Drivetrain vibration / metal rattle sound

[optronix]

Now I'm stressed out again, because this noise just does not sound normal. And it vibrates.

I'm gonna have to get this thing into the dealer... and I still have PPF to install and a trip I'm supposed to take next week... ugh

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[lnf]

I had this issue the day I picked up my 2023 ASPEC. It is the wastegate arm. I took my car back to the dealer for them to diagnose. They made me drive a tech around in my car and then the 2 other (at the time) 6MT Integras. They all had the same noise, so I was told it was a "characteristic" of the car and could not be fixed under warranty.

I lubricated the arm, which stopped the noise till the grease evaporated from heat. Honestly, I'm sure if someone made a clip that put pressure where the arm meets the turbo, it would probably stop the noise. The VW and Audi guys have a clip that does something very similar.

 

[wagood]

Wow, I had noticed the noise about a week ago when driving with my windows down and wondered what it could be. Seems to match up with what was described here, glad to know it’s nothing to worry about.

 

[optronix]

Guy in my other thread says it might be mid-shaft bearing. Now I don't know what to believe...

It is truly annoying me now though. Literally the only thing I'm not over the moon in love with about this car... but it's an Acura, it can't be that bad.

I'm going to get it into the dealer though, see what they say.

 

[Palut]

I've owned a turbocharged Focus ST, 2 turbocharged WRXs, my wife's turbocharged Lexus NX, and my current A-Spec turbocharged Integra, and I've never heard the sound described above.

The issue in general may be endemic to turbo cars, but it sounds to me like Honda did a bad job addressing it on the Type S.

 

[submitaweasel]

I had some vibration on my drive home from the dealer around 3000-3500rpm in 6th light throttle on the highway. Came and went on that drive, couldn't get it to replicate under any of the same circumstances. Assumed it was the road or the new not quite balanced tires. 5600 miles later I havent experienced it since.

 

[CTR]

I tried to replicate this today on my FL5. Are you referring to the way the engine vibrates in the 3000-3500rpm range when on throttle? You can feel it in the pedal and hear it in the engine note.

I believe this is the nature of this platform as this engine doesn't have balance shafts compared to the NA K20 from my understanding. It's less pronounced in Comfort engine mode but I think you'll get used to it.

 

[Gillie]

I tried to replicate this today on my FL5. Are you referring to the way the engine vibrates in the 3000-3500rpm range when on throttle? You can feel it in the pedal and hear it in the engine note.

I believe this is the nature of this platform as this engine doesn't have balance shafts compared to the NA K20 from my understanding. It's less pronounced in Comfort engine mode but I think you'll get used to it.

Pretty sure my FL5 does this too. The car in general makes a lot of buzzing sounds. I just kind of accepted it.

 

[optronix]

I tried to replicate this today on my FL5. Are you referring to the way the engine vibrates in the 3000-3500rpm range when on throttle? You can feel it in the pedal and hear it in the engine note.

I believe this is the nature of this platform as this engine doesn't have balance shafts compared to the NA K20 from my understanding. It's less pronounced in Comfort engine mode but I think you'll get used to it.

Yeah- just like, as light as you can be on the throttle is what I do to make the noise consistently, between 3000-3500 rpm, regardless of gear. It’s like matching a resonance frequency at a specific rpm.

(And what is UP with using the keyboard on a mobile browser!!! So hard to type, took me like 5 minutes to post this)

 

[CTR]

Yeah- just like, as light as you can be on the throttle is what I do to make the noise consistently, between 3000-3500 rpm, regardless of gear. It’s like matching a resonance frequency at a specific rpm.

(And what is UP with using the keyboard on a mobile browser!!! So hard to type, took me like 5 minutes to post this)

I seem to remember someone with an FL5 on the CivicXI forums experiencing something similar and was able to replicate it on another person's car. I'm pretty sure it's just the nature of the 2.0L turbocharged Honda engines in this generation. It hits a particular resonance where the engine is more noisy and vibrates more than anywhere else so it's super obvious. I wouldn't worry about it personally.

 

[Hakmamba]

I just picked up my ITS and i also hear like a buzz, its hard to describe, around 3-4k. Its not a rattle but more a constant buzz. this was in Sport + mode. I'll report more with as i put more miles on it. This is only really audible w/o the stereo on, still its an odd sound.

 

[lnf]

Guy in my other thread says it might be mid-shaft bearing. Now I don't know what to believe...

It is truly annoying me now though. Literally the only thing I'm not over the moon in love with about this car... but it's an Acura, it can't be that bad.

I'm going to get it into the dealer though, see what they say.

LMAO, it's not a mid shift bearing as much as he wants to believe it is.

 

[creaturemachine]

I first experienced the off-throttle "rattle" sound in my father-in-law's eco-boost Focus over in Germany. I chalked it up to euro market weirndess at the time, but I hear it now on my a-spec with the windows down, although not as loud as the Focus. That thing rattled like a diesel.

So not a 2.0 or even Honda specific sound.

 

[ABPDE5]

Yeah- just like, as light as you can be on the throttle is what I do to make the noise consistently, between 3000-3500 rpm, regardless of gear. It’s like matching a resonance frequency at a specific rpm.

(And what is UP with using the keyboard on a mobile browser!!! So hard to type, took me like 5 minutes to post this)

Yep -- I can reliably produce this sound the exact same way, although I find it more noticeable around ~2k rpm, probably because there's less intake / exhaust noise to drown it out.

Pretty sure we are talking about the same thing now, based on your comment here.

I did a lot of looking in FL5 forums (and watched some FK8 vids -- maybe try to find a couple if you're really worried that your sound might be something different), and my unofficial conclusion is that it's the wastegate arm. It seems to be normal for this motor, and it's well documented on FK8 / FL5. At first it annoyed me; now that I've accepted it is normal (presumably) and gotten over the anxiety I had originally, I've kind of grown to like it. It adds a little character to the car.

 

[optronix]

Yep -- I can reliably produce this sound the exact same way, although I find it more noticeable around ~2k rpm, probably because there's less intake / exhaust noise to drown it out.

Pretty sure we are talking about the same thing now, based on your comment here.

I did a lot of looking in FL5 forums (and watched some FK8 vids -- maybe try to find a couple if you're really worried that your sound might be something different), and my unofficial conclusion is that it's the wastegate arm. It seems to be normal for this motor, and it's well documented on FK8 / FL5. At first it annoyed me; now that I've accepted it is normal (presumably) and gotten over the anxiety I had originally, I've kind of grown to like it. It adds a little character to the car.

I don’t know if I share your optimism, but if it’s normal I’ll live with it because I love the car. I think mine is louder than usual though. I’ll try to take a video tomorrow when I get the car back.

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