What do you guys recommend as the best way to break your car in (2005 accord EX-L 4 cylinder). In the manual it says not to make any rapid acceleration until the 600 mile mark. I heard from a friend to keep it 3 rpm mark and to never go over the 3 and 4 rpm. What I've been doing is gradually speeding on the highway, making sure never to let the needle go past the 3rpm. I usually just start it slow and then get to the speed limit, I have gone over 60 a few times, I had it yesterday in cruise control at 65 mph. Can anyone share with me the right break in technique.
Well yesterday was the first day I played cd's in my new Accord, I put 6 different cd's which I bought from different people at different times. Now they were mixed cd's, DJ cd's and were recorded on CD-R's. FOr some reason the player was not recognizing two of the CD's and then the rest it would only play like 10 songs and then stop on the rest and say mech error, or no disc. ON one of the CD's the sound quality was real bad. This is wierd because they play real good on my home system and my computer. Does anyone here have the same issue or know how to correct it, or if this is normal and if this is just my car?
I just had my clutch done under that TSB. The "twang" is a spring catching type feeling or noise when you press down on the clutch. Apparently the master cylinder spring is rubbing against the piston when the pedal is pressed. They replace the clutch master cylinder and away you go. I must say, it's like driving a totally new car... I have had to relearn where my clutch engages!
I don't know if this will fix your problem, but its a start.
I think it's the CD(s). I know there could be several reasons for that. I would say though that if you start having problems with commercially produced CD(s)to not wait. You could have a crippled unit and you don't want to miss out on your warrenty. I've had more problems with the single disk player in my '98 than with the 6 disc model.
Do you apply the brake while you are shifting? How are the revs rising? If you have your foot on the gas while changing gears, that may be the problem. Revs should not rise with your foot on the brake.
And if you are applying the accelerator during automatic gear selection, that is the incorrect way to drive the car.
ETA:Caught your post below Justin. We have got to stop agreeing like this.
a delay when shifting from Park to Reverse or Reverse to Drive or Park to Drive IS normal. all automatics do it lately. makes things easier on the car. the key is to not floor it until the right gear engages. if you are having the tach needle fly up between gear changes, it can only be because you are pressing the gas, right? not being rude here, but why are you pressing the gas at the same time your foot is on the brake to shift the automatic gear shift or while you are waiting for the gear to engage? just don't press the go pedal until the car is in gear. a second or two delay seems about right for my Accord. but also for all my automatics since 1999. (VW, Civic, and BMW 325Ci).
edscissors:
no special break-in period needed on most new cars. you can hold off on panic braking for a few hundred miles, might help brakes start off on the right foot. important on a Honda but i don't think the engine requires anything. already has special "break-in" oil from the factory. that old wives tale of "don't exceed 50mph" is just outdated. some still say you should vary your engine speeds at first, but how someone can NOT vary engines speeds is beyond me. you don't go from rest to 60 without hitting 1-59, right?
You're right. It didn't occur to me about the stepping on the brake, because it seems like one would know about that. I guess for a lot of people auto. transmissions are new. I still think that if ncviper is using the brake, 2-3 seconds is a long time though.
Yep, you nailed it on the head. Got a call from Honda this afternoon. They were willing to cover 25% of the parts and labor on it and I would pay 75% at the warranty rate. I'm still trying to figure out what my cost at the warranty rate will be, the Honda Corp rep mentioned $1,800-1,900 and the dealer service rep thought it was around $1,000-1,100. I'm obviously hoping the dealer rep is closer, but I haven't received a formal estimate yet.
My feelings are mixed. I'm glad they're helping out a bit, but the transmission should not have failed so soon. If I buy another Honda/Acura in the future, it'll be a stick.
I would bet that the rattling is coming from the door seals or window seals. I have the same problem intermittently with my 2003, and it started about a week after I got it. After about 3 trips and 2 dealers, one finally said that they lubed the door seals to fix the problem. I thought they were crazy but the noise was gone.
I have not found any PERMANENT fix for it (**if anyone has one, I would LOVE to hear it**), but cleaning the seals with silicone spray and paper towels works for a while--a month or two.
The symptoms of your transmission may be similar to mine. The symptoms I had was that the transmission was slow (2-3 sec delay) to engage when it's cold and was very rough when doing so. Also shifted rough up and down gears until it warmed up and then was smoother, but still not quite right.
Hope you're situation is better, but if you have the same symptoms as above, get it looked at by a different mechanic. What may work for you (worked for me) is to take it to an independent Honda specialist. They diagnosed my problem correctly.
I think you missed the point. Yes my foot is on the brake when shifting. No I don't bring up RPM's I just used that as an example. I agree that a 1-1.5 second delay is normal but when you get over 2 seconds sometimes 3-3.5 seconds thats not normal. Also not to be rude but it's not like I just started driving...I've only be doing this for 30 years. Thanks for your input.
I recently purchased an 04 Accord EX V6. I have about 1500 miles on it. When I initially turn the A/C on, I hear a clunk sound coming from the front. Does anyone else experience this and is this normal.
shaun1: It's the AC compressor turning on more than likely. All of my Accords have done this (03 coupe and two 04 sedans). I think my 01 EX V6 coupe may have had the same noise as well.
"This hesitation is long enongh to run up RPM's on the engine therefore getting a very HARD engagment."
That doesn't happen with your foot on the brake. If your RPM's run up with your foot on the brake, you have other issues than your transmission. I don't understand what that could be an "example" of.
I was trying to convey how long this pause is. Maybe I worded this incorrectly. Have I tried this...yes...once. Sorry for the confusion. I am aware how you run up RPM's. Again sorry for the confusion.
I've recently purchased a 2004 Accord LX with 5-spd AT. It's EPA rating is 24 city / 34 highway. I've driven it 2,600 mi. and I'm only getting 17 mpg! Now I know driving conditions vary. But on other cars I've owned I would get within 1-3 mi. of the EPA rating.
Most of my driving is city with a little bit of occasional highway. I live in S. Fla. so I do have to deal with heat & humidity (and hurricanes). Is there a problem with my car? Is there something special I need to do?
Your car is still young. Mileage will improve as the miles add up. However, if you have a very short commute where the engine never fully warms up and you run the AC and are in stop and go traffic you might never get the EPA rating.
Ever since new, I have had intrusive static on strong local FM stations. Dealer has said this is common in my area [DC] and has even swapped the radio. Still static.
Has anyone replaced tge FM antenna embedded in the rear windshield with a metal whip antenna outside the car? Difficult? Caused any problems?
We have a 2004 EX-L/stick. 4 months old with 1800 miles. Clearly, there are periods where the car sits idle. For the second time since we bought it, after 4 days of no use, the car was dead. Zip, nada, nothing. Something is slowly draining the battery. Dealer didn't find anything the first time (although we had the battery charged to get there, so when he saw it, it was fine. This time the car will be towed dead to help problem solve). Any similar experiences or a clue as to problem?
I have a 2002 Accord SE 4cyl. automatic. Does anyone know a resource that will tell me the manufacturers or other party's stated 0-60 time for this vehicle? I'm guessing it's between 8-11 seconds on paper?
I'm currently at 129K+ miles with this replacement and so far so good. This has been a very well documented issue with all years of the 6th Gen. It will only get uglier as time passes and miles are accumulated.
I'm glad to see that Honda is trying to be proactive with the 7th Gen autotrans issues.
Glad to know I'm not alone. Honda gave me a similar compromise offer, 75% at warranty rate. According to my dealer, it's supposed to run about $1,000-$1,100 for my part of it. My shop would have charged $3,000 for the same job, can't complain there. Too bad the 7 year/100K warranty didn't apply to the 1998s...
Hopefully I'll have the same luck with the new one. Eventually, I would like to give it to my daughter when she's old enough to drive in a few years (and give me a reason to get something sportier).
It's good they're being proactive on the newer ones, the 6th gen ones have definitely given them a black eye. Many of my friends are astonished when I mentioned that my Honda transmission failed.
My 2004 V6 EX has the same problem. It appears when the engine is cold, there is a clunk heard from front within about 5-10 seconds of driving. Dealer service mgr says this is normal. However, I just received a safety recall for 03/04 Accord V6 auto Second Gear inspection. Perhaps you have also received from Honda Corp. Appears that their fix is a oil-jet kit to install in some cases and in others, replace the trans. I need to do more research on that. Sounds like this was a newly designed trans?
The clunk you are hearing is the ABS self check test. All cars with ABS make this noise. Nothing to worry about.
By the way, how are your front brakes holding up? I have an '03 V6 with 30k miles and have a lot of shuddering and vibration over 50mph.
I know there is a TSB repair bulletin #069 for the brake shudder but my car was at the dealer three times already. I am now fighting to have the front rotors replaced. Probably will need to open a dispute case up with a Case Managaer at Honda factory.
My first brand new car after 16 years of driving junk and this is my reward. Ugh.
I heard a mechanic discussing a Honda problem with a rod that's in the master cylinder being too long and keep the calipers from making a full release because it blocks some of the return opening. This keeps a light pressure on the pads causing the rotors to heat up at speed. This is even though the driver can't sense that there's a drag on the brakes.
This could explain the repeat rotor problems in some Hondas.
My Accord V6 EX 2002 with 25K miles on it makes a little squeaking sound from its brakes every morning when I drive about 200 yards from home and stop at the stop sign near my home. After that, during the day there are no more noises from the brakes and brakes works real fine. The brakes are almost brand-new after a "stupid inexperienced mechanic" wrongly identified that my original brakes worn out at 18K miles and he put in new brake pads. Is there any thing wrong with my brakes or rotors for now?
I really enjoy to hear my 2003 Accord V6 EX's VTEC engine quietly purs like a great cheetah when I drive it even though at 15K miles I had to bring it back to Honda dealer to fix the mysterious oil leak underneath the transmission box. They had to clean the underneath of the engine completely to identify the problem.
I also bought a 2003 Accord V6 Coupe for my son and am going to buy an Accord hybrid soon even though my son's Accord coupe had to go back to dealer to have an oil kit installed for the transmission.
I have a 2003 Accord with a 4 cyl. automatic. At around 10K miles, I heard what sounded like I was dragging a metal bucket under the car while driving forward for the first time that day. I looked under the car & hood & found nothing unusual. After driving about a block, the sound went away. Now I have 18K miles. On Saturday, I was backing the car out of the garage & the "dragging metal bucket" sound was very loud. I stopped & checked under the car & hood again. Then I continued backing out of the driveway and the sound continued. When I went forward, the sound went away. Can anyone give me some insight on this? It wasn't the brakes, the sound came from under the hood & was much louder than the brakes have ever been. Thanks!
04 EXV6 Accord. Finally got the seat shifting problem fixed after 3/4 times trying. I was able to replicate it by just sitting with the car parked and moving fwd and aft. The dealer installed a new seat track and that seems to have done the trick. I started this at my selling dealer and now go to one closer. Neither of them said this is normal. For those who hear that keep at them.
Ok, the car was a year old this september. And a problem has come up again at the same time of the year. The intermittant hard start. Takes 3/4 times to start the car on occasion. Only starts after I press the gas pedal and release or start with it 1/2 way down as explained in the owners manual. All other times its normal.
I just had my '04 LX 4 cyl. automatic checked for a noise that seems similar to yours, but maybe not exactly the same.
Every morning when I let the handbrake off and put the car in reverse to back slowly out the driveway, with my foot lightly on the brake since the rpms are at about 1400 on a cold engine, I was getting a rattling, metallic sound, as if something were loose and about to fall off. It stopped immediately when I put it in Drive, though there was a slight residual noise for a moment or two. At the end of the day, leaving work, same scenario -- backing out of the parking space, a big rattle, then nothing.
Here's what they wrote on the work order:
"Bolt loose at bracket hanger by H frame. Tighten bolts."
There is one major difference with my car from yours -- they installed a replacement transmission at about 4700 miles because of a persistent whining noise. I've now got about 7200 miles on the car.
What they did seems to have solved the problem -- I've only had it back a few days, but so far, so good.
This may have nothing to do with your situation, but who knows?
By the way -- Is anyone knowledgable enough to tell me if this H frame bracket hanger has anything to do with the transmission, and whether or not it could have related to the installation of the replacement transmission?
I have the same problem with both front seats. I have had the drivers seat track replaced but....after about 2 weeks the problem has returned. Dealer says its now "normal". I meet with the Honda rep on Friday. If this is the best Honda can do with a $29,000.00 car.....I'm trading.
The sound on mine if much louder than a loose bracket, but thanks for the information. I'm guessing mine has to do with the automatic clutch mechanism not engaging correctly while the engine is at fast idle.
Silicon spray didn't help at all. It is still rattling. Would it be possible for you to explain how your dealer lubed the door seal or give me the name and number of your dealer? I will have my Honda dealer contact them. I can't stand the rattling anymore and want this fixed pronto.
After rereading your original post, I have a couple questions for you:
1. Does the rattling occur when the windows are shut or when partly open?
2. Does the noise seem to occur only when going over rough or broken pavement or does it also occur on very smooth roads?
3. Is it a ticking-type sound or is there another way you can describe it?
4. Did you try silicone spray on all the door and window seals or just some? I open the windows and do the window seals as well as both sets of door seals.
In the post I mentioned the door/window seals, the noise I was describing was a light ticking sound that seemed to come from the top of the door. It seemed to occur regardless of the type of pavement I was on and was almost always with the windows completely shut. It would come and go--sometimes I would hear it regularly and then other times I would go a week or so without hearing it. Sometimes if I put the windows down ever so slightly (just tap the window button), it would stop.
When the dealer (I think it was Indy Honda -- Indianapolis, IN) did this, the receipt said "lubed door and window seals". They put some sort of clear gel on the seals that reminded me of Vaseline--I don't know what exactly it was. Someone had once mentioned silicone to me and that's when I started trying silicone spray with some success.
I also had another noise when the windows are down a few inches. There was a metallic rattling sometimes when going over rough pavement. My regular dealer replaced one of the window regulators and that helped this noise--I still occasionally get a little bit of this noise from the other windows, but the noisiest one was fixed.
If your noise seems to be coming more from the center or lower portion of the door, it could be something with the door panel or window control switches. Or something within the door might be making the noise.
Another idea--are you sure it is from the door and not the B-pillar area (between the doors). I had a rattle from the passenger side upper seat belt anchor. I took apart the B-pillar and put felt tape between the pillar trim and the seat belt anchor to stop that noise.
I hope one of these helps you. I had several rattles first appear at about 11k miles and they were very annoying. Nearly all have been resolved, but a couple noises still occasionally show up. But I have ridden in a couple other cars lately (2000 Dodge Intrepid, 2002 Jaguar X-type for instance, or any GM rental car) that made me realize that it could be much worse. Of course, I learned my lesson and will never buy a first-year car again (not even from Honda)--I will wait a couple years for the bugs (and rattles) to be worked out. Good luck.
Yeah, we have a V6 coupe and have the same problem. I used to valet park cars when I was in college so I have driven litterally hundreds or even thousands of cars, many of them manual transmissions. However, I can't even drive this car without having it jerk into gear going into second.
We took our car into the dealer to have them look at the clutch as well and they also told us it was fine. Then I insisted that the car is not fine and there is a problem--after which they said "well, when we first got the manual V6 in, our service guys tried driving it and had the same problem". I think Honda is reluctant to fix an obvious widespread problem.
Just replaced my timing belt, balancer belt and water pump on my 94 accord. Car work fine but there a wining noise coming from timing belt compartment. Mechanic said that new timing belts some times will make wining noise till tension is worked out. Does it make sense ? any concerns. Thanks for any input.
1990-95 4-Cylinder Accord and 1992-95 Prelude Except Prelude VTEC models:
Temporarily install the crank pulley and bolt. Loosen the tensioner adjusting nut 1 turn, then tighten it. Rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise until the camshaft pulley has moved 3 teeth to create tension on the belt. Loosen the nut again, then tighten it to 33 ft. lbs. (45 Nm). Always rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise when viewed from the pulley end. Rotating it clockwise will cause improper adjustment and possible damage. Make sure all timing marks are positioned correctly (as described earlier). Align the rear timing balancer pulley (to the right of the crank pulley) using a 6x100mm bolt or rod. Mark the bolt or rod at a point 2.913 in. (74mm) from the end. Remove the bolt from the maintenance hole on the side of the block; insert the rod into the hole. Align the 74mm mark with the face of the hole. This pin will hold the shaft in place during installation. Loosen the tensioner adjusting nut and verify that the timing balancer belt adjuster moves freely. Fit the balancer belt over the pulleys. Remove the bolt or rod from the maintenance hole. Temporarily install the crank pulley. Rotate the engine one turn counterclockwise, then tighten the tensioner adjusting nut to 33 ft. lbs. (45 Nm). Double check the positions of the timing marks and make sure they still line up. If not remove the belts and repeat the procedures.
Both belt adjusters are spring-loaded to properly tension the belts. Do not apply any additional pressure to the pulleys or tensioners while performing the adjustment.
You just verived what I stated: there is no manual adjustment for tension on the timing belt. I'm a mechanic. The step you listed is just to ensure the automatic spring tensioners move freely. Again the tension is not manually adjusted, the automatic spring tensioners provide the proper tension, if they are serviceable. Thanks for listing the procedure, it might help others understand the system.
While the tensioner spring is designed to provide correct belt tension, I've had to correct several where the installer has pried on the arm to "assist" the spring. The net result is belt whine. Probably why the repair instructions make a point of specifying not to apply any additional pressure to the tensioners.
Good point! It's amazing what people do and don't do sometimes, especially when it comes to following instructions. I just read your profile and I'm impressed. I just have always done my own mechanical work and worked with a lot of hard core mechanics. I read the Civic, Accord and Camry boards daily, as I have done for years. When I chime in, it's usually to clear up an issue where someone has bad information or is paying for a service they don't need. A good mechanic is "a wonderful thing". Too many people post information that is without foundation and it will end up costing people money for maintenance that is not required.
Thanks for your input folks. I would like to point out that I had this whine after a timing belt replacement on a 89 accord in the past and the whine gradually went away and the belt lasted as much as 30k miles before the car was wrecked in an accident (unfortunately). So my point is could that mean that this a rule-of-thump. Also what does correcting this whine involve, i.e. re doing the whole procedure!!
Comments
I don't know if this will fix your problem, but its a start.
And if you are applying the accelerator during automatic gear selection, that is the incorrect way to drive the car.
ETA:Caught your post below Justin. We have got to stop agreeing like this.
a delay when shifting from Park to Reverse or Reverse to Drive or Park to Drive IS normal. all automatics do it lately. makes things easier on the car. the key is to not floor it until the right gear engages. if you are having the tach needle fly up between gear changes, it can only be because you are pressing the gas, right? not being rude here, but why are you pressing the gas at the same time your foot is on the brake to shift the automatic gear shift or while you are waiting for the gear to engage? just don't press the go pedal until the car is in gear. a second or two delay seems about right for my Accord. but also for all my automatics since 1999. (VW, Civic, and BMW 325Ci).
edscissors:
no special break-in period needed on most new cars. you can hold off on panic braking for a few hundred miles, might help brakes start off on the right foot. important on a Honda
My feelings are mixed. I'm glad they're helping out a bit, but the transmission should not have failed so soon. If I buy another Honda/Acura in the future, it'll be a stick.
I have not found any PERMANENT fix for it (**if anyone has one, I would LOVE to hear it**), but cleaning the seals with silicone spray and paper towels works for a while--a month or two.
Hope you're situation is better, but if you have the same symptoms as above, get it looked at by a different mechanic. What may work for you (worked for me) is to take it to an independent Honda specialist. They diagnosed my problem correctly.
I think you missed the point. Yes my foot is on the brake when shifting. No I don't bring up RPM's I just used that as an example. I agree that a 1-1.5 second delay is normal but when you get over 2 seconds sometimes 3-3.5 seconds thats not normal. Also not to be rude but it's not like I just started driving...I've only be doing this for 30 years.
Thanks for your input.
That doesn't happen with your foot on the brake. If your RPM's run up with your foot on the brake, you have other issues than your transmission. I don't understand what that could be an "example" of.
Most of my driving is city with a little bit of occasional highway. I live in S. Fla. so I do have to deal with heat & humidity (and hurricanes). Is there a problem with my car? Is there something special I need to do?
Any help is appreciated.
Has anyone replaced tge FM antenna embedded in the rear windshield with a metal whip antenna outside the car? Difficult? Caused any problems?
I have a 2002 Accord SE 4cyl. automatic. Does anyone know a resource that will tell me the manufacturers or other party's stated 0-60 time for this vehicle? I'm guessing it's between 8-11 seconds on paper?
according2me Jan 17, 2004 2:17pm
I'm currently at 129K+ miles with this replacement and so far so good.
This has been a very well documented issue with all years of the 6th Gen. It will only get uglier as time passes and miles are accumulated.
I'm glad to see that Honda is trying to be proactive with the 7th Gen autotrans issues.
according2me
Hopefully I'll have the same luck with the new one. Eventually, I would like to give it to my daughter when she's old enough to drive in a few years (and give me a reason to get something sportier).
It's good they're being proactive on the newer ones, the 6th gen ones have definitely given them a black eye. Many of my friends are astonished when I mentioned that my Honda transmission failed.
Dealer service mgr says this is normal.
However, I just received a safety recall for 03/04 Accord V6 auto Second Gear inspection. Perhaps you have also received from Honda Corp. Appears that their fix is a oil-jet kit to install in some cases and in others, replace the trans. I need to do more research on that. Sounds like this was a newly designed trans?
By the way, how are your front brakes holding up? I have an '03 V6 with 30k miles and have a lot of shuddering and vibration over 50mph.
I know there is a TSB repair bulletin #069 for the brake shudder but my car was at the dealer three times already. I am now fighting to have the front rotors replaced. Probably will need to open a dispute case up with a Case Managaer at Honda factory.
My first brand new car after 16 years of driving junk and this is my reward. Ugh.
This could explain the repeat rotor problems in some Hondas.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I also bought a 2003 Accord V6 Coupe for my son and am going to buy an Accord hybrid soon even though my son's Accord coupe had to go back to dealer to have an oil kit installed for the transmission.
Ok, the car was a year old this september. And a problem has come up again at the same time of the year. The intermittant hard start. Takes 3/4 times to start the car on occasion. Only starts after I press the gas pedal and release or start with it 1/2 way down as explained in the owners manual. All other times its normal.
Every morning when I let the handbrake off and put the car in reverse to back slowly out the driveway, with my foot lightly on the brake since the rpms are at about 1400 on a cold engine, I was getting a rattling, metallic sound, as if something were loose and about to fall off. It stopped immediately when I put it in Drive, though there was a slight residual noise for a moment or two. At the end of the day, leaving work, same scenario -- backing out of the parking space, a big rattle, then nothing.
Here's what they wrote on the work order:
"Bolt loose at bracket hanger by H frame. Tighten bolts."
There is one major difference with my car from yours -- they installed a replacement transmission at about 4700 miles because of a persistent whining noise. I've now got about 7200 miles on the car.
What they did seems to have solved the problem -- I've only had it back a few days, but so far, so good.
This may have nothing to do with your situation, but who knows?
By the way -- Is anyone knowledgable enough to tell me if this H frame bracket hanger has anything to do with the transmission, and whether or not it could have related to the installation of the replacement transmission?
Thanks.
quite honestly, the Accord might be gone this week. not 100%, so if i keep it, i will worry about brakes next week
Would it be possible for you to explain how your dealer lubed the door seal or give me the name and number of your dealer? I will have my Honda dealer contact them. I can't stand the rattling anymore and want this fixed pronto.
Thanks.
1. Does the rattling occur when the windows are shut or when partly open?
2. Does the noise seem to occur only when going over rough or broken pavement or does it also occur on very smooth roads?
3. Is it a ticking-type sound or is there another way you can describe it?
4. Did you try silicone spray on all the door and window seals or just some? I open the windows and do the window seals as well as both sets of door seals.
In the post I mentioned the door/window seals, the noise I was describing was a light ticking sound that seemed to come from the top of the door. It seemed to occur regardless of the type of pavement I was on and was almost always with the windows completely shut. It would come and go--sometimes I would hear it regularly and then other times I would go a week or so without hearing it. Sometimes if I put the windows down ever so slightly (just tap the window button), it would stop.
When the dealer (I think it was Indy Honda -- Indianapolis, IN) did this, the receipt said "lubed door and window seals". They put some sort of clear gel on the seals that reminded me of Vaseline--I don't know what exactly it was. Someone had once mentioned silicone to me and that's when I started trying silicone spray with some success.
I also had another noise when the windows are down a few inches. There was a metallic rattling sometimes when going over rough pavement. My regular dealer replaced one of the window regulators and that helped this noise--I still occasionally get a little bit of this noise from the other windows, but the noisiest one was fixed.
If your noise seems to be coming more from the center or lower portion of the door, it could be something with the door panel or window control switches. Or something within the door might be making the noise.
Another idea--are you sure it is from the door and not the B-pillar area (between the doors). I had a rattle from the passenger side upper seat belt anchor. I took apart the B-pillar and put felt tape between the pillar trim and the seat belt anchor to stop that noise.
I hope one of these helps you. I had several rattles first appear at about 11k miles and they were very annoying. Nearly all have been resolved, but a couple noises still occasionally show up. But I have ridden in a couple other cars lately (2000 Dodge Intrepid, 2002 Jaguar X-type for instance, or any GM rental car) that made me realize that it could be much worse. Of course, I learned my lesson and will never buy a first-year car again (not even from Honda)--I will wait a couple years for the bugs (and rattles) to be worked out. Good luck.
We took our car into the dealer to have them look at the clutch as well and they also told us it was fine. Then I insisted that the car is not fine and there is a problem--after which they said "well, when we first got the manual V6 in, our service guys tried driving it and had the same problem". I think Honda is reluctant to fix an obvious widespread problem.
1990-95 4-Cylinder Accord and 1992-95 Prelude
Except Prelude VTEC models:
Temporarily install the crank pulley and bolt.
Loosen the tensioner adjusting nut 1 turn, then tighten it.
Rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise until the camshaft pulley has moved 3 teeth to create tension on the belt.
Loosen the nut again, then tighten it to 33 ft. lbs. (45 Nm).
Always rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise when viewed from the pulley end.
Rotating it clockwise will cause improper adjustment and possible damage.
Make sure all timing marks are positioned correctly (as described earlier).
Align the rear timing balancer pulley (to the right of the crank pulley) using a 6x100mm bolt or rod. Mark the bolt or rod at a point 2.913 in. (74mm) from the end. Remove the bolt from the maintenance hole on the side of the block; insert the rod into the hole. Align the 74mm mark with the face of the hole. This pin will hold the shaft in place during installation.
Loosen the tensioner adjusting nut and verify that the timing balancer belt adjuster moves freely.
Fit the balancer belt over the pulleys. Remove the bolt or rod from the maintenance hole.
Temporarily install the crank pulley. Rotate the engine one turn counterclockwise, then tighten the tensioner adjusting nut to 33 ft. lbs. (45 Nm). Double check the positions of the timing marks and make sure they still line up. If not remove the belts and repeat the procedures.
Both belt adjusters are spring-loaded to properly tension the belts.
Do not apply any additional pressure to the pulleys or tensioners while performing the adjustment.