"My engine makes a grinding noise upon startup!" - What's going on?

[fg2kid]

A number of threads (this one in particular) have surfaced where owners complain of a grinding/rattling noise when starting the engine of their 10th gen Civic. Speculation has placed the blame on everything from the high-pressure fuel pump to the starter motor.

It is (most likely) not any of those things. After doing a little bit of research, I am 90% sure that this noise is caused by the fearsome, dreaded, almighty, VTC Actuator.

You might ask, "what makes this guy so sure?". Well, certain Accords and CR-Vs were known to have an issue with the VTC actuator making noise upon startup. Here are some videos of people demonstrating the noise.





Now compare that to the noise that the 2016 Civic makes.





Aaaand here's a glimpse of the service bulletin (#09-010) for Accords and CR-Vs. Notice the "SYMPTOM".

It's the same thing owners are experiencing with their 2016 Civic. While I'm not the first person to come across these videos and make a comparison, I thought it would be helpful to post them so that you can come to your own conclusion.

 

[joserevelo]

very detailed i like it... but let's just pray that honda gets this fixed... i REALLY wish i was having this issue ONLY on cold starts because that would be less embarrassing then having this car grind loud af after all the errands throughout the day.. I've personally never experienced a cold start rattle but let's hope honda fixes this asap

 

[Ant918]

This looks pretty on point. Awesome explanation. My question is, what kind of damage, if any, are we doing to our cars with this engine rattle? Hopefully it's not gonna cause a cascade of problems further down the line. I'm glad I leased that's for sure.

 

[corbygray528]

From what Honda has said about the VTC noise in their other models, apparently it doesn't cause any actual damage other than to your pride when hearing your car start.

It is confusing though that in the civic this noise only occurs after the car has been driven recently (as per most threads on the topic) while every other car this noise only occurs after the car has not been driven in a while/cold start. My wife's CR-V would only make the noise on mornings below 30° and after the car had sat for 10+ hours. Strange that if this is the same problem it would be behaving differently.

 

[fg2kid]

From my understanding, the VTC actuator is supposed to lock when the engine is shut off. The defective ones don't lock properly, which allows it to rattle around until oil pressure is restored. There are threads about this all over the internet.

 

[joserevelo]

From my understanding, the VTC actuator is supposed to lock when the engine is shut off. The defective ones don't lock properly, which allows it to rattle around until oil pressure is restored. There are threads about this all over the internet.

ahhh I didn't know that... hopefully honda releases one soon that locks correctly... thanks for the info

 

[ltmikepowell]

Thanks for the info on the Accord and CRV, I hope that we going to have a fix soon.

 

[eXultanCe]

How sure are we that this does not do any actual damage to the car?

 

[mno86]

Can confirm my dealership heard this and told me it was the fuel pump and "normal" for this car.

Not buying it.

 

[corbygray528]

How sure are we that this does not do any actual damage to the car?

Honda was telling people through their official channels that it caused no damage to the ones affected by it with the accord and CR-V situation. Not sure if they were being genuine with that or just trying to placate people while they were working on a fix, but I imagine there could be more serious consequences for lying about it causing no damage than them just staying quiet about it.

 

[fg2kid]

Honda was telling people through their official channels that it caused no damage to the ones affected by it with the accord and CR-V situation. Not sure if they were being genuine with that or just trying to placate people while they were working on a fix, but I imagine there could be more serious consequences for lying about it causing no damage than them just staying quiet about it.

I really hope it isn't causing damage, although I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't. Either way, the noise is awful and embarrassing

 

[Ben&Jen]

Honda is now after having several conversations with them about this issue, denying there is an issue with the Civic. Now, see if any 2017 customers carry the same complaint. I bet you don't see any.

 

[mno86]

Honda is now after having several conversations with them about this issue, denying there is an issue with the Civic. Now, see if any 2017 customers carry the same complaint. I bet you don't see any.

I wouldn't count on it. Plausible deniability on their end. The third gear issues on the 2006-11 Si went on for almost a decade before Honda even acknowledged it and kept the TSB under wrap.

 

[Ben&Jen]

I wouldn't count on it. Plausible deniability on their end. The third gear issues on the 2006-11 Si went on for almost a decade before Honda even acknowledged it and kept the TSB under wrap.

Wow...

 

[LX16]

From what Honda has said about the VTC noise in their other models, apparently it doesn't cause any actual damage other than to your pride when hearing your car start.

Alot of cars have their little quirks. Mine doesn't do this, but it reminds me of a car I had that the cam bearings made a noise where others didn't. It never hurt anything, it was a little noisy, but never failed in the 3 years I had the car, or the 2 years after I sold it to a friend.

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