2015 Honda CRV EarthDreams 2.4 Intake Valve cleaning

Joined
Feb 11, 2021
Messages
23
60,000 miles
Top tier gas only.
Do I need to clean valves on this particular GDI (K24W)? I have read some posts which state that Honda designed this engine to prevent a carbon buildup on the intake valves ("...allow gas to get up around the seal occasionally and clean it...") . I am not so sure about that (this car has awful oil consumption). Does anyone know is it necessary and is it safe for a catalytic? I am thinking about CRC GDI IVD Intake valve cleaner.
 
you might be able to use an inspection camera to look at the valves. Being its relatively new they dont clog up like the first gen German systems did.
at least you dont have the 1.5L fuel dilution monster.
 
First, I don’t think it’s needed. DI engines have a bad reputation for this because of issues of early adopters, not more recent models. Second, because the fuel/air mixture doesn’t touch the back of the intake valve in a DI engine, additives wouldn’t seem to be of much, if any, help at all.

If the car doesn’t have driveability issues I wouldn’t worry about it.
 
The 2.4 Earth Dreams does not have an inherent issue with intake valve deposits. Drive on.
 
I don’t believe so. However, likes others have said, manufacturers have done a much better job in preventing intake valve deposits with their more recent engine designs .
 
Our local Honda dealership does BG Fuel Induction GDI intake service. Just called them and was told that that this service cleans intake valves as well (from which side?). Probably they use BG Platinum Air Intake, Valve & Combustion Chamber Cleaner PN 261.
BG Platinum 44K Fuel System Cleaner is not for these purposes, IMO.

PN260

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PN261

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BG Aerosol Carbon Eliminator PN PF06 is like CRC stuff.

So, as @Rand recommended, "...you might be able to use an inspection camera to look at the valves.." is the best way to find out if this service necessary or not.
I am not ready yet to pay $200 for this service.
 
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unless there is some sort of driveability issue I would have to believe its not anything you would need to address currently.
you would be in the a very select minority to have a gdi deposit issue with that engine esp. at 60k miles.

While BG makes good products they are usually used to empty your wallet not to fix an issue.
 
I have posted this question not because of OCD, not that person. Just recently replaced a PCV valve which was stuck open (for a long time, I believe) and this car drinks oil like a camel before crossing a desert. So I just can imagine how valves look like now.
 
If its an oil drinker, why not try a full can of CRC.
I use it once a year on all our DI cars.

Go for it, why not, give it a good clean.
I bet you will notice drivability results.
 
Honda included a section in the block to help separate out liquid from the gas before it gets to the PCV valve. So it is like having a big catch can already built into the engine. And during certain times, under certain engine loads, the direct injectors are pulsed twice per cycle instead of once. When it does that one of those pulses are while the intake valve is open, and it sprays on the back of the intake valve. Also the intake valve rotates so all of the sections of it end up getting sprayed.

That said, there have been a few cases of the Honda K 24 ( 2.4 Liter 4 banger ) having intake valve carbon build up. Usually only with engines having more than 80 K miles. And it is rare for it to happen. The signs are a decrease in MPGs that continues to get worse as the amount of buildup gets worse.

I use top tier fuel, but also add 4.45 mL of Red-Line SL-1 fuel system cleaner per gallon of gasoline into the tank before each fill to keep the injectors clean, and to help clean the intake valves of my 2016 CR-V K24 engine.

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lk77, Over the years Honda has improved the metals used in the valve-train so valve adjustment is required less often. With very early versions of the K24 it use to be that the valves required adjustment every 30 K miles. Now Honda recommends every 105 K miles. However, there have been cases of engines having the exhaust valves burned from being too tight out of adjustment way before 105 K miles. A prudent person adjust them every 60 K miles. In other words, at 60 K miles, it I were owning your vehicle I would be looking for a nice day to check and if necessary adjust the valves.

This is from a post on the Honda CR-V owners forum:

The intake valves tend to become looser as you put more miles on them, so you want to adjust the intake valves to the tight ( smallest gap ) end of the proper range so they will stay in the proper range the longest after you get done working on them.

From the Haynes Repair Manual no. 42027 page 1 - 2 for the 2.4 DOHC models the Intake valve clearance is 0.008 to 0.010 inches (0.21 to 0.25 mm). You want to set the Intake valves to the small side of that range which would be 0.008 inches (or 0.21 mm).

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The exhaust valves tend to become tighter as you put more miles on them, so you want to adjust the exhaust valves to the loose ( biggest gap ) end of the proper range so they stay within the proper range for the longest time after you get done working on them. This is important because you NEVER want an exhaust valve to become too tight ( too small of a gap, or no gap) because if an exhaust valve stays open a very small amount, it will burn and melt and be destroyed. And along with ruining the valve the valve seat in the head of the engine usually will be damaged. Then the head of the engine will have to be pulled and machined or replaced, along with new valves installed. That is very expensive.

From the Haynes Repair Manual no. 42027 page 1 - 2 for the 2.4 DOHC models the Exhaust valves clearance on a cold engine is 0.010 to 0.011 inches (0.25 to 0.29 mm). So you want to set the Exhaust valves to the big side of that range which would be 0.011 inches (or 0.29 mm).

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NOTE: SOME OF THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS SAY THE WRONG GAPS FOR THE EXHAUST VALVES. There was one that said 0.012 to 0.013 inches and that is more of a gap than what the Haynes Repair Manual says.

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Also, what is misleading is that some people say you only need to do a valve adjustment if they are noisy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The intake valves will be noisy if they need adjustment because there gap will get too large. But the exhaust valves will actually become quiet when there gap is too small. And you can have the intake not making excessive noise, but the exhaust out of speck and too tight. And if you let it go too long it can get so tight that it burns an exhaust valve.

So of the two if an input is too large and is noisy then you may not get all the power you should get from the engine because the intake valves are not opening enough and the engine can not take it all the air it should normally be able to get. But this will not cause damage to your engine.

But if exhaust valves are too tight and they are quiet they can become sooooooo tight that they stay open a very small amount, then they will melt and burn and damage the valves, and usually also the seats for the valves in the head of the engine. So this quiet exhaust valves problem is much more serious because it can damage your engine.

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Honda recommends checking them at 110,000 miles, but there have been reports of people finding the exhaust valves too tight with only 75,000 miles on an engine ( a YouTube video reported one at 0.004 inches with only 75,000 miles on the engine).

Watch several of the YouTube videos on how to adjust the valves on a Honda K series engine.

VERY IMPORTANT: YOU WANT THE ENGIEN TO BE STONE COLD WHEN YOU ARE ADJUSTING THE VALVES. And there is a special tool for adjusting the valves on a Honda engine that makes it easier to do the job (you can see it in use on some of the YouTube videos). You can do it without that tool, but it may take much longer.

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After you have them all adjusted, before you close it up, check them all one more time.In one of the YouTube videos the mechanic removed all 4 spark-plugs so the engine would not have any compression so it was easy to turn the engine by hand to get the cam positioned so it was not at the peak of the lobe for each valve when he adjusted them. Mrdrey with 100,000 miles on your engine, if the spark-plugs were original, it would be a good idea to pull them like he did to do the valves, and then put new ones in when you put it back together.

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For those who have done the adjustment before, are there markings to clearly indicate each 90 degree turn? I see there is one to indicate TDC for the first valve, but the subsequent steps ask for a 90 degree rotation. How do you ensure it's precisely a 90 degree rotation?

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Just turn the engine by hand to have the easy to see protrusion ( the lobe extension on the cam for the valve you are currently adjusting, that makes that particular valve open ) facing up so it is far away from being able to activate the valve, for each of the valves when you are adjusting that particular valve.

According to one of the videos if you know the firing order 1, 3, 4, 2, you could adjust the valves in that order so you then should have to turn the engine the minimum amount.

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BTW, I am not a certified mechanic. Just someone who grew up working on cars.

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The Haynes Repair Manual no. 42027 that I quoted the valve specks from is for Honda Civic 2012 - 2015 and Honda CR-V 2012 – 2016.

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Check out this list of instructions on how to do the adjustments.

Note the tool they use is different than the tool on some of the YouTube videos. It looks like either one would make the job easier and quicker.

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The Haynes manual show the using of the cam gear mark and rotating it regarding the cylinder you are working on.

This in not from the Haynes manual, just from my experience. The important thing is to not have the lobe of the cam that depresses the valve anywhere near providing any depression of the valve you are working on while you are adjusting that valve.

Also note, that if you pull the spark-plugs so there is no compression so it is easy to turn the engine by hand, then if you were to insert something safe that would not cause any damage to the spark-plug threads into the spark-plug hole such as a long nylon rod, you could tell if the piston was at TDC. You could rotate the engine a little in each direction and see when the piston reached peak
 
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Our local Honda dealership does BG Fuel Induction GDI intake service. Just called them and was told that that this service cleans intake valves as well (from which side?). Probably they use BG Platinum Air Intake, Valve & Combustion Chamber Cleaner PN 261.
BG Platinum 44K Fuel System Cleaner is not for these purposes, IMO.

PN260

View attachment 46949

PN261

View attachment 46948

BG Aerosol Carbon Eliminator PN PF06 is like CRC stuff.

So, as @Rand recommended, "...you might be able to use an inspection camera to look at the valves.." is the best way to find out if this service necessary or not.
I am not ready yet to pay $200 for this service.
I would not even consider a BG treatment for a dealer, it’s a cash grab. Run.

The thing that bothers me is your amount of oil consumption. I’d make sure there are no campaigns for that year and model for piston ring replacement. For all you know Honda may have extended the warranty on the rings.

As for actual carbon cleaning the valves? Personally if it IS needed - and I’m nit saying that it is - I’d hire an independent shop owner to remove your intake and clean your valves manually. Unfortunately your intake is on the backside of the engine, otherwise if it was on the front I’d say try to do it yourself.

But if you’re using that much oil...I would be concerned that there is some tremendous blowby going on and that the oil is getting into the intake and coating the backside of your valves. This shouldn’t be happening at only 60,000 miles, so make sure there isn’t a recall or extended warranty on this car!
 
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