First time valve adjustment on Honda

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Tips for Honda valve adjustments:

They all must be adjusted exactly to spec or it will sound uneven or like a diesel.

I do one cylinder at a time, with patience.

If the valve is properly adjusted, the proper size feeler should feel like a business card being slid into the pages of a closed phone book. The next larger feeler, .001" thicker, SHOULD NOT FIT. If it fits, it will make extra noise.

I make small adjustments, 1/8 or 1/16 turn at a time, then snug the nut before testing with the feeler. This will save a lot of frustration over trying to set the gap perfectly with the feeler in place. Also, snugging the nut before measuring eliminates the tiny bit that the lash tightens when the nut is tightened.

I check my work, twice, yes twice, that's four revolutions of the engine, cylinder by cylinder using the go/no-go technique. The fist two revolutions I might make small adjustments if necessary, the final two revolutions is just to check again.

The nuts don't need to be very tight, you'll thank yourself next time for not over tightening them. A three fingered snug with a box end wrench should do it.
 
This link is just to show what the thing looks like, but I found go-no-go feeler gauges much better for these adjustments than single value gauges. My mechanic recommended this to me a long time ago and I used mine for adjusting the solid valve train on my 89 Accord for years.

Go-No-Go
 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=959I0wF5NH8&feature=youtu.be

Eric the car guy, i think this beong done on an Accord.

Btw, if you check out my thread named 03 crv valve seal replacement. I adjusted the valve timing while i had the engone open. I made the exhaust valve clearance too loosen however, so i purchased the tool 'foxracer' posted and a better feeler gauge with many gauge thicknesses. I will do it as soon as the tools arrive.
 
Good posts so far. Stone cold for sure and go/no go feeler gauges are important.

IMO, the "hardest" part of the job is getting the valve cover back on with gasket correct to avoid oil leaks. If you have confidence in that, the job will be easy. Just look over your work with a light and mirror if needed.

You probably will not even adjust all of the valves, although you will be checking them all.

If you are in doubt about whether you should be adjusting a valve at current crankshaft position, just know that the cam follower should be on the base circle of the cam.

In other words, if a valve is not being actuated by the camshaft, it is "fair game" to check/adjust.

Hope this helps
smile.gif
 
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I did mine regularly on my H22 and I find the dual cams are easier to do then single cams. Get that valve adjustment tool and a good feeler guage set. I'm not sure if k series have LMA (lost motion assemblies) but check them while your in there.

pick up some honda bond for sealing up your valve cover.
 
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You guys are making me feel a little incompetent. I may have to chicken out. I hate paying the dealers top dollar! Dang it.
This is the job which can only be given to a place where you can watch them being done. You would have no idea if the place even opened your valve cover or not! A proper valve job would make zero difference in the running of the engine.

So either do it yourself or find somebody who you can trust 100%
 
I used a 0.20mm for intake and 0.30mm for the xhaust, but the thing is the exhaust clearance was way tight before i adjusted, i would say mid 0.25mm where it is spec'd to be 0.28mm minimum. But now they sound loose.
 
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Generally, over time, if the clearances are off the intake valve clearances will be too loose and the exhaust will be too tight. This really isn't that difficult, don't let it scare you. You'll know if you were successful when the valve train is quieter. On Hondas like mine you never want them to be TOO quiet because that means you made them too tight.

The nice thing about the go-no-go gauges is that all you need to feel is SOME drag. The "amount" of drag is not critical. Whereas, with regular feeler gauges I used to drive myself crazy trying to get the same amount of drag on every valve - also, not critical.

Here's a little "blunder" story. I did my own adjustments on the 89 Accord for 23 years except ONE. Around 1996 I did one and could not seem to get it right no matter what I did. I kept ending up with a bunch of noise. I finally gave up and took the car to an import specialty shop. They had it done in less than an hour. I was rotating the engine (at the crank pulley bolt) clockwise instead of counter clockwise. I felt like an idiot - AND never made that mistake again.
 
I like this from Cardenio: "If the valve is properly adjusted, the proper size feeler should feel like a business card being slid into the pages of a closed phone book"

I'll add this observation about multivalve engines. The valves are light and the springs don't have much pressure. The change in drag on the feeler gauge from slight friction to lifting the valve off the seat can be very little. On the first one take a gauge that are pretty sure is over the clearance and insert it to feel how much drag there is if you have too little.

This was an eye opener for me when going from two valve heads with bigger valves and higher spring pressures. This was especially true with the teeny auxiliary valve on the Honda CVCC stratified charge engines.
 
I'll add that you can do this, I've done it multiple times on my Honda. Its kind of tedious, you have to rotate the engine (the correct way BTW) for each set of valves, but other than that it's not complicated. A set of bent feeler gauges is a benefit.
 
why is he saying quarter turn on the crankshaft to go to the next cylinder? don't you want each cylinder at compression stroke TDC? or just TDC is enough? I think that guy is wrong.
 
YES, I am right and the professional mechanic is wrong! Don't follow that video. You need half turn to move to next firing order cylinder and NOT the quarter turn as he did and showed!!

I can't believe somebody who does this for living can be so careless and then post a video for other newbies to follow :-(

Now you should know why I said before that either do it yourself or find somebody who you can trust 100% percent to do valve adjustment. Zillions Hondas routinely reach 200K+ without ever opening the valve cover. The chances of a pro screwing up are quite high unless he really has lot of experience doing it.
 
Originally Posted By: Falken
Absolute BEST valve lash adjustment vid for Honda guys:


Terrific video. I used to adjust the valves on my '81 Celica and it felt just like doing it. Except for being cross ways and 4 valves per cylinder of course!

Do you happen to know of the equivalent video for a Honda V6? I'll have to do them eventually on my 2007 Accord.
 
THAT VIDEO IS WRONG; HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ONE GUY WHO FOLLOWED IT. Yes, I am yelling because some of you are just not getting it.

Go watch EricTheCarGuys V6 valve adjustment video which he did on one of the TL. He may be boring but he does not keep wrong video for the world to follow.

I had huge respect for Duane from RealfixesRealfast but I am hugely disappointed that he did not take this video down. That is extremely irresponsible.
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[a reply to the youtube video]
I'm having the same problem with my #3 intake valve. I'm baffled why I can't adjust my #3 intake valve. I can

screw the adjustment up and down but it does not provide any clearance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

(I've followed the valve adjustment to the T, so I know what I'm doing, fairly, because of this problem) Help.
 
Older CRV will not likely go 200,000 miles with out damage. Should have valves adjusted about every 30,000 miles or burn valves.

http://www.hondasuv.com/members/showthre...ass-Action-Suit

"numerous threads here and on other CR-V forums about the valves needing to be adjusted every 30,000 miles on the 1997-2001 CR-Vs."

How to:
http://www.civic-eg.com/causeforalarm/D16Y/index.php

"Next is #3. The firing order is 1, 3, 4, 2. Turn the crank pulley until the cam pulley turns 90 degrees counterclockwise. The "UP" etch mark will face the front of the vehicle. Check/adjust the valves."

http://www.denlorstools.com/home/dt1/pag..._honda_car.html

"Number Three
Rotate the crankshaft to the left (counter clock-wise) 180 degrees or a half turn, the cam will turn a quarter turn, 90 degrees. The "UP" mark should be pointed to the exhaust side of the engine"
 
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