Car mechanics

Paul1000RR

Paul1000RR

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Have a rattling sound coming from my car. Its getting louder and louder annoying as ****.

Mechanic 1 (guy ive been going to for years): "Sounds like exhaust, probably downpipe, just live with it"

Mechanic 2/Exhaust shop: "You need a whole new exhaust, $700"

Mechanic 3/Exhaust shop : "You need a new catback exhaust. $500 (after starting it) Its you timing chain"

Mechanic 4: "Alternator, for sure its the alternator, $350 i get you a new one right now"

Mechanic 5: "Sounds like torque converter or transmission"

Just come out and say it already,
21642975.jpg




Anyone know a mechanic in the west end who doesn't simply throw parts at cars and has some knowledge instead?
 
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I guess just keep going to one until he sounds logical
 
my advice would be to either find an actual reputable shop, or start doing some troubleshooting yourself to figure out what it might be.

so things like:

does it vary with engine speed?
does it vary with car speed?
does it happen when you do certain things? (ie, brake, etc)
 
Paul1000RR said:
Have a rattling sound coming from my car. Its getting louder and louder annoying as ****.

Mechanic 1 (guy ive been going to for years): "Sounds like exhaust, probably downpipe, just live with it"

Mechanic 2/Exhaust shop: "You need a whole new exhaust, $700"

Mechanic 3/Exhaust shop : "You need a new catback exhaust. $500 (after starting it) Its you timing chain"

Mechanic 4: "Alternator, for sure its the alternator, $350 i get you a new one right now"

Mechanic 5: "Sounds like torque converter or transmission"

Just come out and say it already,
21642975.jpg




Anyone know a mechanic in the west end who doesn't simply throw parts at cars and instead has some knowledge instead?
Click to expand...

you seem like a smart person, what area is the rattle coming from? front, middle, rear of car. more info from the driver would go along way to better to help determine the problem
 
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I feel for you...we had a similar issue with one of our cars....every time a bump in the road was hit even those cracks in the road if they were wide enough made this noise in the back end....

of all things to cause it,,,,,,a loose caliper, tightened up the bolts and no more noise....

just saying it does not have to be exhaust, or shocks, etc....things one would never even think of....
 
Joots said:
my advice would be to either find an actual reputable shop, or start doing some troubleshooting yourself to figure out what it might be.

so things like:

does it vary with engine speed?
does it vary with car speed?
does it happen when you do certain things? (ie, brake, etc)
Click to expand...

lucky2 said:
you seem like a smart person, what area is the rattle coming from? front, middle, rear of car. more info from the driver would go along way to better to help determine the problem
Click to expand...

idling and up to 2,500 rpm on/off. sounds like a heat shield/exhaust to me.
 
Maybe you have a screw loose?
 
I have a guy in milton. See Tony at mccormacks on steeles ave west of highway 25. I've been friends with him for years and he's one of the most honest guys I know.
He owns the place and is the kinda guy who actually care.
 
Wasted said:
I have a guy in milton. See Tony at mccormacks on steeles ave west of highway 25. I've been friends with him for years and he's one of the most honest guys I know.
He owns the place and is the kinda guy who actually care.
Click to expand...

Thanks...bit of a mission from where im at
 
Fair enough.
If you get fed up enough to go that far let me know. He'll tell what's what.
My brother in law was told he needed a new alternator, tony re-did the battery terminals and told him the alternator was fine.
 
Paul1000RR said:
Here's a video i took when it started happening...

http://s1016.photobucket.com/user/KRFDPSSTI/media/20131214_152007_zpsd4ea2c21.mp4.html
Click to expand...

That sounds almost exactly like a sound I had on my audi for a while. It was a muffler hanger that had cracked, when it was at certain RPM's the exhaust would start vibrating up against the other half of the hanger that was still in the rubber piece attached to the car.

I don't think the sound you have is a heat shield, it seems too solid of a sound. A heat shield would sound more "clangy" and hollow.
 
Pop the belt off and feel for roughness or looseness at all of the pulleys. The sound that I had which was not unlike that, was a bad alternator drive pulley. In that case, it diagnosed itself by breaking apart and sending the pulley and belt flying while on the way to the mechanic. (I kept driving to the mechanic because I knew that only non-immediate-mission-critical stuff was being driven by the belt in question - alternator and A/C compressor. If your belt drives the water pump, don't do that.)

An idler bearing or clutched alternator pulley or A/C compressor clutch etc that is on its last legs, can sound like that.
 
I'll go with probably not an exhaust noise, sounds too mechanical for that. My dartboard guess would be a/c compressor clutch.

I'm amazed that none of your mechanics have actually spent time to figure out where the noise is coming from, which to a degree is a pretty straightforward thing. You can even do it yourself. Find a metal screwdriver, place one end on the suspect component, other end to your ear. Keep moving it around until you get to the part that's loudest, diagnose from there. They even sell something called a mechanic's stethoscope for the exact task, http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/Diagnostic/Mechanics-Stethoscope/8006622.p
 
Blanket statement, but, exhaust shop "mechanics" generally have no clue.

Best off to go to a mechanic with Honda experience. There is a good chance your car wasn't first to make a noise like this.
 
I would pull the serpentine belt off and run it again. That may help to see if it's any of the driven accessories like the a/c and alternator. Not sure if your car has an OAD (overrunning alternator decoupler) but they make a racket when they start to fail.
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