I have a 2000 Acura TL with 87K miles on it. After I bought it and getting it home I noticed it had a slight knock in the engine. I changed the oil in it using 5W30 Synthetic Blend with a Wix filter and it seemed that the knock even got louder. I talked to the shop where I bought it and he assured me that the engine and car was well taken care of and he can't believe that it is a knock in the engine I am hearing. I told him a few mechanics listened to it and said "that don't sound good". The shop told me that if they are not Honda mechanics that they might not know what they are hearing. He said he would look at it this week.

What are some things that can cause the knocking in the engine? It isn't a ticking. It is a knock, not too too loud but you can hear it with the hood closed. I used a mechanic stethoscope on it and it isn't coming from the injectors or the tension pully or any pumps.

The car runs amazing. Any ideas of what this could be. I just want to be prepared when I go back to the dealer where I bought it.

I hope I don't have to eat this car if it is something major.

Thanks

 

with the stethascope, you ckd the ac belt tensioner at the top of engine- by the alternator?
perfect mileage for it to have failed
When mine went it had loud bad noises coming from it

Cant reach the timing belt tensioner or idler with the covers on (to my knowledge)
for audible testing

you put in how much oil? 4.6 or .7 called for, many use 5 qts and its fine
What oil brand?

Listened to the lower end thru the oil pan?
Listened to the valves thru their covers?

accidentally put in 87 octane gas?
TL needs 91 Minimum.. and prefers 93/94 if thats what your area gets
Do you live at altitude? was it a local car?

 

the other great possibilty is the 105 service hasnt been done because of mileage--
but on age its past 7 years,,well past~

you could have a bad water pump!!,,maybe even why the car was sold,, when they were told 1500$ for the major service = timing belt and water pump

there is the standard weep hole on bottem of wp--use mirror,,look for traces of drip trail
Hows the res bottle level and look of coolant- old dead stuff?
radiator same thing- full to the top and nice fresh looking fluid or old OE dead fluid?

 

Had same problem with my 2000 tl..bad engine knock sound..it was the power steering pump..replaced and good as new..good luck

 

I checked the tensioner and all the pullys on the passenger side with a mechanics stethoscope. Sound is coming from the middle bottom of engine. We were using a pit to change the oil and listened to it from under. Sound seems to be coming from the front bottom. Where the spark plugs are.
We only use 93 octane.
Valvoline max life 5W30 synthetic blend. 4.6 what it calls for and checked the level after it warmed up and then let it sit before we checked it. Oil is full.
Live in Kentucky and bought it from Ohio.
Radiator is full and clean.

The power steering works good. And I "think" I may have checked it also, if it can be seen without the cover off.

I'm going to take it to a few Honda/Acura mechanics tomorrow and take it back to the dealer on Tuesday.

Could this be a timing issue? Remember the car runs perfect.

Thanks
OhSarg

 

timing is electronic,,unless the crank position sensor is damaged or failing

pull a few spark plugs and examine

you ckd for any codes?

 

It is not showing check engine light.
Will Autozone check it for codes?

When you say pull the spark plugs do you mean just take the wire off and listen? Or pull the plug out and look for something?

Thanks

 

If its not the valves making the noise or the tensioner its most likely something in the motor. You claim its middle bottom of engine,Most common sounds like that are a spun bearing for which to repair it properly = time for a rebuild.

 

to expand on that theory..
if it needs a rebuild = get a used motor from the auto recycler (junkyard)

it was run out of, or low on oil,,run forever without oil changes--something like that had to occur to cause a bearing problem inside the engine- rod bearing etc...

its going to be cheaper to swap out the entire engine, install new water pump and timing belt kit and drive several more years
Assuming an overheat or oil starvation was involved-

remove the spark plugs from the engine and examine for wear, replacement or stock plugs in it?--00-03 had NGK platinum as stock(we upgrade at plug change time to irids)

you said plug wires and a year 2000 car, those dont agree,,
00 has coil on plug ignition for each cylinder
99 hads old school cap rotor plug wires etc

easy way to tell: 99 had 4 speed and later has a 5 speed trans

 

Hi 01tl4tl,

Mine is a 99 and I have coil over plug not wires.

 

I dont know when they made that change..late during the production year or what
99s are a breed of their own

 

Well guys, I took it to the dealer today because I heard the knock again this morning. On the way there I filled it up with Shell 93 Octane and added Lucus Injector Cleaner. Once I got to the dealer and the mechanic pulled it in and had me come listen to it. Guess what? It wasn't knocking!! He listened and said that these engines adjust the timing when they are cold so that the converters heat up to burn the exhaust. Once it is heated up the timing changes again and it goes back to normal. Left the dealer and as soon as I was pulling away I heard it again. The mechanic came back out and said that is nothing unusual and assured me that if there was something wrong he would hear it. He said it sounded normal and these engines are almost bullet proof. He said he has worked there for 15 years and have seen hundreds of these engines and this one is in good shape. Then I drove it home and on the way home I didn't hear any knocking at all.
He said if it was an engine problem when it was revved up it would make a sound, which it didn't.
I just wonder if the last owner used a lower octane gas and maybe the oil was old?
One thing else he said use a Honda OEM filter on it because you get 7 more PSI oil pressure.
I changed the oil filter to a Honda from Wix that I out on it at first.
I'm hoping I am just being over sensitive to the sound of the engine and everything is ok with it. This was a large dealership and not the dealer I bought it off of. So I see no reason for him to lie to me.
Thanks for all your advice. Wish me luck. Well actually wish my son luck with it.

 

That guy was an idiot. If its a spun bearing and you rev it odds are you arent going to hear it (unless really severe) as the motor will make more noise than it thus not being able to hear it. If it does it again bring it to the dealer WITHOUT an appointment and have the service manager have a mechanic come out right then and there to listen to it.

The only other knock i can think of is an engine knock due to bad fuel/wrong octane causing detonation which sounds like it might be your issue. Keep running PREMIUM fuel and a good fuel injector cleaner (best to use with 1/2 to 1/4 tank for better strength)

Also the wix filter is better than the cheap OEM filters.

 

LOL yes they are.

 

Took the Acura to another Honda mechanic and he also said it was a normal sounding engine. I guess he is an idiot too. HAHA. I bet I can continue to keep shopping for someone to tell me it needs a new engine. But I just don't trust just any old backyard mechanic who has only worked on old Chevy's. If I have 2 certified Honda Mechanics listen to it and they say there is nothing wrong with it. I don't see the point in paying for something that they don't or no one else can find wrong. Oh Well we will see how it goes.

 

uuuuh the average honda certified tech doesnt even know the TL temp stays rock solid!!
one ziner took his car to honda dealer with a fluctuating guage/temp problem
They sent him down the road saying--thats perfectly normal
yeah for a honda = but NOT for a TL

are there any actual race car shops or engine builders near you? ck phone book
someone who deals with this normally

your average dealer tech will never hear a spun bearing in their lifetime anymore
Many times its 1 guy does all the diagnostics, decides what parts are bad and a junior tech who makes less money,,does the actual work..
alternator bearing = new alt
timing belt bearing = new belt setup
internal engine noises? needs new engine!
they do not rebuild engines at the dealer, or if you can get them too ,, its cheaper to buy a new car !

But how many internal engine probs show up in a TL?
rare would be a good description
short of those who race the car, run boost or nox shots and blow out bearings that way

have you ckd the motor mounts- I know its a weird thought but the front and rear are vac boosted and fluid filled,,you can get noises from engine movement- changes of angle to axle with engine movement etc
Always worth taking a look at them

 

then if its ok by a professional
I would clean the intake manifold/egr port and passage system
replace the spark plugs
enjoy

 

ck the Regions link at top of page, then ck your area in there
ziners hold car meets, shows, get togethers where you can have others listen to your car- side by side with theirs

a problem should be easy to detect among the group!

 

OH yes the motor mount in the front is bad. Going to do the 105K service on it and get both replaced in the next week or so.

 

If its NOT knocking then YES, Yes to them its NORMAL sounding. If it IS knocking then its NOT normal. When you brought it to them DID they hear it knocking? You said no the first one didnt hear it. No mechanic that works on these cars would EVER tell you knocking is normal (obviously you didnt read the other part of my statement about fuel)

You come here for help, we try to help you. You take the car in and the mechanic tells you every thing is normal even though he does NOT hear the sound. I guess there is nothing wrong then huh? But what makes the sound???? We try to tell/help you with what could be wrong but you call us some backyard mechanic who has only worked on chevys that you dont trust. Why did you come here then? We arent trying to get you to pay for something. We are trying to help you diagnose your issue that you described that the mechanics didnt hear.

Oh and id be willing to place money that anyone here trying to help know more about these motors than the 2 mechanics you brought it to do!

 

all bets are off till a KNOWN blown front motor mount is replaced!!

that causes a vac leak- which alters engine performance and it allows movement of a major structure that affects other parts

find a honda tech you trust, they can do this job
or some other non dealer place

Suggest you do install new NGK plugs, engine and cabin air filters, flush ps and brake fluids, it gets new coolant with wp-
the 100sum extra for all new tensioner pullies and idlers is a wise investment

make the car ready to easily go another 100k without any concerns

and that valve adjust, egr cleaning we talked about earlier

you wern't really calling any of US the shadetree mechanic?? right?
I sometimes referance the old chevy truck,
but truth be known,,
Im more into flat opposed 6 cyl airplane engines

 

My 99 has been knocking for 7-8 years.

Its worse in morning but when it gets warm, its hardly noticeable. In the winter, it really knocks until it warms up so it's clearly a part that is expanding from heat and reducing some clearance. It seems to me a valve is the probable cause.

I did take it in the Stealership and they said it was a common problem with a fuel injector, which I find hard to believe. They said you can trouble shoot it by taking the injector leads off one at a time to see when the knock goes away. Just change the one causing the noise. They said the injector will work fine, just noisy.

I asked them if it might be a bearing or piston slap, they said it might be, but that they had NEVER had a TL engine apart for any reason.

I've also heard that Honda engines all have a tick and I've just come to live with it as its never gotten any worse.

 

No I wasn't calling you guys backyard mechanics. Sorry if you took it that way. I was actually referring to a guy down the road at the corner garage. Since he told me the valves had to be adjusted hot. And my neighbors who work on older type trucks in their garage. I know you guys have experience. I did take it to 2 mechanics that I trust and I guess I didn't word things right. It was making the sound that I call knocking when I took it to both of them. So I'm going to trust them before I would trust the guy who says the valves have to be adjusted hot. Just because you wear a shirt that say mechanic with your name on it doesnt mean you are a mechanic. If you know what I mean. We have all seen them. I think it is better to get it diagnosed in live person where they can actually hear the engine then try to explain it on the internet. I was just looking for some other advice and I did listen to everything you guys said and I appreciate it. In short I guess what I am saying is that if I took the car to my neighbors who have a trucking company with 1970s Chevy Dump trucks and the mechanic at the little corner garage they would say there was something wrong with the engine. The 2 Honda mechanics said the engine sounds normal. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks Again
OhSarg

 

Hey Sarg,

Why not do a small video of the car running so we can hear what it's doing. That way we may be able to give some defined answers.

 

or move your modem closer to the car

 

Is your problem actually a knock or a tick??

 

Hmmm...not sure.

It seems more of a knock because it isn't tinny or high pitched. It seems to be coming from the timing belt side of the engine towards the rear. It does disappear when the engine revs, again an indication of valves.

 

Thanks again for the advice and suggestions. I wouldn't begin to know how to post a video on here. For now I am going to take it to Honda and Acura mechanics and maybe a few others who have a lot of experience. Now I am NOT saying that you guys don't have experience. I am just saying I feel better doing it that way. I guess I am just not used to some of the hostile comments. So I will just get it checked out locally and keep in touch with you guys to let you know what is being said from the mechanics around here. I'm sorry I was so misunderstood. It really wasn't my intention to make people mad.
Thanks Again

 

Take a vid of it for sound and upload it to youtube. Copy the link and post it like a post. It will Let us hear it.