Hello All,

I start my car in the morning and start driving slowly. I see a red light and I start braking (no sounds here) when I reach a complete stop with my foot still on the brake for 15 seconds the weirdest sounds starts to grow from the front left of the car. Its hard to describe, sounds like cracking water pipes or an anxious pigeon. As soon as I release the brake the sound subsides and disappears in a couple of seconds. I also noticed that if I put the car in Neutral with my foot still on the brake the sound goes away. I am perplexed!

After driving for 10 or 15 minutes, I try to reproduce the sounds with no luck. I took it to the dealer and they could not reproduce the sound so they asked me to come back when its more frequent. It seems to only happen when the car hasn't been used for a while (7 hours+).

I recorded the sound with my phone(link is below), maybe it can help pinpoint the problem. If you guys have any ideas/experimentation I can do to help with this it would be greatly appreciated. It would help if I can at least ask the dealer to check a specific component instead of handing them a black box.


My car is a 2012 TL Advance with 11800 miles.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ag7k8ffgpr...rd%20Sound.mp3

 

Never experienced anything like that. Guess: Something in the anti-lock system?

 

Same thing happened to my co-workers '12 TL as well. His was the anti-lock brake system. Dealer had to replace the entire. I would take it to the dealer.

 

It seems like the best option at this point. I am gonna have the car sit there overnight so they can test it in the morning and hear what I am describing to them. Thanks for the reply guys.

 

Was it exactly the same sound as in the recording....???

 

I have the same car with the same mileage and have the SAME sound!!

What the heck is it?

Any updates or idea? Your sound file is priceless!

Happens to me in the first 5 mins of driving then goes away...

Please post your progress with this problem.

 

Excatly the same noise i can hear for few weeks. I let the car to the dealer for 3 days because it occurs in the morning and after in the day no more noise. They have alson another TL with the same problem. THey tried to bleed the cooling system, because it sounds like air in a liquid. But it didn't fix the issue.

It happen only when a gear is engaged, at neutral you can hear it like one seconde then it's gone or it's to weak to be heard. Go back in D and you can hear it.

I think also it last longer and it is noisier in the cold.

Thanks for the sound track

 

I agree... it seems to happen most when the engine is cold and after running for a few minute in drive.

Hope that helps narrow things down.

 

I forgot to mention that they have changed a belt and noise always here

 

I have the same noise too,took the recording to a dealer and they have no clue what is causing the noise....
it comes and goes,in neutral,drive,in cool mornings and warm too....
its there for about 10,20 seconds and then its gone....
car runs perfect....
maybe there is a pigeon stuck under the hood....(it sounds like it....)

 

I mentioned this sound to the dealer before I made the recording and all they did was ask to bring the car in and let it sit overnight so they can hear it in the morning. I am not comfortable with the idea of leaving my car at a dealer so I decided to record the sound and see what the dealer says. I did not get a chance to go yet. The weather has been warming up and the sound seems to have be a lot less frequent if not gone.

I agree, seems like cold weather is the culprit. But it would be nice to know what is being affected by the cold weather and triggering this hideous sound. So after they bled the cooling system, replaced a belt and the issue remained what did the dealer say the next action is?

Same here, only cold engine with cold weather. It doesn't seem like dealers are helping with this.

Lool. So what did the dealer do, they just said they don't know?

 

My car has the same problem. It's louder in the morning. I am going to take it to the dealership tomorrow.

 

Perhaps you may want to ask the dealership to lift the car up and check the heat shields under and around the engine bay. Even though the sound in the recording sounds anything but a heat shield... perhaps it is. That is the best case scenario. Worse case scenario is that it comes from the torque converter, based on the behavior the original poster described (does it in D, goes away in N, while stopped). So, check the heat shields if they are loose or rusted. Also check the transmission oil level. If not enough, it will vibrate causing all kinds of rattles and sounds.

 

in my case its there in N ,it does not make any difference if its in D or N.....
I was driving ,I heard it, then stopped put it in N and it was still there....

 

Went to dealership but there wan't a trouble shooting people there today.. I have been hearing the noise the entire day not just the first 20 minutes after a cold start. Most noticeable at a low speed. When I stomp my brake and release it, it makes a similar noise. I wonder if it's the brake system.... It's just my guess. Will try to take it in next week.

 

Your sound is different from the OP sound and from mine. It happen only when the car is at stop. May be it happens when the car is moving, but in this case you won't be able to hear it. It's not a very loud noise. Check the sound file

 

Mine might be different problem but it produces the same sound as the OP. Anyways, I will post a follow up after the visit to the dealership.

 

Im going to guess something to do with the master cylinder for the braking system.. make sure the fluid is up to par as well as make sure the cap on the master cylinder is sealing. i say this because you said left in the motor bay and thats where the cylinder happens to be. just a guess though

 

May be a good point, in some occasion i noticed that i need to brake harder.

 

do you mean press harder than "normal" on the brake pedal...?

 

Yes but maybe it's just me

 

Is this still under investigation... My car still does this from time to time and when it last did it I noticed the sound stopped when I put the car in neutral.

Lets keep this thread alive until a solution is found... this way we can bring our cars in for service with the solution and not waste time with lengthy diagnostics.

My guess is a bad torque converter unfortunately... I dropped my trans fluid at 8000kms and the drain plug magnet was covered with magnetic slop. Not a good thing in a basically brand new transmission!
I highly recommend checking your trans fluid and drain plug, I'm willing to bet yours will look just like mine did.

 

still no solution...did you have it checked by a dealership?
my car does this from time to time in neutral and drive...warm or cold weather...

 

Who's your dealer? I'm also in Mississauga...

 

Erin Mills Acura

 

any news on this issue? i have a 2012 base tl and it has the exact same symptoms-strange noise coming from front of car for first 30-60 seconds following cold/early am start-up...

 

Just a small update...strange sound may be break related,when I start the car with the button and keep my foot on a break pedal the noise can be heard almost immediately after the start up for a few seconds and then it goes away,it does not matter if its cold or hot outside....
I went to a dealer again and tried to reproduce it with a technician in the car but no luck there....they want me to leave the car over night so they can diagnose it in the morning when it makes the sound...

 

Hey guys,

Its been a while and I have an update. I left my car at the dealer overnight to diagnose the problem and they did a "thorough" inspection according to them and everything is in good shape. They are saying this water bubbling sound is from the VTEC adjusting when the car is first started and goes away in a couple of seconds. I am noticing as the weather is nice and warm now the bubbling sound goes away in 2 seconds vs in the cold upstate NY winter is used to linger for a minute or two. What do you guys think? Is it a normal sound or was I bluffed?

 

I noticed that too...now that is warm it can be heard for 1-2 seconds only and it goes away....
VTEC adjusting...??? sounds like BS....if its the case, how come only few cars make this sound????
I am not sure but isn't the VTEC kicking in only at highier RPMs ,not idle or lower RPMs....?(please correct me if I am wrong...)
I still have few kms to go before my oil change but talked to a dealer about it and they will give me a loaner and "diagnose" the issue...will keep you posted what their answer is going to be....(I would bet, that they have no clue what it is....just after seeing the master mechanics face after I played the sound to him....I hope that I am wrong....)


just saw this and many other ....pretty sure that its BS!!! (VTEC adjusting....)

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question229.htm

nice explanation how vtec works here:

 

Anyone, any updates on the issue...?

 

No news, so etimes i ask if tney had some, but nothing. I m afraid i. won t know it before i give the car back in3 months. I will be with other brand at this time. now that it s colder i hear it. i don t believe vtec thing. take a knew car and it won t do that. Don t let the car cool down for too long and you won t hear it during the entire day.

 

Same with mu 2012-TL
check this this is from my car.
My dealer wanted me leave the car overnight, did that had him listen to the noise early morning .. but still they couldn't figure this where the noise is coming from ... really annoying.

I think this link should be closed on finding what is causing the this wired noise

 

my TL does it at every start up....I learned to live with it(It was not easy...) I lost all hope in dealer figuring this out and finding a cause of that annoying sound..... :-)))

 

Good news... You don't have to live with this noise any longer. My 2012 TL SH-AWD made the same exact noise, every morning for the first few minutes after starting it up. And the colder the weather, the worse it was.

I took my car to the dealer a few days ago and they diagnosed it as a failed transmission filter. The transmission filter is external to the transmission, it's cylindrical in shape and apparently has a baffle inside of it that was broken, causing the noise. When they called me and told me this I was skeptical but they replaced it and the strange cold startup noise is 100% gone!

 

Did you leave the car for the night over there?I looked in the service manual and it looks like the atf filter is buried inside the transmission housing....I don't know I may be wrong...
I will go to the dealership and tell them this and see what they say....

 

is this the filter?

http://www.carid.com/2012-acura-tl-t...m-8777392.html

 

I found this filter in an engine compartment, its located directly under the battery tray, on top of suspension subframe,its about 2.5" in diameter and around 2" long....(when did you have that filter replaced? Is the noise gone for good....?just asking because if my dealer does not find it faulty I would replace it myself....and hope for the best)

 

here it is on e-bay...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171149845299...84.m1423.l2649

 

I left the car overnight, they called the next day and told me it was the filter and that they had to order the part. The following day they called and told me the car was ready. I assure you, the problem is 100% fixed. I couldn't be happier!

 

Great ,thanks a lot for your help and pdf. copy....!