'95 Acura Integra Vibration Problem

Whats up everyone. I'm a first time user with what I believe is a major problem (I hope I'm wrong).

I have a 1995 Integra LS with 124,000 miles. I have never had any major problems with the car.

After driving the car for awhile, there is a sound of vibration/metal touching under the car. (This problem DOES NOT OCCUR UNTIL the car has been driven for a couple of miles). Outside of the car, it sounds more like a vibration. Inside the car with windows up, it's hard to tell between vibration, or air rushing through something...but it clearly sounds like some sort of contact. The sound only occurs during 2 distinct RPM regions:
Between 1,500 RPM and 2,000 RPM and between 2,500 RPM and 3,000 RPM. It does not happen any other time and it only happens when in gear (Out of Park). For instance sitting in park, simply reving the engine up to those RPMS very slowly will not produce the sound. If I let go of the accelerator in that region, the sound stops. If I start accelerating again, the sound returns until I get thru that region.


Although I know that my wheel bearings are going (or have gone) and that I need a brake job since the brakes brakes seem to drag when not applied...this sound cannot be caused by either in my opinion. I confirmed this by putting the car in "D4" and while applying parking brake and regular brakes so that the car didn't move...accelerating though the first RPM region produced the sound very clearly. But again, this was only afer the car had been driven for awhile. You can't just get into the car if it hasn't been driven for a couple of hours and try to duplicate it. It's not going to happen.

I got a chance to recrod the sound, but I have no way of posting it. I will continue to search the site for some ideas...but any input would be greatly appreciated. I have heard everything from heatshields to pulleys. I just need to rule out tranny, you know. I have felt things while driving that don't feel right, but can never pinpoint it. For instance, there was a time that I was holding approx 3,000 RPM at about 65 MPH. I sort of felt the car hesitate for lack of a better word. But attempting to duplicate it revealed nothing.

Sorry for the long a$$ post, but I'm trying to be as detailed as possible.
Thanks in advance.

More than liely it is the heat sheild on your catalytic converter or on of the other heat shields on the exhaust. Try getting somene to start the car and hold the rpm at what ever rom the sound occurs (with it in park) and then touch the heat sheilds with a broom handle or something and see if the sound stops.

yep.. what whtteg said, then if it is that, then i suggest not removing it. the heat from the exhaust would transfer straight to your floorboard, the center console area, rather then the heatshield taking the heat, then floorboard not heating up. my car has that issue right now.. heatshields rattling everywhere.. but i just deal with it.. annoying as hell.. but i can stick through it..

plus, my exhaust rubs on other things too, like rear lower control arm, the trunk floorboard, and stuff.. so whatever.. when it vibrates, i just simply turn up the bass.. :D

I have removed mine and I cannot notice any difference in the cabin temp.

cabin temp, not that much.. but for me, from a drive of oakland, to sacramento. it was a hour drive.. heat built up, and my right leg started getting the heat.. if you put your hand on the center console, you can feel the heat getting to the plastic.. my leg started to really burn up, and that was through my pants aswell..
i had to put another piece of cloth over & around my right leg to continue driving..

and also, my shifter, aluminum ebay one, really heated up too.. and the aluminum shifter got hot aswell..
i had to wrap a cloth around that to not burn myself too..

Mine has been off for over a year and a half and I have made a 8 1/2 hour drive from GA to FLA and had no problems like that.

Thanks fellas!!

Update:

I got a chance to get under the car today at my buddies house.
Found CV joint spitting out grease. Looks like maybe some metal in the grease as well.

Possibly the source of the sound...but not 100% sure. But it is defintely a start. Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciated the help!!