bearing failure?

[mc360]

ok so i just started hearing this noise in my car the last week, it kinda sounds like sand or something in the motor (hard to describe). i guess the noise depends on the load of the motor, driving on a flat road it does it at about 4000 rpm but going up a hill bogging out a little it does it sooner at like 3500rpm, push the clutch in when cruising and rev it up and it does it at about 4000rpm but it barely does it when revved at a stop.

i dont hear a rod knock which most the spun bearing videos i watched had a terrible knock, maybe a pulley bearing or something or a heat shield? i just changed the oil tonight and no metal flakes were in the oil. i also removed the heat shields on the header and cat so i will see if the noise is there tomorrow

Edit- I was in a hurry to write this last night and forgot a few thing, this is a 99 ex sedan with d16y8 and 174xxx miles.ive owned this car since december and have taken care of it and driven it alot nicer than my last civic, i probably should have but i didnt change the oil until last night because when i picked it up the oil was clear. i am also starting to notice a power loss but there are no cel codes and i dont notice any misfires

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CsAX8JqjE[/youtube]

 

[Kenneth]

Manual or auto? Reason I ask is it sounds like something in the drive train.

 

[mc360]

Sorry manual, anyways the other day I started it at about 7am when it was cold out and it had a bad miss (never has before) then I drove it to town to drop off at my new house and noticed its louder and sounds like a crackle/popping like electricity. I popped the hood and checked the wires and all 4 look burnt right around the head of the plug wire going to the spark plug. This seems to make sense because im noticing a decent power loss all of a sudden and that bad missfire I had

 

[Kenneth]

Well it sounds like you found the problem. Definitely gonna need to find out why it's burned around the plugs. Hope it's just the wires need to be replaced. How long since they've been replaced?

 

[96romaCX]

Might be the engine control module in the dizzy going bad.. I remember replaceing it the cap and rotor when I first got my hatch because it would shutter and missfire , then go dead.

 

[mc360]

I think there just old wires, ive only owned the car since dec 2013

 

[Kenneth]

I think there just old wires, ive only owned the car since dec 2013

After replacing the plugs, wires, cap n stuff. I'd get a good handle on whether that timing belt has been changed. Better yet, just change it along with the water pump, probly the thermostat also. I'm sure there's a complete checklist of stuff. I know for a fact, that the timing belt, when it breaks unexpected, spells bad news my friend. So don't hesitate!

 

[mc360]

I know I have had a few friends break timing belts on there honda/acura when I told them to change them. Mine looks fine though, I have the see through cover so I can check every time im under the hood

 

[mc360]

Might be the engine control module in the dizzy going bad.. I remember replaceing it the cap and rotor when I first got my hatch because it would shutter and missfire , then go dead.

you happen to have any pictures of the engine control module that was bad? i havent popped the cap off to look at it and the rotor yet so maybe i will check that out to. i replaced the wires and it didnt fix anything, maybe i need to jump the service connector to see if there is a hidden cel not showing for some reason?

 

[LandingMan]

Check compression. If 2 adjacent cylinders differ more than 10 psi. That can cause an unstable idle. The weird noise while driving: try lubing the the release bearing in the bell housing. Some times they dry up and make hellacious sounds... On the miss keep on doing what your doing for the missfire diag. If you need some more pointers let me know.

 

[mc360]

i checked compression on this a month or so before this started acting up, i dont remember off hand but all the cylinders were 152-160 across the board but i havent checked since it started acting up. the car has only missfired once and that was when it was 30 degrees out, it drives fine besides the power loss but then makes the noise at about 3500rpm while driving.

 

[Kenneth]

What about the burned wires? After replacing plug wires, has that issue been resolved? As far as the icm goes, take it to autozone or one of those places that does free testing, and have the icm tested.

 

[96romaCX]

Here's a good video to show you what the part looks like, sorry for the wrong name of the part, my I phone likes to spell for me all the time.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BKjzQ-vBvco

After we replaced this, cap, rotor, wire, plugs, and fuel filter, it ran fine.

 

[mc360]

The new wires did not fix the problem, the car starts and idles fine, it also doesnt make any noise below half throttle and 3000rpm. You really wouldnt notice any problem if you were to drive in town on flat ground, it doesnt have any low or high rpm miss. I just checked the cap rotor and plugs 20 minutes ago and they all look good so idk what caused the one misfire at idle I had. My next move is to remove all the accessory belts and see if it makes the noise still (without ac, ps), I took it in and had a shop tech test drive it and he said it doesnt sound or feel internal and he hasnt heard a noise like this in 50 years of being a mechanic. Only other thing he mentioned was people replace timing belts without replacing water pumps and tensioners so maybe the t belt tension is going bad?

 

[Kenneth]

First, let me say that I believe you have two separate problems. I'm thinking, that the burned wires are the more immediate problem. If you're satisfied this issue has been resolved, and it's certainly possible, that wires were all that was needed, then I'd be keeping an eye out for more burning. I've seen electrical problems burn a car completely to the ground in a very short time. It's very unlikely, doesn't happen often, but it does happen. As far as the original problem goes, intermittent, or occasional noises are sometimes tough to find. Especially when the only way to cause the noise is when driving. But you're on the right track to eliminate the most likely causes, such as all the rotating parts. Can the noise be heard at whatever rpm, while operating the throttle cable by hand? While standing over the engine?

 

[mc360]

Yes the noise can be heard while the car is not moving and your under the hood, I really hope its just a bearing on a idler pulley or the ac or something

 

[mc360]

Ok so I just hooked up my timing light to check it and it was all good, I has the service connector jumped and the car was warmed up. I had no CEL but I backed the car up about ten feet and the cel came on, I shut the car off and restarted it and the cel stayed with a code 8 for tdc sensor. Can the tdc sensor be replaced or do I need a whole distributor? Could the noise im hearing be a bearing in the distributor maybe?

 

[Kenneth]

My understanding is that sometimes the tdc sensor makes a noise similar to what you described, when going bad.

 

[mc360]

just to update this for anyone who has a similar problem but no solution yet, it ended up being my catalytic converter. i had a cel for the cat a while back but used a spacer to make the cel go away, eventually it broke up and clogged. so i decided that i would pull the cat today thinking that would help the power loss and it got rid of the noise also, i guess the loose s**t inside was making the noises and causing the power loss

 

[Kenneth]

just to update this for anyone who has a similar problem but no solution yet, it ended up being my catalytic converter. i had a cel for the cat a while back but used a spacer to make the cel go away, eventually it broke up and clogged. so i decided that i would pull the cat today thinking that would help the power loss and it got rid of the noise also, i guess the loose s**t inside was making the noises and causing the power loss

Yup, just goes to show ya. It really COULD be just about anything.
I see people asking why their car won't start, or what have you. These people are looking for a quick answer. It's usually not that easy. I really wish it was. Usually turns out to be something completely different than what I thought. I'm not a very good keyboard mechanic.