1997 Honda Civic Only does this when wet outside

Tiny
PERK78
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 HONDA CIVIC
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 120,000 MILES
Here is the problem. A couple of months ago, I got new tires and my 120,000 mile service. Nothing was wrong before this. Soon after that, I noticed that when it was raining, my car started to make a loud sort of chugging noise that seemed to be coming from underneath the car. It would vibrate very hard and sort of chatter - I could feel it very strongly right underneath the driver's seat and would vibrate the console in the car. This would usually start once I got to about 20mph and continue until I came to a stop. It would continue to shake and chatter for a few seconds after I had made a stop. I also noticed that when I was driving it felt as if something was pulling down on the car (ie it felt like it was dragging and would not pick up speed quickly) I took the car in to the tire store and they found that one of the tires was defective so they changed that and also realigned the tires - they were also not aligned correctly. Still the car made this noise - again, only when it is wet outside (either rainy or slushy) Took the car back into Honda, they found one of the belts was loose. Tightened it, but still the car makes the noise. I'm getting a little frustrated that nobody seems to know what the problem is. It is also hard to diagnose because it only makes this noise when it is wet outside. It's a little scary when I'm driving because it feels as if the bottom of the car is just going to fall off.
Thursday, February 7th, 2008 AT 11:32 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
Have they inspected the wheel bearings? All suspension is in good shape? Does the steering wheel saw back and forth when this happens?
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Thursday, February 7th, 2008 AT 3:52 PM
Tiny
PERK78
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I'm assuming they checked everything when I took it back the first time, but I don't know for sure whether the wheel bearing or suspension was checked. The steering wheel does NOT saw back and forth when this happens.
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Thursday, February 7th, 2008 AT 5:44 PM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
Have the wheel bearings checked.
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Thursday, February 7th, 2008 AT 6:02 PM

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