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2000 Honda Civic Knocking in engine

Tiny
BPDAWG
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  • 2000 HONDA CIVIC
Noises problem
2000 Honda Civic Two Wheel Drive Automatic 124000 miles

I have a 2000 Honda Civic that has an automatic transmission. We are the only owners of the vehicle. For the past year and a half there has been a terrible sounding knocking noise under the hood. It sounds like it is coming from inside the engine? The noise is at it worst when the car immediately when it starts up or is put into gear. The noise can barely be heard if the car is in neutral or has been idling in park for a while. The mechanic we usually take the vehicle to couldnt not diagnose the issue by just hearing the noise. He said the noise will not affect the performance of the car. We need to sell the vehicle now, but need to know what that noise is and what needs to be fixed. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!
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Friday, February 6th, 2009 AT 4:40 PM

12 Replies

Tiny
F4I_GUY
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Is it a deep hammering sound? Is it a rapid ticking?

You can put a stethoscope on the engine to determine where is it coming from.

If it goes away after it's warmed up it could be piston knock. A quick way to determine this is to have the car running, unplug an injector one at a time and if the noise goes away it's usually piston knock. The noise goes away because you are killing the combustion in that cylinder is the piston doesn't "rattle" in the cylinder.
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Saturday, February 7th, 2009 AT 10:59 AM
Tiny
BPDAWG
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It is a deep hammering sound rather than a rapid ticking. If it is a piston knock, would it become faint when it is in neutral but be very audible in drive/when accelerating? Also, what is the cost of a typical repair for that?
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Sunday, February 8th, 2009 AT 4:22 PM
Tiny
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If it's a very deep hammering sound it is probably a bearing in the bottom end that has failed (under most cases) This will require at bare minimum the bearings to be replaced and the crankshaft to be inspected for any scouring.

Unforunately, under most cases it is not worth replacing just the bearings and the whole bottom end should be overhauled. This is a costly repair.
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Sunday, February 8th, 2009 AT 4:59 PM
Tiny
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I heard that guess from our local mechanic. That is unfortunate if that is what the problem is. I was hoping it could be something worth repairing.

If it is not worth repairing, does the engine eventually fail or something go bad where I will have to replace the bearings? Or will it just be a noise?
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Monday, February 9th, 2009 AT 7:12 AM
Tiny
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Eventually the engine will just fail and you will not be able to drive it anymore. The last engine I had with your exact same problem, the customer could barely drive it to the shop, there was no power left. In this case, there will be more than just bearings that will need to be replaced.

Thankfully, there is a lot of support for used honda engines, so it shouldn't be hard to find a second hand engine that you could install if you decide to keep the vehicle.
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Monday, February 9th, 2009 AT 12:49 PM
Tiny
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F4I_guy,
I'm having the same issue as bpdawg but I don't think the bearings and crankshaft need to be replaced.

I pulled all 4 injectors out. I noticed when I pulled the far left injector out and accelerated the car that the noise stopped.

How hard is it to replace a piston? What parts will I need and how expensive is it rough if I do it myself compared to if I take it to a mechanic? I've done simple oil changes and brakes but never something this in depth.

I appreciate your help F41_guy. Thanks.
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Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 AT 8:02 PM
Tiny
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To change your pistons it is a very indepth job, and I do not recommend only changing one piston. Usually if one needs to be replaced, all four should be.

What you will need to do is measure the cylinder walls and pistons with a bore gauge and a micrometer and then compare to spec. You will most likely find that the piston to wall clearance is out of spec or your cylinders are beyond spec as well. This will mean you will need to bore the cylinders and get overbored pistons and rings. I could go on for a few more paragraphs, but my point is this is not for an amateur and should be left to a machinist. Most mechanics don't even trust themselves when doing measurements because it should be precise. We also don't have all the tools needed to do the work (i.E. A bore gauge, hone, ridge, reamer, etc)

The money you will spend on rebuilding an engine will far surpass an engine replacement (purchasing a used engine) but with an engine rebuild you are guaranteed that your engine will last a good awhile. To rebuild an engine you are probably looking at $1500 if you are paying for the labour to remove the engine. But this price may vary greatly with what your engine needs. If you dont need to purchase pistons or rings, it may only be $1000.
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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 AT 9:25 AM
Tiny
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Thanks F41_guy.

Just weighing my options out at this point. Should I buy a used motor or buy a new vehicle. I know somebody that replaced their blown motor with a used motor. The car never seemed to run or drive right. Leaning towards a new ride.
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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 AT 12:24 PM
Tiny
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I have replaced a lot of motors on honda's and they always drive out just fine. The problem is a lot of "shops" don't know the difference between honda engines and they either put the wrong engine in there, wrong ECM, etc.

Personally, I'd get a used engine from a reputable dealer with some warranty. Replace the timing belt, water pump, plugs, wires, cap, rotor on it, use your old manifolds and parts and it should run just fine. Just make sure it is for your vehicle and your motor. What is your year make model and engine size? I will tell you what engine you have. Or you can simply look at the engine block to find the engine code.
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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 AT 2:37 PM
Tiny
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My mechanic told me I could go up two years or down two years meaning since my Civic is a 2000 I could use a Civic engine from a 1998, 1999, 2001 or 2002. Is this true? If it is I would obviously buy a 2002 with the lowest miles.

I have a 2000 Civic Ex I think 1.6 manual. I don't have the vehicle to confirm but pretty sure it's a 1.6.
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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 AT 8:29 PM
Tiny
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No sir.

1996-1998 is one civic model, 1999-2000 is the next than it's 2001-2004.

You can alternate between 96-98 and 99-00 but it's alot easier if you stick with your year engine.
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Monday, February 23rd, 2009 AT 5:10 PM
Tiny
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You can switch out honda engines, I am personally looking at putting a h22 in mine, it just requires alottt of money and time, it just depends on what exactly your trying to get out of it, if you trying to keep it running your best bet is a d series engine, if you looking for performance then I would suggest a b series, thing is youll have to get the tranny also if your looking at swapping between a b and a d series, (shouldnt cost more than 1500 for both) but my point is, you can interchange the engines with minimal effort if the price is right, check out jdm engine co they have the cheapest I have seen.
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Monday, December 13th, 2010 AT 9:54 PM

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