Does anyone else experience this?

My "S" is a daily driver. Every morning, hot or cold weather, about a minute after I start up my engine for the first time, I hear what sounds like the valves clicking/clattering like they need to be adjusted.

After the car has completely warmed up, 3 bars on temp. guage, 10 minutes of driving, at idle at a street light, the noise seems to have diminish or completely go away.

Something to worry about or just a normal characteristic of this car?

It happens when I start the car going home too (parked all day).

By the way, car is fairly new. Purchased in Oct '02, currently has 8k miles.

 

My S has done this from day one. I currently have 20,500 miles with no ill effects. It sounds like bolts rattling in a can, right? I brought the issue up with my dealer and we started another S on the lot and it made the same noise. I only hear it after the vehicle has been sitting for a while. Sometimes I do not hear it all.

 

I have not heard this on my car or anyone else's car around here. Maybe I don't understand exactly what noise you are talking about but I don't think the valves should be that noticeable unless you have a valve adjustment issue or you are very low on oil or have the wrong grade of oil.
Valve noise that goes away like that would indicate the oil is not getting up there fast enough to do the job and there could be a few different reasons why this would happen.

 

I don't think that it is a noise that every S2000 has. When I first started posting about the noise others had the same noise. Some said that it was the timing chain tensioner and others had different theories. I could only hear the noise if it was very quiet and it would only last about 30 seconds and only after the car had been sitting for a while. I had the valves adjusted to rule them out...and the noise still was there.

As I put more miles on the car the noise eventually went away or is barely noticeable. I started my car after sitting for several months and did not hear the noise. Take it to the dealer to get a second opinion because it may not be the same noise that I described.

 

Thanks for your responses. I always check my oil, so I know it's not starving from it. I use 10w-30 now, used to run 5w-30. It made no difference.

The noise I hear sounds like loose valves. I wouldn't say it sounds as bad as bolts rattling in a can.

Yes, it only occurs if the car has been sitting for a while. It does seem to have tapered off a little with mileage.

 

Its is a typical Honda sound. The B series DOHC VTEC engines have done this since day one.

A while ago I was concerned and did valve adjustments every short while. Wasn't anything that you could prevent. Its just a Honda sound.....

Happens most when car is cold and or sitting.

I wouldn't worry about it unless its really loud or sounds choppy or different in a few miles. Wait until warmer weather comes. See if it still does it...

 

its prett normal, most honda motors are referred to "sewing machine" motors. i can't explain why it happens, but it just does and its normal. the only problem is that it can get annoying, thats the honly thing i can think of. my 94 accord ex makes the same noise, many civics, b-series tegs...etc... make the noise too. i've done valve adjustments but it doens't affect it. im thinking it might be noisy fuel injectors or something like that.

 

My 2000 Civic Si (B16A2 powered) and my 2002 S2K both make the same noise. Most people will never hear it because they don't know what they're listening to. It sounds like some mild valve clatter at initial start up. Not a big deal. Like others have said, it's a Honda thing.

 

I'm glad that I'm not the only one hearing things. Not to say that misery loves company. I'm comfortable with accepting that the clatter is a "Honda" thing.

 

I don't know if this is the same noise that you are hearing, but mine has started a fairly noticable noise when it's very cold. It goes away after it has warmed up to two bars and it sounds like valve train clatter, but only between 3500 to 4500 RPM.

I haven't adjusted my valves yet, but will when it warms up a bit. I don't think that the valve adjustment will fix this noise, but will try it anyway. I think that my noise is piston slap.