mine took about 5 hours, still don't know why they didn't do it when they replaced the short block the month before

 

The VTC actuator wasn't a problem on all the 4 cylinders, just some of them. If they took 5 hours, it may have been done before the revised procedures were issued or they may not have been made aware of revised procedures.

 

was only 2 months ago. they seem to think (and the oil consumption) its a result of short daily commutes?

 

Some 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder 8th generation Accords had an oil consumption problem (some worst than others), it wasn't because of short commutes. They even had a software update for the 4 cylinders to try to fix it; but, most people will tell you it didn't make a difference.

 

Thanks. after reading all the threads one question never got answered. If i do nothing and live with the noise, what can happen?????

 

I would like to know this too. I recently had a new starter put in my 2008 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. It was making a terrible noise when I cranked it (cold start mostly was when I heard it). My car did not sound like a typical Honda anymore after the new starter was put in when I cranked it. I took it back to where I had the new starter put in & told them something was wrong, so they replaced the starter with “a better one.” This one sounds the same, if not worse, than the first one. My old starter was going out - but my car has never sounded like this upon cranking, even with the old starter. I know nothing about cars, but have driven Honda accords my entire life. Something isn’t right here. Should I demand a refund & just take it to the Honda dealership to have them do the work & put in a genuine Honda starter? I have a feeling it’s not the starters, but the way they’re being put in? I’ve read about people shimming the starters or doing something with the fly wheels and looking at teeth or something? I don’t know what I’m talking about really, so please forgive my lack of knowledge. Just would like some advice on how I should proceed. Thanks for any guidance.

 

mikeyi, your youtube video is now private. Can you make it public or send me a link so I can view it? My '09 Accord 2.4 is making a grinding sound on start up and I'd like to listen to yours, and did you ever diagnose this? was it the VTC as suggested? I did watch the one video someone else linked to, but my son (who drives the car) said he wasn't sure if that's it. I will try to drive it some to hear it myself. He said it doesn't do it every cold start and isn't sure how much it does it or at on a hot start.

 

this forum is kind of confusing to use, but I am trying to reply to @driveguy1 bc I got an email about you commenting on this post I was subscribed to.

my noise in my 2008 accord ended up being something to do with the fly wheel. I think I remember after having my mechanic friend check it out, he said the original installer of my starter I had replaced did something that messed up the teeth on my fly wheel? Or maybe the starter that person installed messed up the teeth on my fly wheel - and it was causing the noise? It’s been a long time ago so I don’t remember exactly but that’s what I do remember lol. I ended up taking my car to a Honda dealership to install a genuine Honda starter & the noise did get better after that. They may have fixed the fly wheel or replaced it? I can’t remember.

Also I remember I couldn’t ever narrow down precisely when it would make the noise other than a cold start, then sometimes after I parked for an hour or 2 then cranked again. I think I remember he said it would depend on which teeth were damaged & where they were located on the fly wheel at the time of the next crank that would determine if the noise would be made. Hope that makes sense & was helpful.

I had that car for 15 years (I miss it so much ) so we went through a lot of maintenance & mechanical drama together lol. One thing I will say is that I never had problems after Honda did any of my maintenance. Anytime I tried to go cheap & use a random mechanic, I wasn’t satisfied with the outcome. New noises, performance issues, etc. I hated paying Honda prices for repairs & maintenance but looking back, it was worth it in my opinion.