for the past few weeks my car has been producing a rapid metallic rattle somewhere from the front end when I'm applying the throttle when the car is in gear. I'm sorry for the poor way I'm describing the problem, but it is hard for me to describe what it is.

It does not produce the sound when I apply the throttle when the car is in park. It does not produce the sound when it is at idle either. It is also not produced when the car is cruising (ie on the highway or down city streets). Only when I'm accelerating. It is a fairly faint sound, but you can definitely hear it especially when it echoes off close surroundings like going under a highway overpass. The only way I can hear it is with the windows down and music off. And when I reach higher RPM's (3K+) the engine sound drowns out the sound of the rattling. It may even stop rattling when I reach 3000 RPM's.

I have a 2005 AT with a little over 65,000 miles w/ NO engine/suspension/exhaust mods.



ok so I just went out and tried to recreate the conditions where I hear this rattle/squeal. With my car having sat for approx 2.5 hours after having been last run, the noise was present with light acceleration starting around 1.5K RPM's. It persisted through 2.5K RPM's. It is right around 2.5K RPM's where the noise generally disappears. Also, I can only hear the noise when applying approx. 1/4 throttle. at 1/2 throttle I cannot hear the noise.

Also, with my car in park I revved the engine to approx. 3000 RPM's when I took my foot off the gas and for a split second as the tach needle was falling from 3K to 2K I heard a brief squeal. This is the only time where it did NOT sound like a metallic rattle. After I had run some errands for 10 minutes or so, I revved the engine in park when I was sitting in my driveway. This time I did NOT hear the squeal as the tach needle fell from 3K to 2K.

I checked the belt for and signs of wear/cracking and I didn't see any. Thanks for any help you guys can give

 

You may have two separate issues. What octane and brand of gas are you using?

 

is the car stick or auto? belts n pullleys tensioners im thinking...worst case...valve adjustment

 

Loose exhaust hanger? lol

 

I only fill up with 91 octane or 93 octane. its usually 93 at Exxon Mobil (prob 95% of the time I fill up. otherwise its 91 at Sunoco or 93 at Gulf). and my car is auto trans

i was thinking valve adjustment before i heard the squealing sound. I had to replace a pulley tensioner in my previous car (2001 Jetta VR6) which was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It just kept eating dollars.

 

update: fixed!

So I finally got this taken care of by the Honda dealer I use for service. It was a "slightly plugged EGR valve." It was cleaned out and now the noise is gone.

 

hey, i'm having the same type of issue now, just as you described. i'm just before my 62k mile "extended warranty" expiration. how much did it cost you for them to find/fix that valve (and who, dealer?)? and do you think it might be covered under the extended warranty (i'd be surprised since nothing seems to be)?

i also read somewhere it might be a loose "intermediate shaft heat shield", which was an issue with some 03-07 v6 accords and ridgelines. was there any talk of that when figuring out the egr valve? and does that sound like it could also be the issue?

thanks!

 

Certain emissions equipment has a longer warranty under federal law-- 80K miles, IIRC-- which might apply to the EGR valve.

The heat shield rattle is a known issue for 3G TLs as well, with TSBs issued for it.

 

Heat shield was what I was going to call out.

Same exact issue with me.

 

I had the same noise and the dealer couldn't fix it. I went under the car myself and tightened the bolts on the heat shield and bent the shield itself slightly in a couple different spots. So far the noise is gone.

 

i also own a 2001 jetta vr6 i hate that car so much, i dont even want to sell it cause the person that buys it will hate or haunt me for life. everything that can break has broken..... EVERYTHING

 

any idea on how much the dealer charges to fix the heat shield? i'm here now and they dont seem that friendly about it. its in the certified extended warranty, but that usually doesnt cover anything.

 

Brooklyn Park Acura quoted me $300. The other dealer in Minneapolis; Bloomington Acura charged me nothing. They claimed they fixed a loose heat shield but the noise was exactly the same.

 

sorry for taking so long to reply. I had the work done at a Honda dealership. To diagnose the problem (which involved me driving the tech around to recreate the noise because he couldnt' recreate it) and ultimately fix it, it cost a little over $100. I'm sure I could have cleaned it myself, but the real problem was identifying the source of the noise. I could only hear the noise under LIGHT throttle. I'm pretty sure the EGR valve is a light throttle application. I think -but again I'm not sure- a loose heat shield would probably make noise almost constantly.

As it so happens, just this morning my car was squealing like I have a bad belt. When I started my car up, no squeal. I drove about a minute to the gas station to get a cup of coffee and I left my car running. When I returned two minutes later there was a beat up vehicle running next to it. There was this awful squealing and I remember thinking as I was beginning to drive off, "That sounds shitty. Wait a second, that's coming from MY car." It was definitely different than the noise produced by the plugged EGR valve. It stopped after I started driving a little faster. Thoughts on this?



This guy I worked with wanted to buy my car for his daughter, but I told him I wasn't comfortable selling it to someone I knew. I had zero problems trading it in and I got what I owed for it so I was happy.

 

Apprently this spans across honda and acura cars. I have the SAME EXACT issue wiuth mine. Have taken it to everal dealerships and have replaced:

• Transmission/Torque Converter
• Throttle Body
• Tenisoners, and ALL belts
• And a cracled Engine mount

All thinking it would fix this metallic gargle rattle sound.
Its very hard to replicate for some reason when a tech is in the car
but it does it under load. SO ANNOYING. But SEVERAL techs have told me its
a NORMAL sound for the car when Under load. But im like, how do you have such a wonderfully
tuned car and allow a rattle into the scenario? WHAT THE HELL?

 

Get a $5 hose clamp and tighten it around the 3rd cat heat shield.

 

Im not too car savvy....if I wentto a place to have it done, i just tell them to clamp the catalytic converted shield?

 

i would go to a hardware store (lowes, home depot etc) and get one or two large hose clamps (I use just one). Not sure how big exactly but big enough to fit over the catalytic converter heat shield under the car then yes you could ask them to put it on for you. I got the suggestion from the service guy at my dealership. (I dont actually get them to do anything anymore but I go chat from time to time for tips.)

Sorry wish i could tell you the size you need.

 

The 3rd cat doesn't really need the shield. Just pull it off during an oil change.