EK Civic Oil Question

[Sno]

I've been using Royal Purple full synthetic 5w30 oil in my 1997 Civic (D16Y7 engine) since I bought the car about 5K miles ago.

I've been having a lot of valvetrain noise, so I adjusted the valves back into spec.. but it seems now I have even more noise. Even though my car only has 40,500 miles I think RP is too thin of an oil. It doesn't burn oil, and it doesn't leak.. but this noise is atrocious.

Here's a .MP4 directly from my phone; tell me if what you hear is oil related. (Skip to about 1:30 when I rev it a little and you can really hear the tappets.)

http://www.mediafire.com/?gmkig8lldi0sixd

 

[Sno]

Nobody has any ideas?

I think next oil change (since I just changed my oil last Monday) I'll go with Mobile 1 EP and a K&N/Mobile Filter.

 

[dtt004]

Hi.

I can't really tell too much, but what I can say is...that's not an oil related problem.

 

[wolfc70]

Originally Posted By: dtt004
Hi.

I can't really tell too much, but what I can say is...that's not an oil related problem.


Ditto. That sounds like something is really worn and loose. Hard to tell what is making the noise, but it has nothing to do with your current oil.

 

[Sno]

Valves have just been done, but it's possible they were done wrong.

Remember the car only has 40K easy miles on her, so it can't be that bad.

 

[dparm]

No way is that 5w30 too thin, but feel free to run 5w40. It probably won't fix the problem...might hide some of it.

 

[Quest]

Nope, to my hearing: this rapping could be caused by some rotating parts (valvetrain? distributor shaft/bearings running bad?) and maybe generated from the valvetrain area.

While we do not have any history on this vehicle. Granted: why only 40k miles on a 13+ yr old car? Is this engine original? Rebuilt or wreckers? If the engine original, what is the service history and usage during the past 13 yrs? Why mileage so low for a 13yr old engine?

Also: for engine valve clearances, did you do it while cold (ambient temp around 20C)? What spec did you use for Intake and Exhaust valves?

My factory spec calls for the following (D16Y7):

Intake 0.007 to 0.009"
Exhaust 0.009 to 0.011"

I typically take on the middle value (int: 0.008", Exh 0.010") for all the Honda D16Y7 I serviced so far.

It could also be an idler tensioner bearing issue too.


Definitely not oil-related if you want to know.

serviced all the Hondas of that era (incl. 97 1.6EL) with 5W30 of all kinds and never oil related. Hexk! I'm back using Q-state 5W20 conventional oil on my fit and my engine never sounds like that...

Q.

 

[Sno]

The car does have the original engine, serial numbers confirm.. however the transmission has been replaced by a brand new Honda unit installed for $2800 (by the previous owner) at a Honda dealer. The car has a full service history, including oil changes every 4-5K (or every 8 months) done by lube shops, and the dealership. It was driven by a grandmother who passed away.

I put a fan on the engine at let it sit for 3-4 hours, it was quite cool by the time I started work. I used the proper specs found under the bonnet, most of the intake valves were fine (a few needed tightened), and all of the exhaust valves needed loosening. (I triple checked TDC with a whistle to check the stroke, and a screw driver to check TDC of that cylinder). 0.215mm for intake, and 0.252mm for the exhaust.

The engine also has perfect compression on all cylinders, and there was only a smidge of sludge/varnish since this engine spent most of it's time sitting unused.

Besides the noise, the engine runs great.. and it's not a loud noise while driving, it stays the same volume but increases tapping speed.

Thanks for attempting to help with this issue, nobody else seems willing to tackle it.

I have to say the noise seems to be coming from the valvetrain area, and is more of a rattle (like if someone left a coin on the exhaust manifold).

 

[Quest]

In that case if you can live by with a noisy engine then might as well drive and be happy.

Sorry we cannot help for sometimes, engine does make noise. Also check to see if the thermostat is working properly. A fully functional/properly working thermostat will bring the engine block up to normal operating temperature which by then, due to thermal expansion on all aluminum parts/block and piston skirts, etc. should get your engine into a nice, quiet condition.

Good luck.

Q.