noisy little civic

[KCJeep]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: vinu_neuro
I don't know why, but Shell oils like Pennzoil, Quaker State have been the quietest in every engine I've used. Mobil 1 has been the noisiest.


My engines have remained very quite for 35 years using Mobil 1 oils.


How would you know, relatively speaking, as you haven't used anything else?

 

[jrustles]

Originally Posted By: KCJeep
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: vinu_neuro
I don't know why, but Shell oils like Pennzoil, Quaker State have been the quietest in every engine I've used. Mobil 1 has been the noisiest.


My engines have remained very quite for 35 years using Mobil 1 oils.


How would you know, relatively speaking, as you haven't used anything else?


That's the catch to statements like that. He didn't say 'relative to', he just made a stand-alone statement. Sure it suggests something about Mobil 1, without explicitly making that claim.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: KCJeep
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: vinu_neuro
I don't know why, but Shell oils like Pennzoil, Quaker State have been the quietest in every engine I've used. Mobil 1 has been the noisiest.


My engines have remained very quite for 35 years using Mobil 1 oils.


How would you know, relatively speaking, as you haven't used anything else?
Originally Posted By: KCJeep
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: vinu_neuro
I don't know why, but Shell oils like Pennzoil, Quaker State have been the quietest in every engine I've used. Mobil 1 has been the noisiest.


My engines have remained very quite for 35 years using Mobil 1 oils.


How would you know, relatively speaking, as you haven't used anything else?


I know what makes engines go round and round. I also know what an engine sounds like when operating properly. I have a lot of experience with engine maintainance and repair going back to the early 60s.

 

[ram_man]

Originally Posted By: jrustles
All generations of Honda 4 cylinders (D, B, F, H, K, L, R) have always done two things consistently IME:
-clackety valvetrain, even w/clearances set to spec
-piston slap
ALWAYS.

Luckily, neither of these things will stop them from performing or accumulating high miles. They're just aesthetic issues to me. If you want to try and quell the noise, why not try oils with different HTHS values to chart out a possible correlation.


How noticeable is the piston slap? Mine gets worse as it warms up. When cold you hardly hear anything. Also valvetrain being clackity. Do they just tick or what noise do they make.

 

[Coprolite]

A better investment might be some more sound insulation under the carpet and in the doors. There are some great new options that will reduce road noise on the highway, too.

Worrying about valvetrain noise when you know the engine is healthy is a sign of not having better things to worry about. Going on a quest to make the inside of the car as quiet as possible might be fun.

 

[jrustles]

Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: jrustles
All generations of Honda 4 cylinders (D, B, F, H, K, L, R) have always done two things consistently IME:
-clackety valvetrain, even w/clearances set to spec
-piston slap
ALWAYS.

Luckily, neither of these things will stop them from performing or accumulating high miles. They're just aesthetic issues to me. If you want to try and quell the noise, why not try oils with different HTHS values to chart out a possible correlation.


How noticeable is the piston slap? Mine gets worse as it warms up. When cold you hardly hear anything. Also valvetrain being clackity. Do they just tick or what noise do they make.


Hmm piston slap that gets worse with temperature? That's strange. Usually it's at warm up.

The valvetrain sound to me is kind of like dragging a chain across the valvecover that gets coarser with RPM. All of our Honda's have done it, D15 SOHC, D17 SOHC and H23 DOHC. My friend's and uncle's F22 Accords are the same deal. I even tried to get rid of it on the D15 and H23 by being on the tighter side of valve clearances, but that just causes improper valve closure and leakage, especially on the exhaust side.

 

[ram_man]

Originally Posted By: jrustles
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: jrustles
All generations of Honda 4 cylinders (D, B, F, H, K, L, R) have always done two things consistently IME:
-clackety valvetrain, even w/clearances set to spec
-piston slap
ALWAYS.

Luckily, neither of these things will stop them from performing or accumulating high miles. They're just aesthetic issues to me. If you want to try and quell the noise, why not try oils with different HTHS values to chart out a possible correlation.


How noticeable is the piston slap? Mine gets worse as it warms up. When cold you hardly hear anything. Also valvetrain being clackity. Do they just tick or what noise do they make.


Hmm piston slap that gets worse with temperature? That's strange. Usually it's at warm up.

The valvetrain sound to me is kind of like dragging a chain across the valvecover that gets coarser with RPM. All of our Honda's have done it, D15 SOHC, D17 SOHC and H23 DOHC. My friend's and uncle's F22 Accords are the same deal. I even tried to get rid of it on the D15 and H23 by being on the tighter side of valve clearances, but that just causes improper valve closure and leakage, especially on the exhaust side.


How did you know they were closing improperly and causing leakage?

 

[oggb]

I'd say try a slightly thicker oil if it bothers you.

My Prius' valvetrain is solid and remarkably loud considering how small the engine is. My WRX's valvetrain (also solid) couldn't be heard over the injectors.

As many Civics as there are out there racking up the miles I doubt you've got anything to worry about when it comes engine longevity.