I'll be doing my first valve adjustment on the CR-V soon, and I have the procedures from Honda. The only thing I was wondering is they call out some Honda part number for some sealant to use where it meets the chain case. Would RTV or Permatex be suitable for that?
Honda valve cover sealant
- Thread starter Dave Sherman
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I'd use Hondabond. It's not cheap, but you can get it from the dealer for about $15/tube.
A lot of non-Honda DEALERS use this stuff when they open up an engine...if that tells you anything. Why would my local Subaru, Ford, and Toyota dealers use it? Must work. It's the gold-standard.
A lot of non-Honda DEALERS use this stuff when they open up an engine...if that tells you anything. Why would my local Subaru, Ford, and Toyota dealers use it? Must work. It's the gold-standard.
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Permatex Ultra Grey is a suitable alternative to Hondabond and what I used on the corners of the valve cover gasket on an 01 Civic. Good stuff.
Thanks! If I end up getting the gaskets at the dealer, I'll ask about the Hondabond.
I have used the Permatex Ultra Grey as well. You probably don't need a new cylinder head cover seal (but it'd be cheap insurance to replace it)...it's a very high quality rubber seal that can probably be used for the life of the engine.
I need to look at the clearance on my Fit due to rough running and idling. Ihe biggest issue I have is dealing with (disconnecting) the hot coolant lines to the TB PCV system - not removing the intake manifold. Dang engine is under the windshield like a minivan! Can even see the plugs they are in the back under/between the cast-in-head exhaust manifold. No Header on this car.
Never seen a harder to service 1.5 litre SOHC with jamb nut valves. Guess they don't want ME touching it (for free) ;(
Never seen a harder to service 1.5 litre SOHC with jamb nut valves. Guess they don't want ME touching it (for free) ;(
I always use Permatex Ultra Grey on my Toyota. I believe it's the OEM replacement for Toyota seal packing No. 102.
I see numerous posters preferring the OEM sealant over Permatex. Given the labor involved in such jobs, getting a different kind of sealant seems like small expense.
Originally Posted By: artificialist
I see numerous posters preferring the OEM sealant over Permatex. Given the labor involved in such jobs, getting a different kind of sealant seems like small expense.
Normally, I'd agree. But the labor in this case is so minimal. You can have the cylinder head cover removed in about 3 minutes. It's incredibly simple to do. I find it a very low-risk situation to use an alternative product here. If it were a seal that was deep inside the engine that takes 6 hours to access, then I'd probably suck it up and buy the Hondabond.
I have found the Permatex Grey to be a very versatile product. Hondabond is recommended as the cylinder head cover seal on Honda lawn mower engines (no hard or rubber seal at all). I've used Permatex Grey on many Honda engines here with excellent success.
If I did more of this work, I might buy the Hondabond. But I only use maybe a tenth of the tube before it hardens up anyway, and it pains me to throw away expensive product like that because I didn't use it up fast enough.
I see numerous posters preferring the OEM sealant over Permatex. Given the labor involved in such jobs, getting a different kind of sealant seems like small expense.
Normally, I'd agree. But the labor in this case is so minimal. You can have the cylinder head cover removed in about 3 minutes. It's incredibly simple to do. I find it a very low-risk situation to use an alternative product here. If it were a seal that was deep inside the engine that takes 6 hours to access, then I'd probably suck it up and buy the Hondabond.
I have found the Permatex Grey to be a very versatile product. Hondabond is recommended as the cylinder head cover seal on Honda lawn mower engines (no hard or rubber seal at all). I've used Permatex Grey on many Honda engines here with excellent success.
If I did more of this work, I might buy the Hondabond. But I only use maybe a tenth of the tube before it hardens up anyway, and it pains me to throw away expensive product like that because I didn't use it up fast enough.
This is a nonissue. Permatex Ultra Grey is more than sufficient for this purpose. I also use it for the same purpose -- covering little gaps at the semicircle plug and camshaft cap under the valve-cover gasket.
Also, the difference in quality of the OEM Honda/Toyota slicone vs. Loctite/Permatex is highly questionable. US companies are very good with chemicals and Loctite/Permatex is a very good company. Don't be surprised if Permatex is actually of higher quality or Honda/Toyota OEM part is actually Loctite/Permatex. Indeed Toyota specifies some Loctite chemicals as OEM parts.
Also, the difference in quality of the OEM Honda/Toyota slicone vs. Loctite/Permatex is highly questionable. US companies are very good with chemicals and Loctite/Permatex is a very good company. Don't be surprised if Permatex is actually of higher quality or Honda/Toyota OEM part is actually Loctite/Permatex. Indeed Toyota specifies some Loctite chemicals as OEM parts.
Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
I'll be doing my first valve adjustment on the CR-V soon, and I have the procedures from Honda. The only thing I was wondering is they call out some Honda part number for some sealant to use where it meets the chain case. Would RTV or Permatex be suitable for that?
Also, more importantly, be aware that if you've never adjusted valves before, there is a good chance that you could get it wrong the fist time. Do you have to adjust them with cold or hot engine?
Make sure to get the right-size (metric) feeler and use the correct size. Obviously don't confuse inches and millimeters. Do not confuse between intake and exhaust valves either. What I do when I adjust my valves is that I adjust the screw until the feeler is completely tight and can't be pulled out. Then I loosen it just slightly enough so that I could pull the feeler out with some (but not too forceful) drag. It's easy to think/feel that there is a drag but the valve gap is actually too big. That's why I tighten it fully first. After you set the valve gap and tighten the locking nut, make sure to recheck the gap because it could change when tightening the locking but. Also, make sure to set the TDC correctly before adjusting the valves.
Good luck! It's a very nontrivial adjustment.
I'll be doing my first valve adjustment on the CR-V soon, and I have the procedures from Honda. The only thing I was wondering is they call out some Honda part number for some sealant to use where it meets the chain case. Would RTV or Permatex be suitable for that?
Also, more importantly, be aware that if you've never adjusted valves before, there is a good chance that you could get it wrong the fist time. Do you have to adjust them with cold or hot engine?
Make sure to get the right-size (metric) feeler and use the correct size. Obviously don't confuse inches and millimeters. Do not confuse between intake and exhaust valves either. What I do when I adjust my valves is that I adjust the screw until the feeler is completely tight and can't be pulled out. Then I loosen it just slightly enough so that I could pull the feeler out with some (but not too forceful) drag. It's easy to think/feel that there is a drag but the valve gap is actually too big. That's why I tighten it fully first. After you set the valve gap and tighten the locking nut, make sure to recheck the gap because it could change when tightening the locking but. Also, make sure to set the TDC correctly before adjusting the valves.
Good luck! It's a very nontrivial adjustment.
Thanks all, it was pretty uneventful. Ended up using Permatex Ultra Gray. I couldn't fathom spending $15 for Hondabond just to put four little dabs on the valve cover. One intake valve a little loose, but adjusting it was easy enough. All others were either smack in the middle of their range or slightly loose. Not much different from adjusting the MG's valves, just more of them
. Some pics of the underside. Not bad for 5,000 mile intervals with Pennzoil.
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