Advice on 96 Civic pushrod problem

Hello,,,,I am not an expert on cars, so wanted a bit of advice. Took my
96 civic(117k miles) to the dealer regarding a thunking in the engine,
pretty much only when going up a very steep hill and in 2nd gear. I was
told it was probably the cv joints and/or axle. Well after a diagnostic
they said I have a bad pushrod and I can either fork out $1700 for a
pushrod that *MAY* solve the issue,,,or $2500 for a rebuilt engine. The
sound is almost like bad gas knocking but a much lower and deeper
pitch. As I said I mainly hear it going up very steep hill when
flooring it in 2nd.

Does this sound plasuible? Or are they trying to take me for a ride? I
will try to find a second opinion just thought I would ask on here if
it sounds like a pushrod.

 

Having the dealer do anything is at least 3x as expensive as any other
option. Find an independent shop who knows what they are doing and
also work on "foreign" cars to check it out. Ask around some friends
who have been in the area a while.

How does a push rod go bad - maybe a valve is out of adjustment - does
it get quieter when the engine warms up - any loss of power. Don't
drive it for any long trips - find that mechanic.

 

You have no "pushrods". Those are found in older-style engines that Honda
does not make. You do have valve lifters though, and you have a camshaft.

For that price, it's probable that they suspect a badly worn valve lifter
or camshaft, which is normally a sign of very poor maintenance for a long
time.

A second opinion is desirable. Depending on the actual sound, it could well
be just spark knock (detonation). That can also cause a noise during heavy
load as you describe.

Any error codes stored? Did the dealer check the OBD-II system for codes?

 

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Get an independent mechanic to check your motor mounts. They tend to
show up when under heavy load, and because they transmit noise to the
chassis, it can be a very 'throaty' deep growl. Way cheaper than
anything your dealer dreamed up too

'Curly'

 

I cant say for certain it gets quieter when the engine warms up. I
never have loss of power. I found a very good independent mechanic from
reading reviews and talking to some people today. I will take it to
him.

 

Interesting....I will definitely mention that. If that is the case I
will call the dealer service shop and let them know since they try to
sell me a used engine!

 

I have been diligent in all my maintainance actually. Unless the dealer
screwed me on maintainance all these years?!

 

Almost sounds like it could be a rod knock. Are you sure he didn't say
connecting rod instead of pushrod? Someone else already pointed out
that your engine does not have pushrods.

 

No, they've probably just not diagnosed it correctly.

That they would head for the most expensive repair you could ask for says
they don't want to do the work, and are giving you a *big* estimate to
scare you off.

Find an independent who's used to fixing older cars.

 

as has already been pointed out several times, this engine does not have
pushrods - they're probably referring the connecting rod. but even
then, the connecting rod doesn't knock, it's the bearing, and on a honda
this age/mileage, unless you have been /seriously/ neglectful of the oil
change schedule, is most unlikely to be a problem. as curley
recommends, check the motor mounts, after first finding a better mechanic.

 

the 96 honda accord v-6 has short pushrods on the exhaust side.
Don't be to hasty in your diag!

it's most likley a bad rod bearing.

Chip

 

but are there any v6 civics?

 

Oops!

 

Yes it was a connecting rod---not a pushrod! The stupid service advisor
kept telling me a pushrod. I looked on the paperwork I got back and the
mechanic had written down "connecting rod". So this changes things I
guess?

 

no - connecting rods still don't make noise, only the bearings do. get
a second opinion from another mechanic. if a bearing is going, you'll
have a significant drop in oil pressure and this can be measured. call
around until you find someone that will do this simple test for you,
/after/ you've had the motor mounts inspected.

 

Any connecting rod noise, or any other noise due to reciprocating
parts, would be evident in every gear, not just under high loads.

 

Some use "piston rod" interchangeably with "connecting rod." Maybe the guy
was thinking "piston rod" and it came out "push rod."

There is a subtle difference between "piston rod" and "connecting rod" but
after googling to refresh my memory, I'm not going to touch it. Suffice it
to say that at least one popular Honda parts site and my Chilton's manual
calls the member that connects piston head to crankshaft the "connecting
rod."

 

I've never heard a connecting rod referred to as a piston rod - but
there could be places on the planet where it is. I wonder though if you
are thinking of the wrist pin which is sometimes called a piston pin.
That is the part that attaches the connecting rod to the piston.

 

Here's my impression:
Highly technically on larger engines, the wrist pin links a connecting rod
to a piston rod. Both rods would be present on say large industrial diesel
engines, where the side thrust on the cylinder walls would otherwise be too
great. The piston rod on such engines moves strictly linearly (hence no
notable side thrust). The connecting rod has one end that revolves (attached
to the crankshaft) and the other end that moves strictly linearly.

Googling again shows the terms "wrist pin" and "piston pin" used somewhat
interchangeably. Majestic's online parts site and Chilton's call it a
"piston pin."

The evidence (Google hits; Chilton's; Majestic) is that the auto industry
prefers the term "connecting rod." I'm not trying to mess with this reality;
more just making an observation. It might be a diesel thing vs. a gasoline
spark ignition thing. I originally spent a lot more time studying large
diesels, and the difference between a "piston rod" and "connecting rod" was
drilled into the newbie students. So I'm a little surprised but yield to
reality or maybe I missed something.

Buncha pedantic stuff. For my auto repair work, I will use the terms
Majestic and Chilton's (plus the UK Honda manual site) use, since the three
seem to agree. So it's "connecting rod" and "piston pin," AFAIC.

 

Something like...this?
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/Technical/TS3.htm
(schematics are at the bottom)