I am experiencing the following engine noises and vibrations.

1. When the car is cold in the morning I hear a "tha-dump" when it shifts between 1st and 2nd gear. It only happens the very first time the car shifts in the morning and is fine after that for the rest of the day. I am not experiencing any other transmission noises or problems when driving the car. When it makes this noise I can also feel it through the gas pedal or the floorboard.

2. When I turn on the A/C I also experience an occasional loud "tha-dump" noise. This noise is similiar to the noise describe above, but is not exactly the same. My dealer told me that this is normal.

3. The car also has a engine vibration or rough idle that I can feel in the steering wheel when the car is in Drive but not moving. The dealer also said that this is normal also.

Has anyone had similiar problems? Any insight or fixes would be appreciated.

 

got an 03 v6 coupe auto. i have less than 10k on it but i don't recognize any kinda of sound coming from the engine. sorri dude however i will keep my ear open for it...

 

The noise when turning on the A/C is the compressor kicking in. Mine was loud at first but lessened as more miles accumulated. The rough idle and noise during cold shifting is not the Honda norm. I would take it elsewhere and seek another opinion.

 

could possibly be transmission mounts or motor mounts if you have a problem with steering wheel shake at idle speeds..could also be because idle is set too low which could happen as more miles are accumulated and more wear on components could change your idle.. you should be idling somewhere around 700 rpm

 

There is a recall on '04 Accord auto transmissions (along with airbags) although you didn't state your car year, engine, etc. Call the dealer & check it out.

Soory, you DID state year & engine. Gues I was out to lunch!

 

Had this problem for over a year, and searching for clues found this group and this message, so I registered and am replying.
Bought a new '04 V6 and had this problem from beginning, but its so inconsitent that didn't really notice until after a few months.

The problem/symptom is exactly like this :
When cold starting, the "thump" or "grrrk" happens at exactly 9.5mph. The 1-2 shift occurs just after this noise.
It is not a shift issue, because this happens whether I have the lever in 1st gear, second gear, or reverse.
It happens only once after you start up. Shut the engine off, restart, accelerate, in it probably won't happen casue its warm.
Now that I have had this issue for some time, I've noticed other things associated this it.

I now think that it is more of a "how long has the car been sitting after shutting off and restarting" issue rather than a
temperature issue. Try it in the morning, start it up, experience the usual "thump", stop, shut it off, and restart when
the engine is still pretty cold. It will not "thump". Then try restarting about an hour after the engine got hot, it will "thump".
The intensity of the thump is different every time, and can be quite noticeable to barely noticeable to the untrained ear/foot.

I don't mind the short thump, but its the consequence. This car has 2 moods - good and bad. When it "thumps" it goes into
a "bad" mood, and stays that way until I shut if off, restart and get it back into a "good" mood by driving past 10mph without
getting the thump.

Now, what I've written above doesn't happen 100% of the time, I'd say about 95%. Sometimes it thumps even after only
a few minutes of of engine shutoff. Sometimes it doesn't thump even from a dead cold start. Sometimes is about 5%.

Good mood : shifts are smoother, engine revs smoothly and very quietly. Car feels flawless.
Bad mood : up****fs occur later and downshifts occur at lower speeds, car feels sluggish(feels heavier or less power),
engine sounds louder at same rev than when in good mood. Idles a little rougher.

I've taken it to the dealer I bought if from 3 times for this issue, and they've come blank. They say they found no codes, and
that they've never heard of any similar claims. One time, I waited several hours to show the mechanic this problem, and as luck goes, it was in the odd 5% mood. (Like your ache is gone just as you enter the doctor's office).
Interestingly, after an oil change it stays "good" continously for about 2 days.

I'm sort of obsessed with this problem, I think I'll go over to Kragen, they have a code reader for $59.
My guess is that I won't get anything out of it, but I'll try anything.

Anyone who knows about this issue, please reply!

 

u are still under warranty are u not ?? and if u want to make sure that it is normal noises, tell them that u don't feel it is normal and would like to compare to another car they have in the lot ,,

 

ranst20

Man you crack me up with the Good mood bad mood stuff. Let me tell you what your problems are so that you may rest better.

#1 Clunk felt in the gas/floorboard. Your Accord is fitted with ABS Brakes and there is an accumulator/pump that needs to RESET each and every time the car is started and driven. This is done so below the 10mph mark and is a sort of calibration. There is no problem here (Miller Time).

#2 Clunk felt when the A/C is engaged. This too is a normal condition as the A/C clutch is engaged. Since the clutch mates a spinning motor to an idle clutch assembly you will naturally hear the connection. Some clutches have more or less clearance and this would surely dictate along with engine speed the level at which you will hear it. (Miller Time)

#3 Rough Idle. 1st things first. More than like this happens when the car is warm and maybe even after a decent highway jaunt. This almost guaranteed is programming and is a result of lean Air/Fuel ratio. All manufacturers run as lean as possible for the gas savings, some just do it better. You can try to persue this with Honda but is another thing that is harder to duplicate and I'm sure that Honda's computer wont report any issues. See my recent post: 05 ACCORD V6- MISFIRE,SHUTTER,SLIP, ETC. under general tech. (Time for a Budweiser cause this is gonna suck)

 

ranst20

Also for item #3. Just for a test you can re-do the IDLE LEARN PROCEDURE which simply stated is making sure that all accessories (lights, stereo, etc.) are turned off. Let the car cool, preferrably over night and start the car in the morning and let idle for 15minutes undisturbed. This doesn't necessary require that the computer be cleared, but I would feel better about it. If you want to clear the computer, have your radio code handy for when you reconnect (look in your manual for battery change in case other options require attention). Disconnect the battery -NEGATIVE cable for a minute or so then reconnect and do the IDLE LEARN. This may help the idle, but like mentioned before post drive idle may still be rough in which my thought is programming lean.

 

if you feel a shake in the steering wheel when idling in drive you most likely have a motor mount that is going out. my first guess is its the back one, but you could just be idling low but probably not. the transmission thing....honda and acura have had some trouble with their transmissions and there may be a recall for your model like was said earlier. i think its the 1-2 accumulator but im not sure, on my 03 3.2 tl it had a problem and i took it in under recall, the tranny had to be completely taken apart and 2nd gear had to be beefed up in some way. it had something to do with the second gear overheating from not being cooled enough. i dont know too much about slushboxes, so im sorry for not having more info. everyone with tranny problems sould seriously pour 1/2 bottle of lucas trans fix into their trannies even if they are already full, a mild overfill condition is no big deal. lucas means business.

as for the a/c, yea that is normal plus or minus a little, that should go away after a while.


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