Civic 97 --- "Boiling" sound from the engine --- Please, advise!

Hi everyone,


I'm hearing a strange "boiling" (even a little "hissing") sound from
the engine *only* when I accelerate. I hear it much more distinctly in
low gears. At first I though something in the AC system was causing
it, but even with the AC completely off I hear it distinctly.

Is this a problem with one of the belts? After a "visual inspection"
of the timing belt it looks very good---no cracks, no excessive wear,
the "play" is within limits (according to my Haynes manual).

Car info: Civic 97, automatic transmission, 60K. All hoses under the
hood are in perfect shape. There are no leaks of any kind. All fluids
are in norm.

Any insight will be much appreciated!

 

------------------
Smith,
I drove a '95 Odyssey with a cracked exhaust manifold the other day...
Whey I punched it, it made a bizarre WWoooWWW from under the hood. The
other give-away symptom was smelling exhaust fumes under the hood right
away upon startup.

'Curly'

------------------

 

------------------
Smith,
I drove a '95 Odyssey with a cracked exhaust manifold the other day...
Whey I punched it, it made a bizarre WWoooWWW from under the hood. The
other give-away symptom was smelling exhaust fumes under the hood right
away upon startup.

'Curly'

------------------

 

It makes that sound when the ignition timing is a teensy bit too
advanced. The advance isn't bad enough for knock but it sounds like a
pan of water on a hot burner just at the point where tiny steam bubbles
are forming and collapsing. Get the knock sensor checked if it has one,
otherwise retard the timing just a hair.

 

It makes that sound when the ignition timing is a teensy bit too
advanced. The advance isn't bad enough for knock but it sounds like a
pan of water on a hot burner just at the point where tiny steam bubbles
are forming and collapsing. Get the knock sensor checked if it has one,
otherwise retard the timing just a hair.

 

Kevin, thanks for the excellent advice! As a continuation of this
saga, I went to see my Honda mechanic and---as it always
happens---there was NO "boiling" coming from beneath the hood!! He
drove my car around the block (and, boy, did he drive it!) but
couldn't hear it! I can swear I was was hearing it all the way to the
JFK airport yesterday! It's kind of quiet, but discernable. I'm
totally puzzled now---if your timing is off, it's off (or am I wrong?)

I'm ready to believe that performance of my gets affected by the
weather. Along these lines, CAN it be related to weather? Could it
be something in the cooling system? Not that it's a dry desert here,
in NY, but it was much warmer yesterday than it is today. I cheched
the pressure cap and it was allright. When you accelerate, the coolant
flow should be increasing, right? Is this what I'm hearing? The
temperature gauge stays at approximetaly 1/3 all the time, so looks
like there's no overheating, and the coolant level is fine, but
still....

Oh, also, just recently I replaced the spark plugs with NGK (the ones
recommended for my model). The old ones were nice and "clean" which
indicated that there was no detonation, oil spilling, grease, or
anything. If timing was off, I guess I would've noticed something on
the plugs.

 

Kevin, thanks for the excellent advice! As a continuation of this
saga, I went to see my Honda mechanic and---as it always
happens---there was NO "boiling" coming from beneath the hood!! He
drove my car around the block (and, boy, did he drive it!) but
couldn't hear it! I can swear I was was hearing it all the way to the
JFK airport yesterday! It's kind of quiet, but discernable. I'm
totally puzzled now---if your timing is off, it's off (or am I wrong?)

I'm ready to believe that performance of my gets affected by the
weather. Along these lines, CAN it be related to weather? Could it
be something in the cooling system? Not that it's a dry desert here,
in NY, but it was much warmer yesterday than it is today. I cheched
the pressure cap and it was allright. When you accelerate, the coolant
flow should be increasing, right? Is this what I'm hearing? The
temperature gauge stays at approximetaly 1/3 all the time, so looks
like there's no overheating, and the coolant level is fine, but
still....

Oh, also, just recently I replaced the spark plugs with NGK (the ones
recommended for my model). The old ones were nice and "clean" which
indicated that there was no detonation, oil spilling, grease, or
anything. If timing was off, I guess I would've noticed something on
the plugs.

 

The plugs and weather can make a difference. Adjusting the timing just
one degree would probably put it solidly into buzzing or silence.

I adjusted the timing by ear after I bought my car because it was badly
off (18 MPG) and the corrupt dealership I bought it from didn't want to
look at it. I've had to retard it slightly a couple of times to
compensate for carbon build-up. My car, a 97 HX, doesn't have a knock
sensor.

 

The plugs and weather can make a difference. Adjusting the timing just
one degree would probably put it solidly into buzzing or silence.

I adjusted the timing by ear after I bought my car because it was badly
off (18 MPG) and the corrupt dealership I bought it from didn't want to
look at it. I've had to retard it slightly a couple of times to
compensate for carbon build-up. My car, a 97 HX, doesn't have a knock
sensor.

 

Why didn't you use a timing light? Wouldn't that have been more accurate?
Just wondering.

 

Why didn't you use a timing light? Wouldn't that have been more accurate?
Just wondering.

 

Accurate timing lights cost a good amount of money and I was dead broke
at the time.

Adjusting the timing by ear isn't to hard. You start out with slightly
retarded timing, advance it a tiny bit each week until the engine buzzes
occasionally, then retard it until the engine runs quietly.

 

Accurate timing lights cost a good amount of money and I was dead broke
at the time.

Adjusting the timing by ear isn't to hard. You start out with slightly
retarded timing, advance it a tiny bit each week until the engine buzzes
occasionally, then retard it until the engine runs quietly.

 

it could be your torque converter carching up with the engine.... or it
could be air whistling, coming in the throttle body... check it out!