ya guys know when an engine gets old? and it starts to almost...shutter and has old truck sound? like...BAH...I can't describe the noise! But when an engine gets old...you can kinda tell ya know? Say like...a '91 accord; you can tell by the sound of the engine that it's got a few thousand miles on it (aside from the body). I HAVE THAT in my engine bay; right when you turn the car on, something sounds like it's almost ticking, or maybe hitting something. i almost wanna say they belts are lose? but i have no idea; all I can say that it sounds...OLD!

Sorry and thanks,
Eric

help would be nice...

 

how many miles on the car? Seafoam it and clean it up a bit, that may slove some of the problems. Also check all the belts for abnormal wear and see if all oils and liquids are up to proper levels.

 

hm...38,500 ish; yeah I checked all the fluids...all normal! Belts are next...eeeekers!

 

SeaFoam it and change out the air filter, i will work as good as new and give you good MPG. Also check the oil and see that it is good. Lastly, Push the motor a bit hard once or twice a month, I have heard that this keeps all the seals good and intact. I do this on my Tl, Hitting redline and pushing the motor to its limits (in the speed limit) and i get about 21 MPG city if i drive a bit hard, revving it to about 3.5K RPMs in each gear until i'm at the speed limit.

 

Does it go away after the vehicle warms up?

 

What kind of gas do you use? if you use low octane the valves will start to tick..

 

Can someone please explain what Seafoam is?
thanks.

 

See the Gen 2 thread titled Seafoamed the Ol TL
the product is the exact same stuff they use in the $99 fuel injector cleaning machine, except you buy 3 cans for 15-20 bucks total and do a way better job at home!
It cleans the valves,pistons, fuel lines, fuel injectors and even crud inthe exhaust
result is tune up in a can

 

Don't use Seafoam...it is not needed; it is never needed.

Check your motor mounts for cracks and wear. Depending on where you live they may be worn. Or you may simply need to get the motor mounts tightened. I think if you do these you will find the car feels much more solid and responsive.

 

30 thousand miles- it most certainly does need a fuel injection service and is far less likely to have bad mounts at that mileage than dirty system. In 15k miles your engines internals are full of crud just from combustion byproducts- let alone the stuff they put in gas these days. Techroline and similar dispensed with the gasoline form the pump are great for maitenance dose but seafoam or similar does a heavy duty job right now!

 

This is not valve tick. This is detonation. Why does everyone on here love to call any noise the engine makes valve tick?

 

because alot of people tend to think that regular vs. premium will not make a difference, but sine our motors are very high compression motors, it is a problem that can be easily exposed.

 

I think my 05 has a squeaky idler pulley... That kinda makes it sound like a 91 accord. As long as it doesnt sound like one when you start it...

 

That is the biggest bunch of crap I have ever heard. 30K for a fuel injection clean? Stop eating up all the marketing hype. There is no need for a fuel injection cleaning at 30K miles.

As for detonation; your ECU will adjust for lower octane gas, but you should be using premium if it is available. If you have a problem paying for premium then don't buy such an expensive car, simple as that. But by no means should you get detonation unless something is very wrong.

 

onyx

you might want to tone it down a bit
Several of us are experienced mechanics racers shop techs pilots actual rocket scientist and others
We have tried many products and between us know these cars inside out

Exactly how many engines have you done a full teardown on?
Had the intake off your car yet- you just might be surprised

Its one thing to share facts and experience tips, its another to say something
like run 87 octane and they ccomputer will adjust
Or buy a different car

We come here to help each other and ask for help on unusual probs
Play nice!

 

erick3 whats the story- get it figured out yet?

 

Yeah, just sefoamed the '04 w/50k miles, and WOW, the rough idle that the shop denied, and wrote off is much smoother now. I am all about the 30 k injection cleaning. I am pretty tempted to buy a fuel filter and throw it on while I'm feeling it. I would rather do this than pay for costly repairs
Maintain . . . good
repair . . . bad

 

bd
Unless they changed on the gen 3 cars-
the fuel filter is self contained inside the tank, no service required
no real reason to put another inline- just screw with the fuel pressure and flow- you know about fuel flow dont you?????
Where would you fit it anyway!

And all this time I thought it was
Drive Smooth- good
Hit Wall- BADDDDDDD

 

Well then, Nevermind that.

Drive smooth, Drive Smooth,Drive Smooth

 

I had the same problem at 13,000 miles a few months ago. Dealership replaced alternator...problem fixed.

 

No hating going on here, just expressing my strong opinion that Seafoam is not needed, and a lot of the junk people throw in their cars is not needed. I respect you have mechanical experience, but without knowing your qualifications it is hard to take that in to account when evaluating your stance. I have met many mechanics who have no idea what they are talking about; mainly due to the vocational schools like UTI that churn out wise fools.

 

actually...no it doesn't; in fact, it gets worse! that's why i assumed the noise had to do with the engine belts err...something or another

 

she's only had 92 octane; chevron supreme since day 1...

 

still looking into it; i transferred my service over to acura of bellevue; hopefully they'll have some better mechanics -_- thanks for all your help guys...seriously means a lot!!! hahaha

eric

 

Seafoam is the gross foaming bubbles on top of the water by the beach. Just put some in your gas tank and all the bacteria in the Seafoam eats the carbon.

Sorry, its been used for years by farmers for cleaning motors and treating gas. I always use it in my snowmobile and leave the gas in it. NEVER had to rebuild the carb, and she starts like new every year. 21 year old sled that runs like new, 8,000 miles on my Polaris.

Seafoam works !!!

 

A metallic sharp ticking at a fast rate? Does it sound like loose valves? Normal fuel injector nosies are similar.
An exhaust leak at the manifold/head connection would sound like a tick that might get worse as the car warms up.
Piston slap is less metallic, more dull, occurs at idle.
Loose rod or main bearings are more of a dull knock.
Belts and bearing outside the engine block (alt, power steering, AC, etc) are usually more of a squeal; sometimes you'll get a tick if the serpentine belt picks up a piece of gravel between the grooves.
Good Luck!

 

I run Seafoam through my stomach and it flushed everything out of my &*^. No really, you dont need seafoam or yet, maybe your valve lash needs adjustment.

 

Just to address the obvious, is it related to your RPM's?
My 04 is kinda loud when cold, sounds like valvetrain. I complained enough to the dealer and they adjusted the valves. Didn't help. They told me that the noise is very normal for this car when cold (I am cynical). Goes away once warm, so I don't know what to say for now.

 

^Typical over clearance valve lash. They most likely did not perform any valve adjustment. As its a very meticulous and time consuming job . Car has to be let cool completely or most of the time overnight before any adjustment can be done. Metal expands when heated and clearance become tighter when warm and thats why it goes away. Try using thicker dino oil to "cover" the problem.

 

I hated adjusting the valves on my old Capri II because they were to be adjusted while the valvetrain was hot! Not fun to rummage around the engine compartment removing valve covers and things while the engine was hot.
I didn't know valve adjusts were done cold on the TL.

 

Lets back up to the facts
the car in question has 38,500 miles on it
Does the gen 3 need a valve adjustment that soon?
The gen 2 doesnt call for it until 105!!!

Or is it from the switch to 0W-20 oil by Acura to meet gove bs standard called CAFE fuel economy

 

IIRC, 3G doesn't require a valve adjustment, but clearances should be "checked" at 100K or thereabouts.
However, I wouldn't be surprised if a few cars out of the 70K+ annual production run came from the factory with valve clearances out of spec, with resultant knocking, pinging and spark retardation.

 

How do valve clearances cause all that?

 

all i can say guys...is that acura of bellevue's looking @ it...lol