piston slap on my accord when switching to synthetic

digitaldrifter91 · May 5, 2003

i have been concidering of going to synthetic on my 91 accord. almost all concerns like leaks and stuff have been ruled out. but i been reading and cars like the ls1 has massive piston slaps. or is it just cars with the V design in the engine?

will this be a problem on my 2.2l I4 accord? no matter what synthetic i choose (amsoil, mobil 1) i will be using 10w-30 weight. or should i go higher?

driving:
high revs
city driving alot some freeway
40 miles a day
...hehe one of the many reasons im going to synthetic.
car has 166k, very good condition with a purolator filter.

Drew99GT · May 5, 2003

Sorry, I just have to ask: Did you flat out never go to English class?

As far as synthetics, I'd just stick to good ol dino and not worry about it. It's cheaper and it's got you this far!

digitaldrifter91 · May 5, 2003

english was boring. sorrie all my keypads are sticky hehe. ill fix it next time.

hehe i am wondering if i am just killing dino oil. i am almost done with auto rx and i want to keep the engine clean. maybe ill stick with dino, but still am thinking.

[ May 05, 2003, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: digitaldrifter91 ]

Drew99GT · May 5, 2003

It's all good, I was just playin. I sometimes go back and read my posts and it looks like I'm illiterate, or dislexic sometimes!

digitaldrifter91 · May 5, 2003

dont worry about it. its funnie though =)

buster · May 5, 2003

I vote to stick with Dino. With that mileage I'd try some Castrol oil. Just my opinion.

Surprise · May 5, 2003

What does piston slap sound like? (sorry for the newbie question)

Al · May 5, 2003

It sounds like a diesel (sort of) and its similar to a pinging sound (sort of)

. But it normally does it even when the car is just idling. Especially when the vehicle has just been started up.
digitaldrifter91: Do you actually have the slap?? I can tell you that Mobil 1 10W-30 will not get rid of the problem. Supposedly Redling can improve the symptoms.

digitaldrifter91 · May 5, 2003

i dont knwo if i have slap. i hear things on startup but i dont knwo what to look for. i need to hear it and then i can match the sound you know?

if i do go dino i want to try chevron supreme. i used castrol before and didnt like it, i dont know why.

sprintman · May 5, 2003

You need to run dino for a while after Auto-Rx anyway for the seals.

digitaldrifter91 · May 5, 2003

i thought about that. because i dont want to risk any seal leak again. err i was satisfied to go with synthetic, but now ill stick with dino, and maybe later semi synthetic thats it =). thanks guys, i guess ill hit up some chevron.

i wonder what that sound i hear in the morning is. ill try and record the sound for ya =).

Drstressor · May 5, 2003

The Honda 2.2L of your vintage doesn't normally have piston slap. The noise you hear until the engine warms up is normal for the valve train. Starting in about '90, the factory spec valve adjustment allows for clatter when cold (regardless of the ambient temperature). This does no harm and prevents the valves from being too tight once the engine warms up. A thicker oil will reduce the sound a bit, but I wouldn't worry about the noise. They all do it and seem to run forever.

digitaldrifter91 · May 6, 2003

o i get it now. yea mine is a ticking sound. but only for like 10 seconds. usually before it was more but i changed the oil filter brand and it lessend with the purolator vs the bosch or the fram. i am due for a valve adjustment. but im too lazy to do it =).

hehe im just worried im putting too much heat and pressure on my dino oil.

would a semi synthetic help against heat? <---if i decide to not go full syn

Greaser · May 6, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by Drew99GT:
Sorry, I just have to ask: Did you flat out never go to English class?

As far as synthetics, I'd just stick to good ol dino and not worry about it. It's cheaper and it's got you this far!

Greaser · May 6, 2003

Odd...The Mobil 1 in the SuperSyn GREATLY reduced my piston slap on my 99 4.0L Jeep..I was previously using the Tri-Syn formuli ( the I is for Drew99GT..had to mis-spwell it

)

Dr. T · May 6, 2003

Is 'piston slap' sound different from a sticky valve or lifter???

Bror Jace · May 6, 2003

My "slappy" Civic sounded like it had a bad rod-knock. It was a very deep sound for the first 3-5 minutes on cold days.

A buddy of mine switched his high mileage Hondas (two Civics) to Pennzoil High Mileage Vehicle (I think 10W30) with great results. Much quieter than Mobil 1 Tri-Syn. Don't know if he ever tried the SuperSyn or not.

--- Bror Jace

Drew99GT · May 6, 2003

I've heard a couple people say on this board that Mobil 1 made their piston slap permanent after about 50,000 miles of using the mobil 1. That's exactly what happened to my Grand Am, and it just continued to get louder longer, even when using dino. It sounds like a clacking sound; clack clack clack clack. Kind of like a loose bearing or something. It sounds drastically different than lifter or valvetrain noises which have a ticking sound; tick tick tick tick.

Drstressor · May 6, 2003

Piston slap sounds as described by Bror Jace. It is quite different from valve train related noise.

digitaldrifter91 · May 7, 2003

thanks guys! i appreciate the input.

piston slap on my accord when switching to synthetic

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