5th gen auto engine noise HELP! *VIDEO INCLUDED* - Honda Prelude Forum

peter330 · 07-21-2008, 11:56 PM

Hi all

My engine is making a strange churning sound and it's sitting uneasy with me. I've recently done an oil change and tune up but still this noise. I'm not too sure if i'm beng over worried but a good running engine shouldn't sound like this i'm sure. Any thoughts on what is causing this problem?

I apologize for the low lighting, i took it at night :-( the noise can be heard in the background aside from the normal running sound.

Thanks in advance!!

YouTube - prelude 5th gen churning noise

peter330 · 07-22-2008, 01:06 AM

PS its much louder in person than in the video and only sounds like this in park

boymeetsfence · 07-22-2008, 01:24 AM

Damn it sounds like a steam engine....

peter330 · 07-22-2008, 01:35 AM

Can you imagine how I feel to hear that in the morning when i start it ? :'( makes me cringe

Quote:

Originally Posted by boymeetsfence

Damn it sounds like a steam engine....

Solid · 07-22-2008, 07:46 AM

How many miles are on the car? Does that rubbing get louder/faster as RPMs increase?

My first guess is that the timing belt and tensioner need to be replaced.

death_adder · 07-22-2008, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solid

How many miles are on the car? Does that rubbing get louder/faster as RPMs increase?

My first guess is that the timing belt and tensioner need to be replaced.

^ And if that is the case, I'd get that changed ASAP. Neglect to change your timing belt isn't good on an H22.

peter330 · 07-22-2008, 09:03 AM

Well it only happens in park. When i put it in drive, the sound dissappears. Possibly the transmission going? I'm crossing my fingers not

Thanks for the responses this far...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solid

How many miles are on the car? Does that rubbing get louder/faster as RPMs increase?

My first guess is that the timing belt and tensioner need to be replaced.

Solid · 07-22-2008, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peter330

Well it only happens in park. When i put it in drive, the sound dissappears. Possibly the transmission going? I'm crossing my fingers not

Thanks for the responses this far...

Yeah then it could be a torque converter issue. Does the sound change as revs increase in park?

peter330 · 07-22-2008, 12:23 PM

well I took it to the local Honda dealer and the guy told me it sounds like the front bearing on the main shaft is going because it's only doing it in park and neutral his suggestion was to just change the tranny fluid regularly as it would cost a hella lot to pull the granny and check for sure... What would u recommend? Is it worth the fix?

98auto · 07-22-2008, 12:28 PM

That sounds reasonable...It will cost a good amount of money to do that. It would probably cost the same as throwing a 5spd in there. Or, you can have my auto trans for free. It doesn't make noises like that, but I would have it rebuilt. It shifts into 2nd kinda funny. 3rd and 4th are fine. you could throw mine in there, and sell the car lol...

peter330 · 07-22-2008, 02:13 PM

what are your thoughts on adding Lucas tranny additive to the ATF z1 fluid and also putting in a tranny cooler? I'll do anything to prolong the tranny other than replacing/rebuilding the tranny

98auto · 07-22-2008, 05:27 PM

those might help, but think of it this way: You are only prolonging the inevitable. Once the trans starts to make noise, it's on borrowed time. Adding additives and coolers will cost money, and they won't keep the trans from dying.

peter330 · 07-22-2008, 05:44 PM

this really sucks I'm so bummed right now it's not even funny

98auto · 07-22-2008, 05:57 PM

cheer up buddy! I just went through this with my car. It's not the end of the world. I don't know what your financial position is, but here is the price breakdown on my car:

$500 used trans
$500 for trans to be rebuilt with new synchros and 5th gear stuff
$1300 for all factory NEW: Motor mounts, clutch, flywheel, shift cables, shift base, shift knob, starter, clutch lines, brake pedal, clutch pedal, clutch master and slave cylinder, clutch dampener, fuel filter, various gaskets, nuts/bolts etc
I bought a used 5spd half shaft and 5spd cluster

The only reason I spent this much on it is because the engine is solid and I know the maintenance history. You can get away with much less than I did. It took me about 40 hours or so because I did it by myself and I took my time. I pulled the engine and trans out so I could do other maintenance at the same time. you could probably do it over a weekend with help.

peter330 · 07-22-2008, 07:56 PM

LOL I wish I was as mechanically sound as you are plus I got one of those cursed ss auto tranny so imagining it won't be cheap to rebuild + labour :-(

boymeetsfence · 07-22-2008, 08:01 PM

If you choose to go the route of a rebuild please heed everyone's advice and just swap it to a 5spd. If not, you'll have to rebuild or replace the auto again very very soon, it's so much more worth your time and money to go 5spd. Anyone on here can tell you the same thing

98auto · 07-22-2008, 10:33 PM

yea, i had a cursed SS tranny too!! I was getting about 26-27mpg on the highway. I would drive 65mph, no vtec and no hard acceleration. My last tank of gas in the new 5spd netted me 28.5mpg, and I was cruising at 80 most of the time with at least 6 or 7 VTEC engagements. not to mention I did at least three 2nd, 3rd 4th redline pulls. Im going to drive normal again for this tank and see if I can coax 29mpg out of it. So, the moral of the story is, dont rebuild that auto trans, swap it to a 5spd if you want to keep this car, or sell it as is and buy a 5spd prelude.

peter330 · 07-23-2008, 01:08 AM

Since I've come to the conclusion that the tranny is a ticking time bomb at this point, been looking up used engine/tranny parts. Ran into this website today with an h22a engine /w 5 speed transmission (everone's been telling me to do the 5 speed swap). Anyone have any idea how much it would cost to put this in, and what additional would i need to make this a complete coversion? I will be in need of an experienced but reasonably priced mechanice soon... but hopefully not too soon :P

http://japandirectjapanese.com/produ...1&bestseller=Y

Questions for you 5speed swappers... how much did it cost you for just a basic transmission swap including labor? Also, i been looking for used parts meanwhile and tempted to swap the engine as well with an h22a. Has anyone any experience in converting a base auto to a 5speed h22a? I'm sorry i'm a newb wit preludes just trying to get and idea of what to expect.

98auto · 07-23-2008, 03:50 AM

it's not necessary to swap the motor as well. You can buy used trannies for less than $800. If you buy the parts used, you will save cash. Id buy the following things new: mounts, clutch master and slave cylinder, clutch and flywheel. Everything else is acceptable to buy used.

peter330 · 07-23-2008, 10:59 AM

Sorry to be the nagging newb but don't know much about this ...so are these things aside from the actual tranny? What else would I be looking to get ie tacho cluster,clutch brake pedal setup?

Quote:

Originally Posted by 98auto

it's not necessary to swap the motor as well. You can buy used trannies for less than $800. If you buy the parts used, you will save cash. Id buy the following things new: mounts, clutch master and slave cylinder, clutch and flywheel. Everything else is acceptable to buy used.