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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ay_cT3iKew&feature=youtu.be How much do mechanics usually charge for an adjustment? Thanks. Car is a 1994 Prelude H23A1
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I guess it depends when the last valve inspection or adjustment was done.
If it’s been more than like 50,000 miles or you hear significant clattering it’s probably due.
Although Honda engines can often go much longer without making much valve clattering, even when the engine is cold.
[quote=”grg88″ post=75943]I guess it depends when the last valve inspection or adjustment was done.
If it’s been more than like 50,000 miles or you hear significant clattering it’s probably due.
Although Honda engines can often go much longer without making much valve clattering, even when the engine is cold.[/quote]
I got the car a few months ago. Never told the owner. I’m guessing It’s way over due since the engine is pretty noisy and I can hear the lobe hitting the valves when I’m accelerating. I’m thinking some valves are really loose.Yeah…from your vid it does sound like the valves could use adjusting but I hear other noises there also. Sounds kinda like a diesel to me.
I’m sure there are worn parts deep inside of that old girl. I also hear some spark knock when you cracked the throttle so maybe check the ignition timing if you have a timing light.
Valve adjustments are for fine tuning really. To be honest, most times they aren’t even necessary. That said, what often causes upper engine noise on DOHC Hondas is a loose timing belt. I’d recommend you check the timing belt tension before you go for the valve adjustment. If the belt is loose, then adjusting the valves will do little to eliminate the noise. If you find the belt is loose, snug it up and recheck for your noise. You may also find information in this article that might help.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/diagnosing-noises-in-your-car
Good luck and keep us posted.
Valve lash should be checked and adjusted as necessary every 30k miles although that is seldom done. The factory recommendations, and not just Honda, are bogus.
The ones you should really be sweating about are the quiet ones; especially on the exhaust side of things.
[quote=”Bluesnut” post=76437]Valve lash should be checked and adjusted as necessary every 30k miles although that is seldom done. The factory recommendations, and not just Honda, are bogus.
The ones you should really be sweating about are the quiet ones; especially on the exhaust side of things.[/quote]
To expand on this ominous warning, what they’re alluding to is not cam or cam follow wear, which leads to loose and clickety valve trains, but when the exhaust valve or its seat wear down, which leads to less valve lash. If the lash goes to zero, then the valve is never quite fully being pushed down onto its seat by thw spring, there is always a little pressure from the cam. This is very bad, as if the valve starts to leak, the hot gases quickly start eroding away the valve seating surfaces, leading to an even poorer seal, and more erosion, and higher valve temperatures, and that can quickly go downhill into a catastrophe. Not so much on Honda engines, but it used to be a real problem in the old air-cooled VW’s.As I mentioned, don’t worry about the valve adjustment for now. Check the timing belt tension and adjust it if it’s loose. I would wager that your noise would be greatly reduced if you did that. If you get a valve adjustment wrong, you can damage your engine. Better not to risk it. Also, as I said in the video, loose is better than tight. Noisy valves aren’t much to worry about, it’s the quiet ones that can be a problem if they’re too tight.
What kind of noise will a tensioner make if it’s too loose? I’m hearing a noise when I drive, more when the rpm’s are higher. It sounds like the lobes are hitting the valves but when i rev the engine while in park i dont hear it anymore? I have a manual tensioner
[quote=”AudioFunk” post=76987]What kind of noise will a tensioner make if it’s too loose? I’m hearing a noise when I drive, more when the rpm’s are higher. It sounds like the lobes are hitting the valves but when i rev the engine while in park i dont hear it anymore? I have a manual tensioner[/quote]
Please check the belt tension. It’s not the tensioner that goes bad. The belt gets old and starts to stretch. Once that happens, it gets a little loose. To be honest, I think this is the main reason for timing belt replacement over breakage. A loose belt will cause noise as well as put the cam timing off a little.
If you need guidance you might consider the F series timing belt video I have available on this site.
[quote=”grg88″ post=76454][quote=”Bluesnut” post=76437]Valve lash should be checked and adjusted as necessary every 30k miles although that is seldom done. The factory recommendations, and not just Honda, are bogus.
The ones you should really be sweating about are the quiet ones; especially on the exhaust side of things.[/quote]
To expand on this ominous warning, what they’re alluding to is not cam or cam follow wear, which leads to loose and clickety valve trains, but when the exhaust valve or its seat wear down, which leads to less valve lash. If the lash goes to zero, then the valve is never quite fully being pushed down onto its seat by thw spring, there is always a little pressure from the cam. This is very bad, as if the valve starts to leak, the hot gases quickly start eroding away the valve seating surfaces, leading to an even poorer seal, and more erosion, and higher valve temperatures, and that can quickly go downhill into a catastrophe. Not so much on Honda engines, but it used to be a real problem in the old air-cooled VW’s.[/quote]And old motorcycles. Suzukis were notorious for that issue I always told people a little loose is much better than a little tight.
Knowing that it recently had a head gasket and now it has engine noise is suspect. Rotate the crank a little when you check the belt. If it’s loose, the tension will change as it rotates. As for the valve adjustment, it can’t hurt, just remember loose is better than tight. If you get them too tight, you can burn the valves up.
Something else that comes to mind if they didn’t get the head gasket correct is the oil passage in the back of the cylinder block. If the gasket is not placed properly or the orifice was left out, it can starve the top end of the engine for oil. If you remove the valve cover and you don’t see a lot of oil this might be an issue. You can also check the oil pressure, if it’s low it could have something to do with that orifice.
Keep us posted.
I did the valve adjustment today and it does seem quieter and smoother on acceleration. I still have that noise and It’s not the valves. It only does it while driving but can’t hear the noise when It’s revved in neutral or park.
After Valve Adjustment. I did it myself. Could be better, but this is how it sounds now at temp. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEgUVZo7yQ&feature=youtu.be
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