Rattle At 2000 Rpm

[shanky2001]

Hey everyone. I just bought my sweet manual 94 accord EX a couple of months ago and even when i was test driving the car to buy it there was a strange rattle or vibration sound coming from what sounded like the engine compartment at about 2000 or 2100 rpm. the dealer said it was an exhaust rattle that was common with all hondas of age. I asked a guy i work with who mods his civic and his girlfriend's accord and he said it was the exhaust heat shield. i checked that out and worked it so it shouldn't cause any vibrations. that didn't do a thing and it still rattles at the same 2100 rpm. i t's really getting annoying and i was wondering if someone else has come across this and if it's a problem or just an annoyance where i can do a quick fix.

[BullShifter]

Why did you buy the car before the dealer fixed it?
It is very common with all honda's.
Did you check every shield? Under-hood to muffler? Tap on it when its cold.

[shanky2001]

well i'm 21 so i'm new to buying a car and i didn't think about asking them to fix it. I checked all of the heat shield as far as i know all the way back from about the front wheels back to the muffler. I also took off the heat sheild from the exhaust header thinking maybe that was loose or rattling something but that didn't help. another noise i have noticed is when i first turn on the accord for varying amounts of time there is a constant loud buzzing coming from just behind my driver's headlight. i pinpointed it to a cylindrical motor or something of that sort. is this normal and what is it doing? thanx

[WhyteAccord]

I have a 94 Accord EX coupe and it did the same thing. I'm pretty sure it's normal. Mine kicked in at about 1900rpms. I purchased an aftermarket Exhaust system and thought I had gotten rid of but I just can't hear it as much as I used to.

[accordztech]

get under that car and have someone rev it...it has to be exaust..."common problem" haha that cracks me up...its wear and tear

[MrAccord]

The rattle is the heat shield over the cat converter underneath your car.
You can buy a "buzz kit" that Honda sells for $70 to fix it.
(Heard it doesnt last too long)
You can rip it off but dont park on high grass cause it gets very hot.
Or you can rig something to fix it up.

The drivers side buzz is your ABS accumulator.
It builds up pressure for the ABS to work but its leaking so it loses pressure.
And its constantly trying to build up pressure which will lead to it burning itself out.
To fix this problem is to buy a new ABS unit which is $1300.
Another problem that Honda has turned their backs on....

There are alleged fixes to the ABS from tighting screws to replacing an O ring somewhere.
I've never looked into it but maybe there is some truth in it.
A websearch will bring up some stuff about it....

[under advisement]

A fairly good and cheap fix for a cat heat shield rattle is to put a screw down hose clamp on each end of the cat and tighten them down. I did it on my '97 and it fixed it.

As far as the ABS pump goes, if it is running constantly your ABS light should come on and stay on for a pump overrun code. If you end up needing to replace part of the ABS go with Honda's re-man Accumulator/Modulator assy.. It's more expensive but it comes with a 3 yr 36k mile warranty instead of a 1yr 12k warranty for a new modulator or accumulator.

As far as Honda turning a blind eye towards ABS problems, most accumulator/modulator problems are caused by lack of use. It is a very good idea to put your car into ABS occasionally. I take mine out on a rainy day and put it through some hard braking. I was told to do this by Honda techs, so I do lend it some credit.

[njaccord]

Originally Posted by MrAccord

The rattle is the heat shield over the cat converter underneath your car.
You can buy a "buzz kit" that Honda sells for $70 to fix it.
(Heard it doesnt last too long)
You can rip it off but dont park on high grass cause it gets very hot.
Or you can rig something to fix it up.

I had the same problem with my car so my mechanic checked it out and said it was the heat shield. he ripped it out and it was fine for a couple miles but then the rattling came back!

[BullShifter]

Originally Posted by njaccord

I had the same problem with my car so my mechanic checked it out and said it was the heat shield. he ripped it out and it was fine for a couple miles but then the rattling came back!

And then what? Did you get it fixed?

He probably ripped off the lower cat shield & now the upper cat. shield or another shield is loose.

[akina_speedstars]

When you hear funky stuff and your car doesn't have to be moving to hear it, get someone behind the wheel to start or rev the car so you can try to pinpoint the location of the sound. Make sure that person is someone you can trust.

[njaccord]

Originally Posted by jackasssi

And then what? Did you get it fixed?

He probably ripped off the lower cat shield & now the upper cat. shield or another shield is loose.

he took off the upper and lower cat. heat shields but it still rattles so i'm going back to stock because i've had that fart cannon on for two years and i'm pretty sick of it anywayz. i got an estimate of 350 for a stock cat back installed. i can't wait til my car's quiet again!

[BullShifter]

Well then check ALL the other heatshields : exhaust manifold, A-pipe, B-pipe, etc . . . .Tap on your exahust system while its cold from front to rear & listen for a rattle. It could also be something rubbing against car.

[AngryTroll]

Loose heat shields are easily secured with stainless steel hose clamps.
There is no need to remove them.




The vibration is probably your mid-pipe (between the a-pipe and b-pipe). There is a service kit available from Honda with replacement gaskets (X2), springs (X4), bolts (X4) and nuts (X4).


It's a service bulletin for '94, '95 and '96 Accords but it's a common problem on most years and models of Honda. A new gasket and springs usually fix the problem.

[andrei_rus]

I have the same problem on my Accord 94 with rattling noise and light is comming up. Is that the fix to that problem????
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http://www.mightyap.com/Data/TT84.pdf
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HONDA ACCORD WITH TRAPPED AIR
Honda Bulletin No. 93-038 advises that all 1994 Honda
Accords and 1995 Accords with ABS; Sedans through
VIN 1HGCD5 … SAO55475, Coupes through VIN
1HGCD7 … SAO10699 and Wagons through 1HGCE1
… SAOO3321 may exhibit an ABS light and the control
unit may store a Code 1 due to trapped air in the pump
inlet. This condition results from trapped air in the pump
inlet which causes the pump to run for 40 seconds
without building system pressure.

Honda’s procedure for bleeding the air from the ABS
system to re-establish pressure is as follows:
1) Make certain the ABS reservoir is full.
2) Connect a piece of clear tubing to the mainte-nance
bleeder. Place opposite end of tubing into
a container.
3) Relieve system pressure by loosening the mainte-nance
bleeder. Close the bleeder when the fluid
stops flowing in the tubing.
4) Connect a piece of 3/8 inch O.D. hose to the
pressure side of a hand-held vacuum pump.
5) Remove the filler cap from the modulator reser-voir.
Leave the plastic insert in the reservoir open-ing.
6) Hold the vacuum pump hose against the reservoir
opening insert. Pressurize the reservoir by pump-ing
the vacuum pump until you feel resistance
(1-3 strokes).
7) Have an assistant start the engine. Allow the ABS
pump to build pressure in the modulator.
8) Have the assistant turn off the engine, and then
slowly open the maintenance bleeder. Close the
bleeder when brake fluid stops running into the
tubing.
9) Repeat steps 7 and 8 five times to purge the air
from the modulator.
10) Clear any codes in the ABS control unit memory
by removing the ABS B2 fuse in the underhood
ABS fuse box for three seconds.