When I first got my Pilot, I wrote about this strange noise which I described as a "pinging" or "knocking"...but I have now come to think of as more of a buzz or rattle or loose something in the engine area.
It does seem to occur at about 3000 RPMs; I can't hear it at highway speeds (too much road noise, I guess) but can hear it when traveling on side streets. It happens on acceleration, around 30 mph, when the RPMs hit about 3000....say when I'm accelerating up a hill after having been at a stop sign.
It is subtle, and would easily been drowned out by a radio. I just happen to like driving in silence, so I can hear it quite easily.
It's been there since Day1, and the dealer checked it out and couldn't hear or find anything unusual. Said these Honda VTEC engines just don't knock or ping...
So I've begun to think of it as more of a loose something. There seemed to be a similar sounding complaint on the MDX site, and several people reported they had a throttle cable bracket that vibrated (metal on metal, making a knocking noise) at about 3000 RPMs. I haven't been able to isolate that myself yet.
My noise sounds like it's coming more from the right (passenger) side of engine to me. I've only heard one other person report it, so I'm sort of baffled. I've tried all sorts of gas, brands and grades, and it's still there.
Anyone else?
Diane