2010 Acura MDX Valve Adjustment

[artbuc]

Acura calls for adjustment at 105k. Main concern seems to be exhaust getting tight. Mine has 93k and I am starting to think about selling in a couple years or keeping longer. Driving 7k miles per year. No valve cover leaks, yet. Was just watching a video where tech seemed to know his stuff. He made a comment that you usually get a misfire if exhaust gets too tight. Basically a warning before you burn a valve.

Two questions: How critical is the 105k adjustment? Will I know exhausts are getting too tight before I burn one? Thanks.

 

[ctechbob]

I don't know about the later J-Series motors. My Accord has an earlier non-VCM one and I didn't do the adjustment until about 180k. The exhausts were definitely tight, but there was still some clearance in them cold.

If you plan on doing it yourself, it isn't a terrible job. Yes the intake has to come off to get the valve covers off, but it really isn't that big of a deal. The hardest part is getting the feeler gauges in the rear banks, but if you're patient you'll be fine.

Even if you don't make any adjustments and just pull the covers to check to put your mind at ease.

I think @The Critic had mentioned once before that there is some method you can use with a vacuum gauge to tell if they are getting tight, or maybe I'm mis-remembering that.

 

[John105]

I have a confession, I've never had any service like that done, and my Maxima did go to 260k before it fell to chasing emissions issues.

Isn't a valve adjustment basically like a valve cover gasket replacement(s) to access them? I hate the idea of someone touching things and making them worse than what they were to begin with.

I only have the Maxima to draw my experience upon, i.e. a car that was purchased new and went to over 1/4 mil. miles. I have multiple used cars that had valve adjustments in the owners manual, that were never performed. I'd leave them alone. Again, mine is an opinion--I've never owned a Honda. If someone were to step forward and say, my engine blew up because I didn't do the 105k service, then I'd go with their advice (quite often the people who have troubles don't mention them, and people that don't have troubles mention that they didn't).

 

[hrv]

I don't know about the later J-Series motors. My Accord has an earlier non-VCM one and I didn't do the adjustment until about 180k. The exhausts were definitely tight, but there was still some clearance in them cold.

If you plan on doing it yourself, it isn't a terrible job. Yes the intake has to come off to get the valve covers off, but it really isn't that big of a deal. The hardest part is getting the feeler gauges in the rear banks, but if you're patient you'll be fine.

Even if you don't make any adjustments and just pull the covers to check to put your mind at ease.

I think @The Critic had mentioned once before that there is some method you can use with a vacuum gauge to tell if they are getting tight, or maybe I'm mis-remembering that.

If you get the angle feeler gauge the rear are much easier..

 

[nicholas]

Over again the ody forum.
Thr consensus isvget them done at 150k miles.
Based on meny users experiences

 

[hrv]

Over again the ody forum.
Thr consensus isvget them done at 150k miles.
Based on meny users experiences

it is a very easy job to do yourself....on the 2.4 or the 1.8...

 

[LazyDog]

The exhaust valves do tent to get tight w/ time. In my 04 CRV, they where done around 90K.

 

[KrisZ]

It’s a scheduled check and adjust if needed, not an automatic adjustment.
And that is why it should be performed around this time. It doesn’t matter what was reported by others because they drive differently and it’s a different engine. They are not all identical when leaving the factory.

 

[hrv]

It’s a scheduled check and adjust if needed, not an automatic adjustment.
And that is why it should be performed around this time. It doesn’t matter what was reported by others because they drive differently and it’s a different engine. They are not all identical when leaving the factory.

Its still a good idea to have them checked...imo

 

[Chris142]

Are these adjustable with regular tools and not shims you have to replace?

 

[hrv]

Are these adjustable with regular tools and not shims you have to replace?

no shims a very easy job to do....

 

[Chris142]

no shims a very easy job to do....

That's nice. No reason to not adjust them. Do it now and likely never have to do them again.

 

[artbuc]

Access to rear exhaust valves is pretty bad on the MDX.

 

[UncleDave]

it is a very easy job to do yourself....on the 2.4 or the 1.8...

The 3.5 is harder - the rear bank is a bit of a pia.

 

[nicholas]

it is a very easy job to do yourself....on the 2.4 or the 1.8...

Not so much on the 3.5

 

[artbuc]

Mine is 3.7, even worse.

 

[The Critic]

no shims a very easy job to do....

It is in theory, but there is a touch to be mastered. If you don't know what it should feel like, you can make the situation a lot worse. It isn't a simple "go/no go."