i have an 02 civic lx that i recently bought and have just today discovered an engine noise that sounds out of the ordinary . its hard to describe the sound - its not a clicking noise. it only happens when you give it a bit of gas and the rpm's are rising, especially between 2 and 3k rpm. if you smoothly give it a small amount of gas it wont make a noise, so you kind of have to blip the throttle a bit to hear it. im very stressed out about it because i just bought the car not too long ago. also, i bought it from a subaru shop that also sells cars and it looks to me like they have replaced the top of the motor, or at least got new plastic and painted the top cover. any advice would be appreciated

edit: im starting to think that is just the way these motors sound. besides that sound the motor is very healthy and strong, and also i have never owned a honda/l4 motor, so i could be thinking that the noise is bad when it is actually normal. please let me know what you guys think

 

try a different brand of gas after you empty your tank and see if the sound is still there.

 

your discription is way to vague if you can't describe it how can we even attempt to diagnose it ???. can you make a video or sound clip ???

 

ok, i will try that. it doesnt sound like the motor is going to blow apart, i just thought that it sounded abnormal. are these motors supposed to sound kinda raspy?

 

yes honda motors do sound raspy due to the valves of course if that is the sound you are referring to which we can't diagnose over the inerwebz without sound. when is the last time your valves were adjusted ??? but like said before its impossible do know without hearing the noise.

 

ok so after a few more days of driving im becoming more concerned. the noise (i think) has gotten worse, but the motor runs fine! idles great, very quite, no lack of power or anything. if i can remember i will make a video soon and i will give a link

edit: i just watched this video, and maybe that is the sound?

 

im still going to need actual sound from your car. i mean it could be something stupid like a loose heat shield on your cat or something worse.

 

ok im sorry for the delay, i uploaded the video about a week ago, but forgot to give the link:
i took it to a honda specialist yesterday and he said it has a bad rod bearing, but im not sure. he only listened to it for a sec, but i think he knows what he is talking about

 

get your valves adjusted, but it does sound like a possible rod knock

 

yes unfortunately it does sound like a bad rod these civics 01-05 had head gaskiet issue and sometimes antifreeze can seep into the oil and cause the oil to break down and become useless as a lubricant. check the bottom of your overflow tank for oil.