REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

bigpun1 · 01-06-2010, 10:58 AM

so my gf has a 2003 acura 1.7el. it has a whining noise that gets louder when you accelerate. one day she's leaving work and when she starts it it makes a loud ticking noise and some smoke came from underneath the hood but went away pretty quick.

took it to my mechanic today and he said that it needs a new alternator belt and power steering belt. she doesnt believe him even though her steering goes out every once and awhile and her alternator is running low. if anyone has some ideas on what else it could be that would be great. even though i think its the belts

johnb · 01-06-2010, 12:10 PM

I heard that whining noise on my 2001 el a week or two before the transmission died. It's the sound of the torque converter about to go. Not to sure about that ticking sound though.
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sonick · 01-06-2010, 01:10 PM

Just buy her an LV purse and she'll stop whining.

Lowered_Klass · 01-06-2010, 07:12 PM

Unless your g/f has the same amount of training as your mechanic, you need to explain to her that she's not always right (have fun with this).

Here is a sure fire way to prove to your know-it-all g/f that it IS in fact the belts. I've dated these types of girls before, and I wish you good luck.

Grab a can of silicone spray lube. Turn the car on, and while the motor is running, squirt the belts with a few shots of the lube. She'll be amazed when the noises go away. Although, if the belts are at the point where they are so loose that it's affecting your steering/alternator, then the srapy lube may not work.

But you are right, it sounds to me like it's the belts. It's a cheap fix, and they most likely need to be done anyhow. Get 'em done, and it'll be one less thing you and your g/f have to worry about.

hear-it-first · 01-06-2010, 09:11 PM

at what mileage did this happen to you guys?

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnb

I heard that whining noise on my 2001 el a week or two before the transmission died. It's the sound of the torque converter about to go. Not to sure about that ticking sound though.
Posted via RS Mobile

spoon.ek9 · 01-06-2010, 09:56 PM

reposting yourself?

http://www.revscene.net/forums/2003-1-7el-t600457.html

johnb · 01-08-2010, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hear-it-first

at what mileage did this happen to you guys?

happened at 202k. i consider myself pretty lucky as many have had it fail under 100k. my sisters 03 civic coupe transmission died a little over 100k but lucky for her it was still covered under warranty. It's a known problem with the 01-03 civic/el.

civic forums link to the problem

bigpun1 · 01-09-2010, 05:05 PM

well guys looks like we were all wrong. had the ps belt and alty belt changed. ran pretty good for the last couple of days. today my gf takes it out and 2 hours in the car did the same thing it was doing before, except this time the rpms were jumping like crazy when she tried to excelerate and then she heard a big clunk and the car shut off, i wasnt with her so i dont know exactly what happened yet. now its on a tow on its way to my local shop.

sounds like the timing belt to me. i'll post again when i found out exactly what happened. does anyone know where i can get a 1.7el engine from, or what a good swap for that car would be. i know where i can get a cheap k20 from

Phil@rise · 01-09-2010, 06:55 PM

might be as simple as a bad bearing on an idler tensioner pump or alt. that would cause the belt to wear out and all the other symptoms you described.

bigpun1 · 01-09-2010, 07:11 PM

well it turns out the bearing fucked. my guy says the belt is probably garbage too. keep you guys posted

Phil@rise · 01-09-2010, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigpun1

well it turns out the bearing fucked. my guy says the belt is probably garbage too. keep you guys posted

FYI your mechanic shoulda known that the first time around.

bigpun1 · 01-09-2010, 07:49 PM

i guess he didnt diagnose the exact problem. he's never steered me wrong before

bigpun1 · 01-10-2010, 10:31 PM

final diagnosis. the tensioner bearing siezed. the bearing broke off the block and broke the threads. does anyone know if this is weldable. i was told my best bet is to buy a used engine

lexluthor09 · 01-11-2010, 12:46 AM

its usually aluminum, and that impossible to weld for the most part.

the fact that he took the belts off and didn't check any other concerning parts makes me wonder about people in the trade. always calling things without diagnosing properly.

Phil@rise · 01-11-2010, 11:55 AM

thats terrible dude
You shouldnt need to replace the motor depending on clearance issues around the bolt location you should be able to extract the broken bolt.
If you like bring the car here and we can take care of it for you

YK86 · 01-11-2010, 03:10 PM

Wow, that's really unfortunate. Even more so since I did mention the tensioner in your other thread a while back. If the seized tensioner actually broke the cast holes in the block, then it's highly unlikely to be fixable. But if it only broke the bolts inside the threads like Phil@rise said, then it just needs to be extracted and it'll be good as new. Any pics of the damage?

jasonturbo · 02-04-2010, 09:39 PM

If for some reason the block was screwed up enought when that stud snapped off and the motor actually needs to be replaced lol.. pm me and I'll buy it.. I want a K20a swapped 1.7el but finding one with a blown motor isnt working out lol.

PS you're mechanic totally shit the bed. (From the sounds of things...)

fliptuner · 02-05-2010, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lexluthor09

the fact that he took the belts off and didn't check any other concerning parts makes me wonder about people in the trade. always calling things without diagnosing properly.

Yup. After he changed the belts, he should've been listening really carefully to ALL the pulleys and bearings.

BUT

Had you replaced the belts a month and a half ago, you would've known that the sound was still there and taken it back to bitch at the mechanic and had him look for the real problem before you snapped the timing belt..

hear-it-first · 05-20-2010, 04:33 PM

Guys, I have been checking this thread for awhile, seeing if its the same problem I'm having.

My 01 1.7el has the whining noise, and my mechanic says it could be caused by a bad wheel bearing (80% chance). Or a bad bearing on the shaft in the transmission? (20% chance). But he is not 100% sure which. Is this related to any of your guy's problems? I'm worried my car is going through a major problem.

lexluthor09 · 05-20-2010, 05:08 PM

drive it and sway the car left and right, if it changes in whining sound its the wheel bearings.

if its a manual put it in neutral with the clutch engaged, if you hear any whining its the tranny.

hear-it-first · 05-20-2010, 11:34 PM

its an automatic. my mechanic did just that during the road tests which is how he found out it was the wheel bearing.. Until he took it apart and found a loose bearing in the transmission/shaft? And says either one is making the noise. He does point out that the "disc?" around the wheel bearing is a bit rough when he turns it.

lexluthor09 · 05-21-2010, 12:07 AM

now im totally confused.

if he took apart the wheel bearing, why did he open up the transmission to find this bearing for?

and what disc is he talking about?

my advice is if he KNOWS its a wheel bearing issue for sure (from the said road test) then replace that bearing and go from there, because from what you're saying it IS a wheel bearing and possibly another one.

hear-it-first · 05-21-2010, 12:12 PM

Im not sure, I think he saw it while taking apart the wheel bearing.

The disc thing that turns, and the wheel bearing in the middle

snow88 · 05-22-2010, 09:52 AM

are you talking about turning the brake rotor?

Mugen EvOlutioN · 05-27-2010, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonick

Just buy her an LV purse and she'll stop whining.

Quote:

Originally Posted by snow88

are you talking about turning the brake rotor?

no