I just traded my 99' Accord for a 97' Civic EX Sedan. The civic is lowered, Integra LS wheels, carbon fiber spoiler, type-r lip kit, type-r grill, and is white. I love the way it looks and everything but while i'm driving and i accelerate and when the tack hits 2,800rpm the motor makes a funny noise. Almost like a tapping or more like a knocking but it isnt that loud you can just barely hear it inside the car. I was wondering if all i need to do is replace the connecting rod bearings, i have access to a lift so i can probably get it done in like 3-4 hours. If i do this will it take the noise away? the car is a SOHC VTEC 5-speed with a 112,000.

 

could be hearing detonation. what kind of fuel are you using, like 85,87, or 91? if you are running 85 then try a tank of 91 and see if it goes away. if it doesnt then it could very well be a rod bearing going bad or has already gone bad...

does it sound like beebees rattling softly around in a paint can?

 

no, it sounds nothing like bee-bee's in a paint can. I think it is a rod bearing but if i can put new ones in and not change the main bearings, will that hurt anything? i just want the rod noise to go away and rod bearings are fairly cheap and these ones haven't gone out completely yet but they are starting to. I can do the rod bearings on tuesday so i need to now what the best thing to do would be...

 

i know a friend that drives a crx and his has something that sounds the same. are you sure it is in the motor? my friends is the rear heat shield on the exhaust manifold. if not, you might as well change the main bearings while you are the rods. they may have a bit of slop also.

 

ya i would but man the mains are a pain in the ***... trainsmission has to come out because if i remove the main caps than my seals are f***** and i DO NOT want to leak oil. The motor in my civic is bone stock and i do not beat on this car at all. It is my baby, and i just want to find out what the noise is. I got the car on sunday so i am changing the oil tomorrow (Mobil 1 10W30) and removeing my noisy catalytic converter sheild and i will repost it if makes the noise anymore.

 

OK, i have had one mechanic tell me its not a connecting rod (we stethiscoped the bottom end), one mechanic tell me that it is a rod, and another tell me that it doesn't sound like one. It makes this noise sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, and i was told to hook the car up to the ignition analyzer and see if a spark plug is starting to kick out at around 2,800rpm. If it is a rod bearing that is going can i get away with just changing the rods and not the mains? I don't beat on this car at all so i think the mains should be good because if this is a rod, then this bearing isn't anywhere near spun yet. Its very quiet for a rod bearing so i think ill just refrain from driving the car until i get the new rod bearings.

 

Why would you automatically assume it's the hardest thing? My first inclination would be detonation like RiceBurner said. Do yourself a favor and run a tank of premium and/or check your timing before you tear into the block.

 

Changing out the rod bearing without having the crank and rods checked out is never a good idea. With that said, I have done it at least 20 times and have only gotten bite once. The most important thing is to keep the caps with the same rod. They do not interchange. Changing out the mains while still installed in the car is not an easy task. It can be done, but boy is it a job with the tranny bolted to one end and the T Belt on the other. To play it safe you should purchase some plasti-gage to measure the tolorance between the crank and rods. It's pretty cheap and it can save a lot of headaches.

 

DEude evrfy car I have ever owned with more than 125k on it (which is every car i have ever owned) has made that sound , I even had my motorcycle make that same sound. My current car does, too. I have found that in every case except my motorcycle that it was my valves being slightly out of adjustment.This will cause almost identical symptoms as spark failure. A very soft knock u might not even hear if you weren't listening for it. Anyway I don't know if this is ur problem but it only takes a few minutes to fix. I would also recommend ann oil change and use lucas oil stabilizer or royal purple. They both make an "import" version and they both work great.

 

should i change my oil with Mobil 1 5w30 and some Lucas?