Did a valve adjustment on my 2013 CRV this morning at 97k miles and changed the spark plugs. It sounds exactly the same as before the valve adjustment but it idles significantly smoother, Enough so that my wife even noticed and said something when she took it for a test drive (she always drives the Pilot). Here are some pics...oh and I have for about 50k miles I have used Valvoline FS and currently has Valvoline FSHM.
CRV Valve adjustment
- Thread starter Coastie05
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Did you adjust all of the valves or only the ones that were tight?
slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
You would check them all, and adjust the ones that were either loose or tight.
Scott
Well, that is how it should be done in theory. In practice, there may be more efficient and lower risk approaches.
slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
Without checking them all, how would you determine whether or not they needed adjustment? I have a K24 motor like the OP. There is nothing difficult in checking and adjusting the valves. I do them myself. I made posts about it, for both my car and a friend's.
What are "more efficient and lower risk approaches"? Please explain.
Scott
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slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
I think it’s varnish. Mostly Valvoline with one ST and one PP oil change. My intervals have been 7,500 miles.
Tight valves will cause misfires. Loose ones usually do not cause issues (except noise) unless they are excessively loose. The issue with valve adjustments is that the amount of drag felt with a feeler gauge is subjective and not everyone has the expertise to judge whether a valve is properly adjusted. It isn't as black and white as repair manuals make it sound. In general, it is best to check all of the valves but only focus on adjusting the ones that are tight unless there is a customer complaint for noise.
I learned from my father long ago a simple way to use feeler gages that eliminates any subjectivity. You slide in the correct one and don't worry about "how much drag". If the next size down has zero drag and the next size up wont go in then you are golden. It's kind of a pain but really works. This way there is no guesswork.
Torquing is a whole other matter. It takes years of wrenching to get proper torque values by feel.
I use a "go no-go" feeler gauge.
To adjust, I crack the lock nut and move the screwdriver a tiny amount; tighten and recheck. Easy peasey.
No sense hunting around loosening, tightening... Much slower and harder to get correct.
I had a 1976 Plymouth Volare and with the Plymouth 226 straight slant 6 and that had solid lifters. I had to adjust the valves every 10 K miles on that thing and it was best to do them with the engine hot.
I have not done any valves since then, but I have been reading up on the Honda CR-V valve adjustment. The Honda engines also have solid lifters but the metallurgy and engineering of Honda now days is much better than what Plymouth used back in 1976 on there engines. The Honda engines are to be done when it is stone cold. And since the exhaust on those decreases with use and gets too small of a gap and can get too tight if left undone and burn an exhaust valve by not closing completely, and the intake increases with use and gets too big of a gap, the best way to set the gap on the Honda engines is to set the exhaust to the largest size that is within speck, and the intake to the smallest size that is within speck. That way they stay within speck the longest as they change with use.
I have not done any valves since then, but I have been reading up on the Honda CR-V valve adjustment. The Honda engines also have solid lifters but the metallurgy and engineering of Honda now days is much better than what Plymouth used back in 1976 on there engines. The Honda engines are to be done when it is stone cold. And since the exhaust on those decreases with use and gets too small of a gap and can get too tight if left undone and burn an exhaust valve by not closing completely, and the intake increases with use and gets too big of a gap, the best way to set the gap on the Honda engines is to set the exhaust to the largest size that is within speck, and the intake to the smallest size that is within speck. That way they stay within speck the longest as they change with use.
slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
Tight valves don't always cause misfires. Tight valves usually cause valve head/valve seat failure because of improper sealing or insufficient time to cool the valve when it's closed.
Loose valves can also cause problems, especially in modern engines with sophisticated ECMs - things such as a rough idle. You suggest that loose valves are harmless. Since the manufacturer provides specs for valve clearance, how loose is too loose?
FWIW, Honda specs .008" - .010" for the intake valves, .011" to .013" for the exhaust valves.
As far as feeler gauges being subjective, I disagree completely. You have to know how to use them correctly. For the most accurate results the feeler gauge must be inserted perpendicular to the face of valve stem surface.
And why would someone go through the trouble of removing the cam/valve cover, checking the valves, but leave the loose ones loose (a subjective decision), and then put things back together only to have the engine sound like it needs a valve adjustment because of excessive valve tick?
Scott
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Lots of people. For example when the adjustment on a 2UZ-FE with high mileage & poor oil change intervals. You have to remove the timing belt, cams, & then you can remove the valve lifter (bucket) to get at the shim. Measure, go order/find correct shims. Wait days, reassemble. On a shop/dealer repair many people won’t spend the extra money & time to fix it.
Man the last valves I adjusted were on my old Mitsubishi Mirage. How many people these days would have any idea as to how to adjust valves? Heck, how many cars even have adjustable valves (and no, I'm not including bucket over shim)? I sorta like it. On an inline 4 that's easy to access, anyhow.
The J-Series V6's in general aren't much harder to do. You have to remove the intake, but other than that, and usually 2-3 fiddly ones on the rear bank its still not bad.
Still, I wish I had K24's when it comes time to do it. I feel it in my back for weeks after.
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