i started noticing this sound a few months ago but i couldnt remember how my engine normally sounded. its gotten a little more noticiblenow. when my engine idles it sound like a constant tapping noise. my dad mentioned that i might need to adjust my valve lashings or something, and that the noise means that i could start to have some problems soon. i put close to 600 miles on my car a week, and i push it sometimes when i am on the highway. can anybody tell me if they have seen this before. my dad said that usually when he has seen this problem on cars, if he put more il in thaat it went away. my crankcase was as full as i could safely get it though. also, i think this noise could have started around the time i switched to synthectic oil. im pretty sure that it was a mistake to switch to synthetic bc my car had like 102000 miles on it when i did. other than this noise, i seem to have a very small leak from the bottom of my crankcase. it isnt dripping or anything, but when i changed my oil the other day, i could see a glaze of oil over about 60 % of the bottm of the crankcase. thanx for any help

 

Sounds like time to start doing some normal maintenance. Everything is due after 100k mi.

Timing belt
timing belt tentioner
coolant flush and replacement
thermostat
water pump
valve adjustment
oil pan seal
valve cover seal
spark plugs
spark plug seals
cap
rotor
adjust timing

If you've never done any of those, you need to do them. Especially since you drive it so much.

hih

 

I've heard this small "diesel" sound in many civics..

 

is there a way to DIY the valve adjustment and adjust the timing. it sounds like it would be worth having a mechanic doing it because im still an amatuer. i was also worried that the synthetic oil might be a bad idea, or that pushing the car too much just fooked it up. i dont drive it too hard but i like hearing the vtec scream sometimes. thanx westcoaststyle

 

I would take it somewhere to have the valves adjusted. I had mine done about a month ago at the Honda dealership and it was like $48.

 

Sounds like valve tap, in which case you need to take off the valve cover and get in there with a feeler gauge and adjust it. The manual has the "how to."

 

Read the manual CAREFULLY. I missed a very important piece of information and made my valves worse than they were before I adjusted them! Just take your time and do it right the first time.

 

:werd:

I even helped do it wrong... :doh:

You will expect to pay a LOT for what I listed above at a shop. I know the timing belt alone is over $100.

 

my mechanic already changed the timing belt, and i replaced the sparkplugs and flushed the coolant when i installed my skunk2 intake manifold. i will read my manuals about adjusting the valves. i might take it to my mechanic just bc i need my car for school and work enough that it might not be worth the risk i definitely know about doing it right though. when i installed my intake mainflod, i put it on wrong and left a whole in the manifold after the throttlebody so it kept revving, and then either my friend didnt torque down the nuts hard enough or i connected a hose in the wrong spot, leaking coolant into the engine. but i learned a lot from taking if off and putting it back together twice. thanx again guys

 

Ya, but that stuff is normal. I've made stupid mistakes too, but it's all a learning experience.

Up to you, but don't worry about doing something wrong (as long as it's not something that will ruin your motor...)