mcabutti

I just got off the phone with Acura Client Services. The person I spoke with said that he had received another call today regarding the "fix" in Australia. He said that in the US, they are aware of the problem, but do not have a service bulletin to share with dealers at this time. He encouraged me to stay in touch with my dealer, and continue checking to see if a service bulletin is released.

TSXding

I think we need to all do another round of calls to ACS as well as e-mails like before, pointing to the fax that Honda OZ is doing something about the issue. Its best to strike while the iron is hot. Anyone agree?

melody

agreed!

I'm on vacation at the moment, but as soon as I get home on Monday I'm going to call my dealership again (I'm gonna take my car back in... and try to get it fixed - yeah right!) and call ACS.

Please, everyone else, do the same.

You think maybe they're 'testing out' the fix in australia first? and that they won't bring it to North America till they're sure it works (ie - no cars revert back to pinging after a few months)?

panta_

TSXding, I agree with you and in fact I did that already 3 days ago and talked with this lady Brigette ,that called me after I emailed at the tech and CEO if you remember! Call the person that gave you a fallow call after you emailed.

TSXding

I think we should e-mail the Honda executives again as well, not just call ACS, that way our concerns will be documented in writing vs just a phone call. I will do the same

cube1

Noooo, I don't think *any* of us wanted to hear this. I went in search of +"acura tsx" +"pinging" *after* mine started doing this. (Of course, I believe that this is not actually true pinging -- detonation). And no, I don't feel it in any way other than my ears. But the truth is the blasted sound is *embarrassing* (and unnerving - reminding you every blasted time you drive the car, as has been observed by others) because it *sounds* so very much like true pinging (been there, done that, in a 1978 Pontiac Sunbird), even if it isn't.

Although our statistical sample is small, the fact that over 1/2 of the folks who responded to the survey responded affirmatively, and the fact that folks like me have had loaners do this, tells me this is a pervasive issue.

Now, if the MT cars are not doing this, or doing it differently or more quietly for some reason, that could be a huge clue.

mcabutti

I just read a post on another website from a guy in Australia that had a "fix" done to his TSX by a Honda tech that was supposed to eliminate the pinging noise that some of us are hearing. After two days of driving after the fix, he reports that the pinging noise is back.

Sigh. . .

melody

So, a lot of people think it isn't actual pinging/knocking. So far it seems like the possible culprits are:

1. true pining (I hope not...)
2. rattling heat shield (has anyone taken theirs off to see if it helps?)
3. torque converter (but why is it happening in the MT's??)
4. PCV valve noise (although not likely given the response from people who've listened to the recording at the acura dealers)
5. timing chain / timing chain tensioner

I found this thread where someone says that they had the same kinda noise on their s2k due to a timing chain tensioner, and that it only did it around those rpms.
http://www..com/showthread.php?t=2427120

But if it were that simple (ie - the TCT) why wouldn't Honda/Acura fix this (or am I missing something?)

Anyway, here are some videos from youtube with rattling timing chains. What do you all think? I think the first one sounds pretty close to the noise I hear...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cSA4ZwOri0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pstx3...eature=related


And this apparently is slow motion of a timing chain smacking the chain guard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdWk-...eature=related

I'm not really a car person (but I'm learning a whole bunch about cars because of this stupid rattling noise...) So to those of you with lots of knowledge, please share your thoughts...

TSXACURAPINGING

I have a 2009 Acura TSX that is pinging. I have taken it to the dealer twice and their statement is that this is "Normal" for the 2009 Acura TSX. This is not "Normal" for any car...I told them I was totally unsatisfied that I was going to have to listed to this annoying noise for as long as I own this car. I would never have purchased this car had I know about this problem. Just have to turn the radio up loud enough to drown it out. .

ctwickman

That timing chain noise IS DEFINITELY IT. That's the exact sound in the first clip! It sounds like a ball bearing being shaken in a tin can. That's how we all describe it. Wow thanks for those clips!

It doesn't make sense that it is true pinging. True pinging doesn't ONLY happen at a specific rpm like all of us are experiencing at 2000-2500 rpm.

So the big question.... is there a fix for this??? Or does anyone disagree with the above hypothesis that it is a timing chain tensioner??

patcracks

gah i hate this sound its totally disgusting for a 2009 vehicle. does the tsx even have a timing chain i thought that was old school? sorry I don't know jack bout engines.

HeavyDuty

The K20's & 24's have a chain now, the H & B series had belts, as did the older J32's & 35's. Some or all newer 32's & 35's have chains (05>?) Chains *usually* have a very long service life, like 100's of thousands of miles.

As far as the KA24DE in the above video, $1 says it had the chain guard broken off and laying in the VC.

WTH are those clear tubes on the RSX intake manifold? Water injection?

If there were a tensioner issue, it *should* make a racket other than just 2000-2500 rpm irrespective of the load.

davidspalding

Haha, point taken, Panta. Just poking some fun at your spell-checking and run-on sentences. But I do empathize with your discomfort with a pinging $30K "luxe" car.

ressling

Hey guys,

I no longer have pinging thanks to a switch in gasoline companies!!!

I usually fill up at a local QT station, but the last 2 fills I did 1 Mobile and one Chevron and...

NO PINGING!

I am super pumped to say the least.

HeavyDuty

Pardon the pun, no less.

IMHE, Mobil is the most stable from one batch to the next. I've been using BP for years because there's way more of them here than any other. Is your Mobil 91, 2, or 3?

ctwickman

Did your pinging only happen at 2000-2500 rpm? Maybe you had "true" pinging with your 6MT while the rest of us with 5AT's and the 2000-2500 rpm "engine rattle" have something else.

Mwing

3 days ago i brought my tsx to acura, after 3 days they called me back saying its fixed and i will pick it up later to see if it is really fixed. in the call i told them i thought acura didnt have a fix yet but surprisingly they said they just got a fix, i hope they know it is really a fix, will post back later.

ressling

Yes, pinging only occured between 2000-2500 RPM...

melody

Mwing, how's the pinging now?

I'm taking my car in on Wednesday for this... if there's a fix I'd like to know!!

Mwing

i took the car, then some other problem happened, they must have screwed up something that caused my steering wheel give popping noise, so i left the car there. it is weekend so i think i wouldnt test it until monday at least.

kr72

Has anybody experienced the issue in 2010 TSX yet?

melody

Any news, Mwing?

FWIW, I took my car to the dealer today, but they said they couldn't hear the noise (they did last time...) I left work early to go drive it for them, and sure enough I could hear it, but it was really faint, so the guy said that if you have to strain that hard to hear it that it's likely nothing harmful. He figured it's something in the exhaust system rattling around.

Of course, after I had parked it when I dropped the guy off at the dealership, when I drove off the dealer lot it was much louder. Figures

I dunno, I'm beginning to lose hope. I want to just try to forget about it and play the radio loud to drown it out... but my fiancee wants me to keep trying (like at other dealers etc). SO frustrating...

Has anyone else taken theirs in lately?

Mwing

bad news, still there, thats what i expected though, they havent typed the report yet, they said they will send me via mail, they said they couldnt hear but i do

oldguytsxer

are people with 93+ octane having issues with pinging as opposed to lower octane users 91 and under?

In my area 91 octane is highest available. Reading all these pinging issues makes me appreciate my 2006 TSX even more....extra coat of wax coming up tonite..putting on RP-1 enkeis and new "skins" tomorrow...(tires)

melody

I use 91 generally, but I tried several tanks of 94 in a row to see if it would make the pinging situation any better.

It didn't.

katmai

I use Mobil 1 93 octane most of the time. Mine pings. I also have a manual. Changing gas hasn't helped for me

dark1x

Over 6000 miles now and still not a hint of this problem. Here's hoping it doesn't suddenly appear.

tsxcisa

By way of background, I am one of the people who occasionally hears a rattle (like a small ball-bearing being shaken lightly in a tin can) between 2000 - 2500 RPM ...

One of the podcasts I enjoy listening to is "Car Talk" on National Public Radio. I have the heard the hosts (brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi) frequently mention "sympathetic resonance / vibrations" as being a potential cause when diagonosing similar problems. (See wikipedia for a definition).

Anyway, I found this interesting, and it could help explain why Honda / Acura can't seem to fix this problem easily.

TSXding

Any new updates from dealers or ACS on this issue? It appears that some users in OZ are getting the fix on a trial basis, some reporting that it helped with 90% of the pinging.

Steve@EMA

Anyone from Canada with these problems? I haven't heard of any issues yet at my Canadian dealership...thats why i find this very strange. I even asked the Service Manager and he was shocked too..I assumed it would be the gas grade but everyone is using 91oct from what I've read.

I'll keep you all posted if i hear anything

ctwickman

I still have this noise, but the longer I have it and the more I listen to it I am not convinced that it is "pinging" at all. I wonder if some of us would get more luck from the dealerships if we didn't report it as pinging but simply a drivetrain/engine rattle. We all have the same noise and it happens at the same RPM's. But the more I listen to it the more I'm convinced it is coming from the drivetrain and is not classic engine pinging. I don't think classic engine pinging happens only at a specific RPM range. I can't for the life of me get the noise to happen outside of 2000-2500rpms. Wouldn't pinging be replicable outside of a narrow rpm range?

Anyone agree, disagree? Thoughts? Still getting antsy about the noise and that there has been no solution to it so far. There is no question no matter what it is it is a metal-on-metal aberrant (read: should not be there) sound.

TSXding

I've taken mine to a few dealerships under a general rattle noise from the front end while driving. They have come back with it being a normal engine characteristic sound with no fix.

buddah51au

hope you guys can read this........a small number of vehicles effected.....hmmmmmm

ctwickman

Great post. So what about the United States!?

TSXding

I think we should send another round of e-mails to Acura management in the US, attaching this memo to ask what is going on for the US users. What do you all think?

buddah51au

here is another tech bulletin .... note:- can be caused by driving style, well i am certain each on of us drive our cars differently, yet we still have the problem. A load of BS in my view.

katmai

I just changed from Shell 93 to BP 93, and the engine pinging sound is almost gone. The result is immediate. Just let the old tank run empty, put new gas in, and its better. I also test the other way and went from BP to something else. It got worse. I had someone else drive my car for a while and they agreed as well. I've also used Mobil 93 in the past and it didn't seem to help.

The sound is still there sometimes if I listen for it, but its so faint or non-existent that I haven't really thought about it anymore.

ctwickman

Problem is most if not all of us have tried different gasolines with no result. I even put in racing fuel as a test (octane 100) and it didn't make any difference. If it was easy as switching gasoline the solution would have been found many months ago. I am happy for you though. Wish it were that easy for me. The whole hub-bub in Australia makes me think there is a true fault in the knock sensors that gasoline won't resolve.

buddah51au

One difference I have noticed reading this forum is the way our different fuels are marketed. Here in Australia we have 3 grades of unleaded fuel, standard is 91, then we have 2 grades of premium fuel - 95 & 98. The Euro (TSX) is recommended to run on minimum 95, most of us here have tried both grades of premium fuel & it makes no difference to the problem.

katmai

Well, it isn't totally gone for sure. Whatever real fix comes up, I'm sure I'll be in getting the same thing. I just thought it was odd that changing gas seemed to make some difference. Who knows...I'm probably imagining it!