IA-SteveB

I have an odd noise that happens when starting out in first gear. When the car starts to accelerate under light load I hear a ping that seems to be coming from right underneath the car but it is hard to determine where. The best way I can describe it is, it sounds like a tire running over a piece of gravel that shoots out the side with a rubbery ping. It does it almost every time so can you think of anything to check underneath, i.e. bushings? The car has 80k on it. I may have to capture a video. Sorry for the vague description. It doesn't happen going over bumps or anything like that, it is just a rubbery sounding ping when accelerating under any type of load. I can't really imagine being able to replicate it by putting the car up on jack stands and searching around without knowing some possible culprits.

Car Analogy

So is it just when you first start to move from a stop, and it just happens one time?

If so, and since it doesn't happen over bumps, it sounds like something that is loose, that shifts due to torque, but that doesn't shift around (at least not enough to hear) on bumps, and that once shifted, tends to stay in place until a negative torque is applied (stopping), at which point it primed to happen again as soon as torque is applied (drive away).

So um... Yeah, nothing immediately springs to mind that meets all those criteria. But bushings seem closest. I would make sure the car is very, very secure on stands, or maybe on ramps, then have it with a big rubber mallet trying to get things like control arms to move when you give them a decent whack. Also check shock mounts, sway bar mounts and end links, trans mount, and especially diff mounts.

Also, maybe it does make noise over bumps, but you can't hear it due to beign drowned out by road noise.

IA-SteveB

Yep, just when starting out both in forward and reverse gears. Your description in the second sentence is spot on. You are right, I am not 100% sure it is not happening during normal driving over bumps. It just always seems like there is tension building somewhere that is released when accelerating and then I get a ping. I sure wish I had access to a lift.

toztigger

see if its your hub and bearings

s2000Junky

Check your rear axle nuts are torqued to the most current spec. There is a Billman procedure, which some have employed to remedy the popping sound, but I've had fine success just going with 250lb trq. If I recall the original trq spec from Honda was 180lb then they revised to like 225lb. Billman has it based on clocking from the Honda trq spec rather then a exact trq but seems like overkill to me ending up yielding close to 400lb, so I wasn't comfortable with it myself. Again 250lb seems to be all I needed to resolve the "axle popping".

IA-SteveB

Thanks for the suggestions. The hunt will commence this weekend.

toztigger

my shop only had a tq wrench that went to 200lbs so we got a shop gun and went to town, the axle can handle 700lbs i believe

s2000Junky

Its what the bearing/race and probably the nut/threads itself can handle at that point. I would never put that kind of trq on those nuts. The axle itself might be able to handle a twisting trq of 700lb but that's not what's at play here.

Chris_Lum

yep sounds like axle nut issue

Chuck S

Torque wrench for this is not necessary. 180 pounds on the end of a 24" breaker bar is 360 lb-ft.

Remove, clean, and grease the nut. Put it back on the axle in the same place it was staked at the factory. Then tighten 60° more (one flat). Restake.

-- Chuck