Honda 2.4 litre piston slap - help!

[z917990]

My 2.4 litre I-4 in my 2003 Accord has developed the dreaded piston slap sound. It only happens when it is cold and under load. It goes away almost entirely when the engine is warmed up. I have been told and have read that, although having a piston slap is not the greatest thing, it does not spell the immediate demise of my engine. Apparently, this is a very common problem with Honda 4 cylinders and does not significantly decrease longevity. What is your experience? Will thicker oil help? I have used Pennzoil Platinum 5w-20 or NAPA "full" synthetic 5w-20 religiously - 5000 to 6000 mile OCI - Honda A01 filters - mixed driving - gentle on the car - valves adjusted, plugs changed at 100,000 - 108000 on the car now. Thanks

 

[chubbs1]

You should be fine, I would try a Purolator Classic filter see if there are any changes. You can try the filter whenever you get a chance to put it on. Those classics have good flow rates. Could help.

 

[ComfyShorts]

Completely normal for those engines, the earlier 2.2 and 2.3 4 cylinder engines were even louder when cold.

 

[z917990]

Good idea about the Purolator classic. I had not thought about flow rate. Are these filters OK for a 5000 mile OCI or should I cut back to 4000? Thanks again!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Try Pennzoil conventional or Valvoline conventional and I`m willing to bet the noise will go away. What weight oil does it spec? Wonder if 5W/10W30 would be a good choice?

 

[meep]

had this in a 97 subaru, known for it. started at under 10,000 miles. I used 10-30 instead of 5-30 M1. I was gentle on warm-up, then drove the pants off that little car in my D.C. commute for over 100,000 miles, with zero related trouble.

M

 

[z917990]

Thanks for the input. I would rather stick with Pennzoil Platinum than go to Pennzoil Conventional or Valvoline conventional. It looks like anything that I can do to improve cold flow could help. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like I should stick with Pennzoil Platinum 5w-20 and a freer flowing filter like the Purolator. Has anyone had a Honda with this problem that has lasted close to 200,000 miles? I'm shooting for that mark. Thank you again in advance.

 

[Jeepster_nut]

I have had several 2.4 Honda engines- all with very high mileage. I wouldn't worry about it...

 

[meep]

A thicker oil will provide tiny, miniscule amounts of more cushion, likely not enuf to make much mechanical difference but in my experience certainly enough to make a slight audible difference.

If it were me, I would go a grade thicker, but really, I don't know if it'll matter.

also depends on if it's slap between the pin and piston, or if it's the piston "tilting" in the cylinder, which happens on the short skirt or skirtless designs more readily than older, longer pistons.

M

 

[ls1mike]

No worries lots of cars have piston slap.

 

[z917990]

Thank you for the responses.

 

[k24a4]

I have a similar problem and pm'd you, should you come back to this thread.