[Aaron Cake]

Has anyone else noticed how noisy the valves are on the Insight? I can really hear them ticking in the morning the first time I start up. It has always been so, so I am not too worried about it...Hell, maybe every car does it...The Insight happens to be the first car I have owned with valves, so maybe I'm just oversensitive...

 

[b1shmu63]

That is hilarious about this being your first car with valves

0W20 oil, the reinforced plastic valve cover, and the aluminum hood all contribute a little to the volume of the valves. The valves have to make some noise or they wouldn't shut completely under all conditions and would burn up. As long as they are gapped to spec it is normal. I use a 0W30 synthetic oil and it seems to make them a little quieter. If I see you in Toronto sometime we will have to compare ticks. :lol:

 

[jbaxter]

I'll bet the ticks here in PA can beat the ticks in Toronto, especially after they've been on a dog for awhile :wink:

All kidding aside-- the valve noise on the Insight sounds pretty normal to me. Of course, my benchmark is a 16-year-old 165,000 mi BMW with mechanical tappets. But I wouldn't be too concerned unless you're hearing loud tapping rather than ticking.

 

[Aaron Cake]

Nah, it's just a regular ticking, and it goes away once the car has reached the end of the street...

As for being in Toronto, I am always in the area. Look for a silver Insight with license plate "144VOLTS".

 

[Rick]

Hey, thats my license plate, but I'm in the wrong country all together.

 

[climber]

valves

I got less 'clicking and ticking' after I adjusted my valves at 50,000 miles. I found that all 16 needed about 4 thousandths backing off, due to the usual valve settling that occurs with usual usage. (If you haven't had the valves adjusted at all, consider)
However, I doubt that this would cause ticking. I rather suspect the thin oil and a lag in lube to the area at low rpms and early in the drive cycle. (I think I have a lot less ticking after all is warm and operating for a few minutes.) As most of us drive in the low rpm ranges for mileage benefits, I bet the oil flow is far from the max engineered for the system. Anybody think about a different oil pump, or gearing up the stock system? (Is that possible, as I think it drives off central shafts, rather than a drive belt?)
Jerry

 

[Corey872]

I test-drove an 80K mile insight...it ticked for about 1 minute after the car was started. Wound up buying a 39K mile car...no detectable ticking during cold starts. This is with Mobil 1 0W-20 oil.

If it gets excessive, you could look at the valves...also what brand of oil filter are you using? I think most, (if not all?), should have an anti-drainback valve. If the ticking just started with an oil change maybe your filter has a bad valve, or the brand you use doesn't have the valve. I use Purolator Pure 1 which features the valve.

 

[jtmco]

Adjusting the valves can help, but it could be other "normal" noises as well.

Here are a couple of related previous topics:

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... sc&start=0

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... highlight=

 

[Holicow]

My valves were noisy when I bought the car, with about 30K miles. After my first oil change, and switching to Mobil 0W-20, no more ticking.

At least so far.

 

[Sparky5501]

I noticed my valves get "tickey" around 2500 miles after an oil change. I wonder if it's related to oil breakdown and the filter filling with gunk?

 

[bfivelover]

My valves were noisy when I bought the car, with about 30K miles. After my first oil change, and switching to Mobil 0W-20, no more ticking.

At least so far.

Funny, I just switched to Mobil 1 Friday. Tuesday morning when I started out to work I noticed the ticking for 1/4 mile. Didn't seem to do it today though. I'm at 64,000 miles.

 

[Holicow]

It may be the warmer weather, too...

 

[ilusnforc]

I have an '00 Insight 5-speed
My honda dealer mechanic has an '02 5-speed
We were talking about that ticking noise... or as he called it a "ratcheting" noise when the engine is cold and it gets quieter as the engine reaches normal operating temps. He said he has adjusted his valves and it still makes noise, so he kept tracing the problem. He pulled #2 injector and the noise was gone... so he says the problem is in cylinder #2 and obviously the injector or cumbustion etc... has to do with the "ticking" noise... I recently had the 60K done on my insight, and I'll have him go ahead and adjust my valves, but he wants to look into the "ticking" noise on mine to see if its the same problem, which seems to be on every insight. I'll give an update if he can cure it.

 

[bug_girl]

ooh! mine does that too! especially in reverse in the morning (?!)
Please do let us know what you find out.
and your mechanic has an insight too???? Jealous!

 

[Sparky5501]

I'll have him go ahead and adjust my valves, but he wants to look into the "ticking" noise on mine to see if its the same problem, which seems to be on every insight. I'll give an update if he can cure it.

Wow! If your Honda dealer mechanic can figure that problem, it will be awesome for the entire Insight community. i'll be looking forward to knowing what he discovers. He can submit a service bulletin to Honda Corp.

 

[ilusnforc]

I stopped by the dealer today to see if my mechanic has found out any info on the "noisy valves" or the "ticking". Here is what he found by contacting Honda Tech Line...

"Cold Start Knock"
"To some degree, cold start knock (piston slap) is a normal characteristic on 4-stroke gasoline engines. It happens when the engine is cold (piston-to-cylinder clearance at its greatest, and most of the oil has drained back into the pan). As the engine warms up, the knock should quickly diminish, usually within 2 to 3 minutes."

He told them that a customer is concerned about the noise and also himself as an Insight owner with the same noise. They assured him everything is normal and will be fine with regular oil changes using the recommended 0W20 oil.

 

[b1shmu63]

Normal? Hmmmmmm. I havent noticed it on my 14 year old CRX. If it is an old problem then using synthetic should help, perhaps a 0W30 synthetic like I use. Somehow the gas savings using 0W20 just doesn't seem worth it. I'm at 73.7 MPG on my current tank after 560 miles. The mileage hit after switching to 0W30 was so small I couldn't really tell. Yes, 0W30 is one of the three oil grades recomended for the Insight in the Shop manual.

 

[Guillermo]

My Insight ticks for 1 or 2 minutes when started in the cold as well, and so did my 1998 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT.
I'm not sure if switching to synthetic oil made much difference in the sound. Mobil 1 0W20 and now Amsoil 0W30.

 

[Aaron Cake]

Regarding this "problem". It seems that every Insight I have seen or heard has this characteristic valve-tapping. That's just the nature of the beast. I originally started this topic to find out just that...I wouldn't put too much tought into this non-problem.