Starter after-run noise
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,269
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From: Redmond, WA
I'm pretty sure the noise I get on occasion (ones a week or so) is chatter from some part of the starter. It's frequency and amplitude diminishes (as the starter motor spools down) as the engine RPM increases right after the engine fires so I don't think it's directly engine related.
My guess is excessive clearance between the "bendix" and the shaft it slides/rotates on.
You guys remember the board game called "The Game of Life"?
Ever try to spin the spinner way too fast and it chatters? Same sound.
BTW, we used to fix the game w/ hand lotion
My guess is excessive clearance between the "bendix" and the shaft it slides/rotates on.
You guys remember the board game called "The Game of Life"?
Ever try to spin the spinner way too fast and it chatters? Same sound.
BTW, we used to fix the game w/ hand lotion
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Portland
Originally Posted by RT,Nov 29 2004, 02:27 PM
I'm pretty sure the noise I get on occasion (ones a week or so) is chatter from some part of the starter. It's frequency and amplitude diminishes (as the starter motor spools down) as the engine RPM increases right after the engine fires so I don't think it's directly engine related.
My guess is excessive clearance between the "bendix" and the shaft it slides/rotates on.
You guys remember the board game called "The Game of Life"?
Ever try to spin the spinner way too fast and it chatters? Same sound.
BTW, we used to fix the game w/ hand lotion
My guess is excessive clearance between the "bendix" and the shaft it slides/rotates on.
You guys remember the board game called "The Game of Life"?
Ever try to spin the spinner way too fast and it chatters? Same sound.
BTW, we used to fix the game w/ hand lotion
I used to grease my "Life" game up with Vaseline to get it spinnin' fast! Too funny, thanks for taking me back RT.
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Long Island, New York
Now that I'm listening for the noise, it hasn't made it since. RT has a better descrip of the noise..Now that I think about it it's like a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle, very pronounced...
Joined: Sep 2001
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Originally Posted by billman250,Dec 5 2004, 10:31 AM
Now that I think about it it's like a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle, very pronounced...
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From: Melbourne
OK, I finally managed to reproduce the noise that I'm experiencing in front of Honda service technicians and they agreed that it sounded like the cam chain tensioner.
They've now had the car for a day and have been able to replicate the problem successfully and will be changing the tensioner under warranty.
Apparently problems with the cam chain tensioner are known on at least one other Honda model; I don't know which, the service tech. just mentioned that they'd seen the same thing before on another model and it was a known issue.
The protocol for reproducing the problem was to warm the car up to operating temperature, shut off the engine, let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes, then start the car. This reproduced the effect pretty reliably.
For reference, the sound in question was a buzz after starting which tailed off in both volume and pitch over a second or two after releasing the start button. The sound would seem to come and go rather randomly, but the above protocol reproduced it sufficiently for diagnosis.
They've now had the car for a day and have been able to replicate the problem successfully and will be changing the tensioner under warranty.
Apparently problems with the cam chain tensioner are known on at least one other Honda model; I don't know which, the service tech. just mentioned that they'd seen the same thing before on another model and it was a known issue.
The protocol for reproducing the problem was to warm the car up to operating temperature, shut off the engine, let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes, then start the car. This reproduced the effect pretty reliably.
For reference, the sound in question was a buzz after starting which tailed off in both volume and pitch over a second or two after releasing the start button. The sound would seem to come and go rather randomly, but the above protocol reproduced it sufficiently for diagnosis.
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Knoxville, TN
Originally Posted by billman250' date='Oct 14 2004, 07:32 PM
It's been sitting a few days now, think I'll go in with the stethescope and have the g-friend start the car.....
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From: Melbourne
Just a brief follow-up. It's been a month now since the cam chain tensioner was replaced and so far the starter after-run noise hasn't recurred.
I'm pretty confident it's not going to now since we've had a range of weather and temperatures, and it's been perfect the whole time. Given that, I'd say that the cam chain tensioner replacement has fixed it for me.
I'm pretty confident it's not going to now since we've had a range of weather and temperatures, and it's been perfect the whole time. Given that, I'd say that the cam chain tensioner replacement has fixed it for me.
