Scotty I have a 2008 Honda Accord EX with a 2.4L VTec engine. It has over 162,000 miles on it and when i start the engine from a cold start there is a rattle coming from the engine but goes away with in a second or two. What could this be? Also, while driving down the road the car shakes a lot. I replaced both front struts and ball joints but it still feels like its bouncing around more than usual.
What could this be?
First, check the oil level on the car. If it was fine, it could be the variable valve timing actuator. Do you have any code on the dash?
while driving down the road the car shakes a lot.
Check the tire pressure. Also, did you do the allignment when you repalced the struts?
Classic symptoms of a worn out timing chain set. Time to replace it.
Doc's probably right about the timing chain.
As for the struts, the quality of the new struts makes all the difference. Scotty showed that on his wife's Lexus, poorly made new quick struts were worse than the 15 yr. old OEMs. It's possible that the strut bearings (on the top of the strut) are below spec, and creating a racket. Worth a recheck
Per the shaking, you could also check the motor and transmission mounts. And check all the bushings, and the nuts from the tie rods, sway bar to the control arms. It's also possible that a bracket or brackets along the exhaust could have lost either a nut/bolt combination, or fallen off altogether.
A thorough and light-assisted visual and tactile inspection of the top and the entire belly of the vehicle might be the way to track what's rattling.
