Hi to all. Just picked up my beauty last Monday and have racked up 300 (non vtec) miles. This board is great, I have gained considerable knowledge about the newest member to my Honda family. I have driven Honda's since 1986 and currently own an Odessey and '93 Civic--both great cars. The fit and finish of the body and paint is the best I've seen on any Honda thus far. My concerns are limited to the engine and transmission. The transmission/clutch? makes a quick whirring/whoosh noise. The noise only happens the first time the clutch is let out in first gear after start up. The transmission occasionaly catches from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd and the clutch is fully depressed. I do notice a clutch like smell when exiting the car but I'm not slipping the clutch? Hope it's something else. The engine fires right up and holds a 2K for a minute and settles to 900 to 1000 at idle. The exhaust sounds pretty good and rattles my garage windows-I love it. I do have 2 concerns with the engine. The first is a slight rattling noise. The engine runs smooth and I've read that the sound my be a cam tensioner? The other concern is oil consumption. The engine is already 2 marks down on oil and I notice soot from the tail pipes. Oh well, I'm sure that these problems will subside as the car is broken it. I don't expect that it will behave like a typical Honda but I may be pleasantly surprised. I absolutely love the driving experience and can't wait for a nice sunny day here in Michigan! Can anybody ease my concerns? Thanks in advance!

 

Buddie.... you've just described my car to the T. I've got 9 thousand miles now (still with no problems) but still does exactly what yours is doing. Oh yeah, welcome !

 

Welcome aboard, and I love your screen name <sssssssssssss>.

Check the oil often and document what you find. The owner's manual says to check the oil every time you stop for gasoline. I'd do it even more AND document it.

You probably have nothing to worry about.

Break it in by the book, or more gentle. That means holding the tach below 5,500 rpm for the first 600 miles (1,000 km). The manual also says to avoid rapid accelerations during that time too. I'm at 875 miles on my replacement short block and I don't exceed 7,500 rpm at this point. I'll plan on seeing 9,000 rpm after I cross 1,000 miles.

 

Thanks for the welcome and info. I look forward to sharing my driving experience.