Mechanics tell me this noise is "normal", but I find it annoying. What is it?

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OCDriver

Joined
Apr 13, 2016
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Location
Canada
'02 Civic SIR / EP3 (Canadian model)

Recording of sound I'm hearing

The sound you're listening for is that high pitched, fluttery whistling sound.

The pitch and volume of the sound are constant, regardless of ambient temperature, engine temperature, RPM, or road speed. The only time you'll hear a slight variation where it pitches up and down is immediately when the throttle is opened or closed (that sort of "weeeooo")

I can only hear it from inside the car when it's under load, which makes it tricky to figure out. Mechanics have suggested it's normal intake or valve train noise, and that's fine, I just find it a bit annoying and want to see if I can get rid of it.

Recent maintenance done:
- oil and filter
- air filter
- changed coolant
- replaced plugs
- replaced service belt (lots of cracking)
- replaced tensioner pulley

Any ideas? How I locate the source this sound if I can only hear it from the interior while under load?

EDIT: car is 100% stock.
 
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Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Does the car have the stock intake tract? IE, you haven't put a CAI or anything on it?

Sorry, forgot to mention: everything the car is bone stock. Stock air box and intake assembly, no modifications. The intake duct has a few surface cracks from dry rot, but no deep cracks that could be letting in air.
 
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I wonder if you have a tiny exhaust leak somewhere? Maybe look over the entire airbox apparatus very carefully.
 
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I wonder if you have a tiny exhaust leak somewhere?

Hmm, that's a possibility. Any way to find that other than feeling around for puffs of air?

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Maybe look over the entire airbox apparatus very carefully.

I've looked over the whole thing, no obvious holes where they shouldn't be.
 
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Sounds like a vacuum leak.

Originally Posted by OCDriver
The intake duct has a few surface cracks from dry rot, but no deep cracks that could be letting in air.

I bet one opens up when the engine rocks under load.
 
Sounds like either an air leak in the intake before the throttle body or an exhaust leak. It's hard to hear clearly because of whatever is making noise in the cabin that sounds like crumpling paper.
 
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Did you use a Honda air filter or an aftermarket? My 1985 Olds 88 makes noise if I do not use a AC-Delco (GM) air-filter on it. I found this out because one time I changed the air-filter with an after-market air filter and did nothing else to the car and it made noise. I replaced that with a GM air filter and the noise is gone.
 
Its your OCD kicking in again. Sounds normal to me. Ford Contours sometimes developed a noise called "moosing"- it was due to some vibration in the intake just before and after the air filter. There was a kit for later models that added some funky dead-end passages to the intake box and tubes and fixed the issue- I recall Ford would install the parts for free if the customer complained. The moosing was far more pronounced than what I could hear in your video. If you can narrow down the source of the noise to something in the intake tract (the plastic bits), perhaps putting some Dynamat might reduce the noise. If you have any cracks in the airbox, replace it- I had good success from junk yards.
 
I had one of those for about 15 years! Mine had a very clickety clackety valvetrain noise for its life. Valves were in adjustment. I can't hear any odd sounds in your recording compared to what I remember mine sounding like. If no ill effects, I wouldn't worry. Did you have bad camshafts in yours? At about 60k I replaced an exhaust cam due to lobes disintegrating.

At about 120k had all new pulleys put on for whistling type noise that was pulley bearings (idler and tensioner). The alternator always had a high pitched hum, too. Lasted for 220k and was still good when I traded it in... Original water pump, too.
 
Originally Posted by HowAboutThis
I had one of those for about 15 years! Mine had a very clickety clackety valvetrain noise for its life. Valves were in adjustment. I can't hear any odd sounds in your recording compared to what I remember mine sounding like. If no ill effects, I wouldn't worry. Did you have bad camshafts in yours? At about 60k I replaced an exhaust cam due to lobes disintegrating.

At about 120k had all new pulleys put on for whistling type noise that was pulley bearings (idler and tensioner). The alternator always had a high pitched hum, too. Lasted for 220k and was still good when I traded it in... Original water pump, too.


Finally, someone who's had the same car!
laugh.gif


Everything else seems fine, pulls hard, no warning lights. Just had the tensioner pulley and belt done, I think I also need to replace the idler pulley, since it's making a rhythmic humming sound when cold. It doesn't sound like it's related to this noise, but couldn't hurt to replace and try.
 
I would say a ratchet typ bearing on your alternator...or a bearing on your A/C compressor...since sound comes and go in vaves...
 
Originally Posted by Kamele0N
I would say a ratchet typ bearing on your alternator...or a bearing on your A/C compressor...since sound comes and go in vaves...

The sound is constant and consistent with the throttle open under load.
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Water pump ever been done?

No idea, only had the car for a month and a half.
 
Timing belt? I had a brand new aftermarket timing belt that made a noise like that, I think it was a Gates.
 
Originally Posted by wag123
Timing belt? I had a brand new aftermarket timing belt that made a noise like that, I think it was a Gates.

It's chain driven.
 
I can't remember, is that a drive by wire model? If it is, you're likely hearing sound from the PWM control circuitry for the throttle. I can hear it as a whine in my 03 Accord under throttle, I don't hear it in my Acura, but I can't say that I've tried to listen for it although the circuitry should be almost identical.

Same sort of situation as being able to hear the output of an audio amplifier with nothing connected to the speaker outputs.
 
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