I think that my car is too clattery, for a lack of a better term. I have had it to the dealer 3 times and they say its normal , so I say screw it. Im going to adjust/check them myself cause its just too loud. Can anyone post the Instructions/specs for adjusting my valves?

Thanks

 

I will say that I always thought my valves were ticking too until I spoke to an Acura tech that I trusted. He said that that ticking noise at idle is the pulsating of the injectors. So I believe him, and before you take on the job of adjusting your valves, which takes about 3 hours if you are mechanically inclined.

Josh
Excelerate LLC

 

I said something about my valves for my 60k service and they said it was pretty normal for the sounds I was getting and not to worry. I thought it was the valves since they were never this loud early on.

 

I guess its just that they keep getting louder and louder. Could the injectors be bad because my engine definetly didn't sound like this new, plus i have new heads...with in 6k miles...so everything is new. I almost wonder if they were in a hurry and didn't check them. Is there anyone in the Orlando area that wouldn't mind listening to them??

 

anyone with a pdf of the manual or specs??


thanks

 

?

 

The specs for valve clearance are found on a sticker on the underside of the hood. As for HOW to adjust them... it's lengthy and complicated. Involves rotating the crankshaft, checking specific alignment of cam gears, checking and rechecking valve clearance with a feeler gauge and before even starting you have to know what the firing order is. It makes the job easier and faster if you remove all the plugs to eliminate resistance on the compression stroke. Caution: if you didn't understand even one thing I mentioned, this task isn't meant for you. It's not a simple pop-off-the-valve-cover and just adjust the clearances. If you're still adamant about it, consult a Helms manual. Good luck.

 

As a Porsche mechanic I can tell you for sure, NEVER NEVER EVER EVER take out your spark plugs before a valve adjustment. This is because if you dislodge a piece of carbon or other debris, it could become lodged in between the valve and the seat, thus affecting your clearance measurement.

I've seen more than one Porsche engine with a burnt or broken valve because of someone doing this.

 

which one do we believe? the latter statement makes quite a bit of sense. good heads up.
but i like my clattering just fine.

 

as much as the acura mechanics may say "oh it's fine" all the time, they are just passing on what they have been told. You can go ahead and adjust them if you want, it could actually help. You probably could just let it go and the car would still run fine, but I remember someone posting a link once somewhere where they checked teh valves of several honda engines at different mileage, and they determined it would be best to adjust them every 60,000 miles or so. Keep in mind most honda engines on the roads are 4 cylinder, so possibly only a problem with the i4 engines.

 

My car has 56k and I can hear a tick, but it's not clattery at all.

BTW this post is 16 months old so if the guy still eve has a CL-S, he probably long adjusted the valves.

 

They finally adjusted them under warrenty cause it was becoming really loud...its still loud, but not what it used to be. I have a friend that has a new A43.2 and his engine is really ticky/clattery....so I don't feel as bad now. But I do think something was definetly wrong....I also had problems with my EGR clogging very regularly, since the adjustment it hasn't happened...I wonder if there was any coorelation....btw I took it to Courtesy Acura...They have been great and are worth the long drive vs. Fountain...

 

Dealer did mine last week...about 45,000 miles. they did it under warranty. now my car is waiting for a clutch.

 

Better to hear them than not.

 

true, but better to have them within spec than loose (loud) as hell.

 

man, this thread is old. and for the porshe specialist, on the cl, you have to take out the spark plugs to get to the valves.

 

man, this thread is old.

 

Old or not, I'm just sharing info to be of service to you guys. BTW - It's always a good idea to adjust your valves, or at least check the clearances, as a tight valve will burn, which means a head rebuild, or at the least a valve job.

 

Our engine have SELF ADJUSTING HYDROLIC valves. There is little to no adjustment to be done to them, that's why you still get a click, just maybe not as loud. I took mine to my friend that owns Doral AutoTech, it's normal. My AV6 did it, now my CLS does it. & if notice ALL if not MOST Honda engine has alittle click. It's 100% normal.

-Nick

 

I think they were talking about overzealous "ticking." Which is NOT normal.

 

the clicking may be normal, but the cls does not have "self adjusting" or "hydraulic valves." what it does have are roller rocker arms acting directly on the valves via a screw-locknut arrangement. the screw-locknuts are used to set the valve clearance.

I think you're thinking of the hydraulic lifters found in small block chevys, harleys, and whatnot.

 

BTFM, then RTFM .

 

Then I stand corrected. I'm going by what Mike @ Doral AutoTech told me. & I looked @ the engine part by part diagram & you are right tankmonkey. I was also told that by a parts rep @ Acura. So that's why I believed that. Oh well... but like I said... the clicking is normal, UNLESS your car starts sounding like a diesel truck.

-Nick

 

The reason your ticking gets louder is increased valve clearance.

If your engine seems quieter, then you may be looking at some tight valves. Loose valves aren't really a problem unless they get too loose, other than the fact that there is an argument among engineering types that looser mechanical lifters can cause excessive wear on the tip of the valve.

With tighter valvesthere is a the vale doesn't seat completely aginst the head, allowing combustion to occur in places besides the combustion chamber. Eventually this combustion will start to burn and scorch these normally much cooler areas.

 

Sorry to dig this up but...

Why would they be instructed to tell you "oh it's fine?" A valve adjustment is regular maintenance and shouldn't be covered under your warranty.

I'm starting to wonder if I need an adjustment or if it's just the injectors. I've always noticed the "ticking" since I took the blower off. Maybe I just didn't hear it with the blower turning.

 

There is a good chance they need adjusting. Mine needed it - the ticking sound was gone after I had the dealer adjust it.

Mine was so loud I was embarrassed to go through McDonald's drive through - driving an Acura and all I could here was the ticking as I pulled through. It was very evident and would increase with the engine RPMs as I engaged the clutch.

 

I'm not saying that they are instructed to tell you it's fine when it's not. I'm saying that they are told that when it ticks like that it is fine, when in reality it could maybe slightly benefit from a valve adjustment. the meachanics think it is fine, so they tell you that.

Also, think of how bad it would be to say that you're car needs a $400 maintenance every 50-60k miles. When you say every 90k it doesn't sound so bad.

I just adjusted my valves yesterday (took about 2.5-3 hours), and did some other stuff, and I can tell you the car feels much better and stronger now that I can't hear the valves ticking (which has been a problem ever since I got the car, and even more so after I installed the CLS cams).

 

Yep, same problem here, I was kind of embarrased going through drive through's because you could hear the clicking like crazy against the drive through wall. Thank god it's gone now.

My car also sounds throatier and the exhaust lopes a little bit now .

 

I'll be doing my valve adjustment, plugs, timing belt, water pump etc...soon. I can't wait. I think I'll head over to the dealer and see if I can't get a trans while I'm at it, before the warranty runs out too!

BTW - Anyone else pissed about their HID inverters

 

I asked my dealer about the clicking sound each time I brought it in for oil change. The sound was so subtle that they never were able to diagose it. Finally, another dealer heard it and replaced the fan belt tension adjuster. That had no effect so they went ahead and adjusted the valves, under warranty. Again, no effect. I still hear the clicking noise at idle. Sounds like its coming behind the steering column just on the other side of the fire wall.
It's very anoying, but I've given up trying to get it fixed. After all, it performs well, gets good mileage, and is otherwise a great car.

 

Could be the Purge Solenoid Valve too... search for Purge Solenoid Valve on the forum here for more info (there is a thread about the PSV on page one of the forum)... Read some threads to get an idea of where the PSV is, and then listen to it to see if that's your problem.

 

it also could be a very slight exhaust leak. after I adjusted my valves the other day and was hearing complete silence, I went back and listened today and there is a slight ticking noise still. I revved the engine a little at the throttle body and it was definitely a slight leak somewhere in the headers.

 

I confirmed the annoying clicking is indeed coming from the Purge Solenoid Valve. That little noisy bastard! Thanks GreenMonster for diagnosing my problem. My car is still under warranty and I mentioned that valve to the dealer today when they changed my oil. I was hoping they would replace it, but they checked it out and said it was operating normally. They won't replace it free it unless it was returning a service code. I would go ahead and spend the $40 myself and replace it but I'm going to trade the car in this weekend for a '06 TL.

Starting June 23, Acura is going to have a special 2.9% financing rate for 36 months. Or, 4.9% for 48-60 months. I'm going to take advantage of the first one... so that will be the end of my small clicking issue.

 

hey walterjsd. are you from SD by any chance? if so, please click on the link in my signature. if not, disregard this.