pressing and releasing the brake pedal while in Park. That is it! Since my car did not make the noise when it was new, one would think replacing the lock release would be an easy fix. Thanks for the info.

BTW, did the Tech mention replacing the lock release?

Bob

 

No he didn't... I think he took another for a drive and it made the same noise, and I took my friends RL for a ride and lo-and-behold...it's there too. I don't think it's a 'defect' I think that's just the noise it makes. I suppsed I just didn't pay attention when it was new. Or it's something that gets louder with age. But since they all did the same, I think it's normal.

Anyone else in the forum notice it?
-

 

I have heard the engaging/disengaging of the shift interlock on every car I've owned since I purchased my '91 Camry (new).

Never sounded like anything rolling. More like a clicking sound.

 

You guys must be under age 35. I don't hear it because of a lifetime of playing the radio/CD loud. Maybe I don't hear it because I never have the radio turned off.

Just joshing. Seriously, it does appear that you guys don't listen to the radio. Which reminds me of a story a fellow told me about going 150+ mph in his Corvette late at night over that really long bridge down the Florida Keys. His wife was sleeping and the automatic radio adjustment for ambient noise had ratched the radio up so loud that it waked his wife as he was trying to slow down the car as it had gotten quite dicey with front-end lightness and expansion strip harmonics. She groggily said, "Why all the loud noise and music?" He said, "Its ok go back to sleep" and she did. To this day, she doesn't know how close she came to disaster.

Turn up the radio so as to not hear the shifter engineering at work.

 

Well said! The volume knob has become my friend..

 

somtimes you just need a piece of quiet moment to enjoy driving without music, so you can really bond to the road and start listening to the engine sounds. Unfortunately, the quiet moments are often interrupted by squeaks and rattles, which most of us don't really want.

 

Me Too!

 

I must be the exception. No squeaks or rattles here.

 

that might be true. If so, good for you!

 

Other than the above described rattle my car is just fine. No rattles no squeaks.

 

Apparently, this problem runs across different Acura models. I have 2005 Acura TSX with automatic transmission. It does the EXACT same thing. It is the same noise that you hear while transmission is in park and you tap the brakes. It does same noise when acceleration and coming to a stop. It is annoying the hell out of me. I know for a fact that this noise was not present when I first got the car brand new with 3 miles on the odometer.

 

Funny think about squeaks and rattles: I've lost about 12 pounds, and my squeaks have reduced a little. I have a feeling the Japanese did not take fat people into account when they made this car.

 

I guess you would have more squeaks when the gas tank is full than emply? haha

 

My 02 RL had a "rattle" that drove us nuts for months...my 12 year old daughter finally figured the noise was coming from the inside rear light (positioned on headliner over center position of rear bench seat.) A srew had come loose and was rattling inside the lense cover!

 

The only time I had a "marble rolling type" sound was due to a blown catalytic converter in a Mustang.

 

I have this same rolling marble sound when I come to a stop or accelerate from a stop. It is driving me nuts. Any solution. It sounds like a marble is rolling across the floor.

I can sit in the car in park, and when I press the brake pedal I can hear the similiar sound everytime I press the brake pedal coming from under the shifter any solutions? but I don't hear the rolling sound.

 

shoot a vid.
The best trouble shooting is done on a lift where someone can listen for the sound.
"in the center console" doesnt help pin point it. Could be the brakes, a wheel bearing, something in the driveline (CV shafts, carrier bearing, drive shafts)

 

After a lot of searches, some people on the forum, but not RL threads are calling it a shift lock solenoid. Anyone have experience with this sound coming from under the shifter?

 

a solenoid shouldn't sound like marbles.

Is this sound related to temp at all? whats the weather like

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-problems-fixes-128/clicking-noise-gear-shift-area-664110/

I have found threads for all of the Acura models where people have had the same problem. Seems like the cure is just turn the radio louder.

here in the TL forum

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/annoying-shift-lock-solenoid-clicking-sound-anyone-else-experience-755349/

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=755349

and this thread in the RL forum.....maddening and no real solution except radio. As long as it isn't a mechanical function I will just live with it and Heavy RL said the cars are too quiet and he is damn right. I just loved the quietness of the car and now everytime I hear that damn rolling marble sound when I come to a stop and when I accelerate and it drives me nuts.

 

I was thinking related to temp too, but it is 25 degrees here now and it just started a week ago, so hopefully when it warms up it will be better, but based on my searches and links above, it looks to be an issue across all of the Acura cars with no real solution.

 

well, cold weather ALWAYS exasperates noises especially in lubricated material and electronics.

 

I will be honest though, after researching this and seeing how it occurs across ALL of the Acura models and Acura doesn't give a Sh*T about it and there are no fixes infuriates me to no end. I didn't buy a so called "luxury" car in the RL to have to put up with BS rattles like this. I will suck it up on this one and play the radio louder but after this I will never ever buy an Acura again. I will go to Lexus. I would have been an Acura owner for life as I think the new TLX is beautiful, but crap like this annoys me and i won't put my hard earned money on an incomplete product and if the "problem" is across all of their products that is just a lack of true quality control and that is unacceptable for it to persist for years across all of their cars, it is an engineering failure and that is ridiculous. Acura wonders why they never became a Lexus, now I know why. Yes, I am pretty pissed off because the more research I did, the more I realized this was endemic to all their cars for years and Acura just didn't give a shit.

 

I just sent this email to Acura

Hello,

I purchased a CPO RL a couple years ago as the first "luxury" car that I had ever owned and honestly intended to drive Acuras for the rest of my life after driving the RL for the last two years, but then I started to endure what I learned through research was a design flaw/quality failure that has persisted on for years across most of the Acura vehicles. I have provided links below, to demonstrate how this issue has touched multiple Acura models and owners for years, frustrating both Acura owners and Acura Dealers. You will see how Acura has no answer to this design flaw/quality failure after reading the links. I have to drive an RL, supposedly the "Flagship" car from the Acura line, for the years to come and endure a design flaw/quality failure that persisted for years across multiple models. After doing the "research" on Acurazine and finding out how prevalent this issue was across so many models for so long, this evidence changed my mind/perception about the Acura brand and its commitment to quality. Issues of this type are why, in my humble opinion, Acura has been unable to challenge a brand like Lexus and issues of this type are what keep Acura from becoming a "true" luxury brand like Lexus. You once had a customer for life, but after my research I feel like a fool for believing in the quality of Acura products. Every single time that I come to a stop or accelerate from a stop, I will hear that "rolling marble sound" that has haunted so many other Acura owners before me and will haunt many Acura owners after me and it will infuriate me and Acura will lose a repeat buyer/family member of their brand to Lexus. Please note regarding the links below, there are many more threads where this is occurring, just go to Acurazine and search the forums. I research things so thoroughly, and I thought Acura was the brand for me, now I know I should have spent a little bit more cash and got a Lexus if I wanted true quality. I am extremely disenchanged in Acura and also disappointed in myself for being fooled into buying an Acura.

I first owned a Honda Prelude years ago and after getting an RL, which was the top of the line Acura, I thought I was purchasing the "Best" Honda/Acura was capable of, letting a Design Flaw/Quality Failure occur across multiple models for years is unacceptable.

Examples of the Design Flaw/Quality Failure occurring in the TSX

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...shift+solenoid

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664110

Examples of the Design Flaw occurring in the TL

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=755349

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/auto-tran-interior-shifter-noise-752520/

Examples of the Design Flaw occurring in the RL

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=498951

Sincerely,

 

It is a bit comical that Acura stated publicly regarding their new TLX, "The carmaker says that high performance won't compromise luxury, with the TLX offering "vault-like quietness" in all driving conditions. The TLX was designed and developed in the U.S., where it will also be produced." Why would they even try to highlight quietness when they haven't cared for years across so many models.

My tirade is over, but damn the more research I did the hotter I got.

 

Dude, you sound like a blow hard. If you think any internal combustion powered machine producing 300 HP tasked with propelling 2 tons at 135 mph isn't going to make noise, you are delusional. "Bought one Acura, was on the bandwagon for life, but will never buy another again because I can here a marble roll across the floor." Really? Guess what? Lexus cars make noise too.




Did you even take it to a dealer before you jumped off the cliff with your conclusion and started blasting letters to Acura?

Acura's response: "What dealer did you take it to that could not diagnose your problem and disrespected your concerns?"

thefork: "Um, ..."

 

haha, let him vent... we all have our moments.

 

Thank you. After doing all of the research, many many people have brought their cars into the dealers to NO avail. No need to spend hundreds of $ for them to just tell me what so many other people have been told by their dealers.

Yes, I was venting, maybe you consider me a blow hard, if you look through all my posts I have never "vented" before, so maybe calling me a blowhard is off base, but you are entitled to your opinion. I apologize if I offended you and soiled the decorum on here.

Moving on......

I have one more possible idea. There are vents under the seats that I found today. Has anyone ever had anything fall into those vents? If so how did they get to the object?

 

No offense taken here, and none was meant toward you. Just pointing out how you came off. I hope you find a solution to your problem and can enjoy your car.

 

bring it in bitches...

 

Has anyone had a rock or something fall into the vents under the seats? If so, how did they solve the problem?