well the problem is it only happens when im in gear and driving so the only way i could record it is if i had a dyno to put it on.

maybe one of these days after class ill try and convince my instructor to let me strap it to the dyno to record it

 

Not true just jack up the front end and slowly raise the rpms, dont gun it cause there obviously is no resistance.

 

If you don't have a turbo, you don't spray nitrous, you don't constantly beat the living **** out of the car, and you do change the oil regularly, IT'S NOT A ROD KNOCK. These cars simply don't make enough power to blow themselves up. On the other hand if you've been lax on maintenance or have some aftermarket crap on your engine anything is possible-- but otherwise it's probably just lifter noise or something external like the water pump going bad.

 

Do you have kamikaze headers?

IF this is a yes, that's your problem. My car does the same, in park, you can BARELY hear the ticking, when it's in gear though it sounds like a bee has gone insane.

If it's no...then

 

I will say my fiances 01 civic has a nice size crack all the way down the stock exhaust manifold and you can hear the valves like nobodies business but there is nothing wrong with them. I have looked and even went and took it to honda and they said the noise was due to the crack as well

 

no i do not have the kamikaze header.

and im not sure if jacking it up will work but ill try it next time i have someone around to record. ive notice lately that it changes alot with load like when im going up a hill and i dont excellerate and it kinda bogs down without downshifting it gets alot louder but if i hit the gas and make it downshift it gets quieter

im thoroughly stumped on this one