Cold Start "Scraping/Rattle" Noise Grinding Cold Start - VTC Actuator Merged Threads
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The clutch got replaced back in 2014 because of the scraping noise it was making. Valve cover gasket was replaced twice due to leaking.
PainlessCandy
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Last week I dropped my car off back at the dealership where I bought it. Honda honored my previous claim and replaced the VTC Actuator with the new (not so) recently released part.
The ordeal was as painless as possible, despite the deslership's best efforts to introduce human error at every turn. I made the appointment at the request of Honda Corporate and was told the Regional Parts and Service manager as well as the dealership Service Manager would be taking care of this and have everything under control. However, when I called ahead of the service appointment to make sure parts had been ordered and that there would be a rental for me to take (I live 1.5 hours from the dealership now) my entire case was a mystery - lucky I called ahead. Then once I got there it was a repeat, no one knew what was going on and i had to spend an hour explaining to an advisor what was happening. On top of that, they had never cleaned the rental they set aside for me so I got a different, dirtier rental. It even came with a free sock in the center console that someone had used to soak up some kind of exploded juice.
I got my car back Monday night and all is well in the end. The increasing slack in the motor and whirring chain noise is gone, and it has not suffered any grinding on cold starts; fingers crossed, that problem is gone for good. I was able to see the service order being sent back to Honda, and it looks like they did almost $600 of work under warranty.
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The ordeal was as painless as possible, despite the deslership's best efforts to introduce human error at every turn. I made the appointment at the request of Honda Corporate and was told the Regional Parts and Service manager as well as the dealership Service Manager would be taking care of this and have everything under control. However, when I called ahead of the service appointment to make sure parts had been ordered and that there would be a rental for me to take (I live 1.5 hours from the dealership now) my entire case was a mystery - lucky I called ahead. Then once I got there it was a repeat, no one knew what was going on and i had to spend an hour explaining to an advisor what was happening. On top of that, they had never cleaned the rental they set aside for me so I got a different, dirtier rental. It even came with a free sock in the center console that someone had used to soak up some kind of exploded juice.
I got my car back Monday night and all is well in the end. The increasing slack in the motor and whirring chain noise is gone, and it has not suffered any grinding on cold starts; fingers crossed, that problem is gone for good. I was able to see the service order being sent back to Honda, and it looks like they did almost $600 of work under warranty.
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Nice. Was it painless like candy? I'm out of warranty by years now. I would need to get the part and replace it myself. Scraping is so bad.
PainlessCandy
Well-Known Member
Haha, yeeesss. I was honestly surprised at how painless it was. When I first arrived, the service advisor insisted that they would have to reproduce the noise, again, which took me 5 trips and many months to get a positive diagnosis on before. Luckily that was not the case.
Based on the work order I saw, they billed Honda for only 2.5 hours of labor, so it must not be that hard to do. I thought they would have to drop the motor out to get to everything, but it sounds like they were able to do everything from the top.
I hear you FooBird, the rattle absolutely ruined my TCT to the point that I was wondering when the chain might skip and blow things up. Very happy I was able to get this done on their dime.
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Dman2.4si
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I bought my 9th gen in May this year with 43,000km. I've just hit 53,000km and guess what? I'm hearing these clanky cold starts. Not impressed.
PainlessCandy
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At least there is a fix for it now. *Back in my day we just had to live with it* [emoji69]
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Dman2.4si
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What is the fix? Just replace the VTC actuator?
I called corporate and got told I need to be seen by service and then hung up on.
I'm out of warranty thru Honda...i called and booked an appointment as the tech has to diagnose the issue which seems pretty clear if you research the engine. Set up appointment for a week from now.
She called me back and changed her tone apparently now they are going to get me in sooner and I'm bein given a loaner even though I'm out of warranty. She used the term Good Faith so apparently it's not a recall but they are acknowledging the faulty.
Fingers crossed. What kind of damage is this going to cause if I hadn't made a service appointment??
I called corporate and got told I need to be seen by service and then hung up on.
I'm out of warranty thru Honda...i called and booked an appointment as the tech has to diagnose the issue which seems pretty clear if you research the engine. Set up appointment for a week from now.
She called me back and changed her tone apparently now they are going to get me in sooner and I'm bein given a loaner even though I'm out of warranty. She used the term Good Faith so apparently it's not a recall but they are acknowledging the faulty.
Fingers crossed. What kind of damage is this going to cause if I hadn't made a service appointment??
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PainlessCandy
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From what I have seen, only one Accord has had any damage from this problem. It loosens the Timing Chain Tensioner more than anything, and supposedly the chain jumped in that Accord causing catastrophic failure.
If they used the term Good Faith that is probably a good sign. They will probably have you sign off on an agreement that states they will fix the issue by replacing the actuator, but if they get in there and find any abnormal signs of wear they will make you pay for it. And if that happens, I would expect a bill of $600 or more.
Replacing the part with the new one definitely fixes it though. I have had zero issues since the replacement. The motor sounds like it is brand new again.
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Dman2.4si
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I'm confused why Honda has a recall on the crv but not the civic?
PainlessCandy
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Dman2.4si
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Yeah well the TSB doesn't the include the Civic. I'm being told so far. And also that the engine in my car isn't the same as the crv.
PainlessCandy
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Honda Corporation of America will recognize that it's an issue. If you have a dealership that is trying to play games like that, then open a ticket with corporate and they will likely change their tune.
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Dman2.4si
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Have to wait for it to get cold again they had it 3 days and couldn't duplicate the sound.
I threw a check emission code on the way to drop it off too.
I threw a check emission code on the way to drop it off too.
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In the 9th gen civic, it’s in the si. Other Honda’s have vtc, but the r18 engine in the civic (non si) doesn’t have vtc.
Thank you to all for sharing valuable information which helped me to get the rattle fixed (hopefully).
I got my 2013 Civic Si Coupe CPO in Sept 2018, and beginning winter (Ohio) started hearing the cold start rattle. At first, I ignored it even after going through the forums as it wasn't happening all the time. Then around March, I decided to get it fixed as the car is still under warranty.
Went to the local dealer, they seemed to know about the issue and responded positively, but had to replicate the issue for their tech before doing any work. So they kept my car and after a couple of failed attempts to replicate (it was getting warmer), they finally heard it and replaced the VTC actuator.
Since the replacement, I haven't heard anything but it is warmer now, so the only thing I can do is to wait till next winter to confirm whether it has been fixed for good or not.
Edit: Variable Timing Control, VTC Actuator - Replace S/B: 09-010
14310 - R40-A02 Actuator, VTC (46T)
12341-R40-A00 Gasket, Head Cover
I got my 2013 Civic Si Coupe CPO in Sept 2018, and beginning winter (Ohio) started hearing the cold start rattle. At first, I ignored it even after going through the forums as it wasn't happening all the time. Then around March, I decided to get it fixed as the car is still under warranty.
Went to the local dealer, they seemed to know about the issue and responded positively, but had to replicate the issue for their tech before doing any work. So they kept my car and after a couple of failed attempts to replicate (it was getting warmer), they finally heard it and replaced the VTC actuator.
Since the replacement, I haven't heard anything but it is warmer now, so the only thing I can do is to wait till next winter to confirm whether it has been fixed for good or not.
Edit: Variable Timing Control, VTC Actuator - Replace S/B: 09-010
14310 - R40-A02 Actuator, VTC (46T)
12341-R40-A00 Gasket, Head Cover
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