just talked to guru buddy = valve adjust is fine already
he thinks the prob came during assembly

possible swapped hose for pcv, blocked vent line for pcv
it has to have an open air vent to work as well as the valve and end into valve cover,
air vent line in airbox (not sure on TL)

that pcv system failure will cause it to suck a qt out in 2 hours drive no prob!

go back and look at pics on here of assembled parts, find the thing not right
may only be the pcv is bad

NOTE pcv test= needs to move the ball inside like a well mixed spray paint can,,shakeshakeshake
or no good

 

other possible but not probable= is inverted/flipped top cover gasket

iirc you aligned it on the cover as directed

if lined up on manifold and installed flipped from correct position,, it will look right but block a vent on top
causing numerous problems

 

Sure enough the PCV valve seems to be the culprit. I just checked and the PCV valve was stuck until I pushed it in to unlocked the valve. Heading out now to get a replacement.

Thanks. This was a little odd, but again the team at Acurazine pulled through.

 

guru says = guru knows!!
10 bucks (max) for a simple pcv that can cause such strange problems

Now, go under the car and remove inspection plate between eng/trans
wipe up any oil- thats from over pressure and where the oil went
out the rear main seal
it will be ok now

 

I know it has been a little while (let's just say that life has been busy), but am curious on where inspection plate is between eng/trans? I looked through the Service Manual and didn't see what you are referencing. My goal is to provide closure on my project today, if possible.

Thanks.

 

put car on ramps/stands and look up at eng-trans connection from under car
2 small bolts secure an inspection cover to the rear main seal

 

I realize this is an old thread, but allow me to thank everyone involved in sharing your experiences to allow folks like me to keep up with these awesome cars for many, many years.

I'd like to recommend some things that I should have done differently and hope you do not have the same headaches as I did.

1. REMOVE COIL PACKS - Yes, including the front coil packs (the rear packs are a no-brainer). As our cars get older, all of our moving and non-moving parts become more susceptible to damage merely by removing and replacing. The front right coil pack was damaged when I removed the valve cover due to not having enough room due to the radiator hose being in the way. It will cost you no more than 10 minutes to remove and replace. The reason I mention this is because someone posted it wasn't necessary but as I stated our cars are getting old and this is cheap insurance.

2. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THE THROTTLE BODY Yes, I know - care should always be practiced. Admittedly, I accidentally pumped my TPS pretty hard and needed to be replaced. When replacing the TPS, FOLLOW the manufacturer's instructions. Another thread on this topic stats to ignore their instructions and adjust it to Ohms at .45 but trust me, it is not possible. After adjusting it to .45 votls as per the manufacturer, everything was solid! I bought a AIP branded TPS from ebay for $30 and works with no problems!

3. REMOVE THE LITTLE RUBBER GASKET INSIDE THE PLENUM COVER I noticed mine expanded in size when cleaning the cover and did not fit the grove where it should be installed.

A valve adjustment was never done to my car and now purrrrrs very nicely. I notice a quicker, more powerful response during acceleration. Although it may be the placebo effect talking, I also notice it decelerates much less gradually when coasting My hopes is that I see a major improvement in MPG (recently got 22 MPG driving like Ms. Daisy) but that will have to wait for me to make it may daily driver again - currently my s2000 is my DD

BTW my car is a '03 TL-s with 117k miles, per Acura the tranny was replaced in mid-2005 so I hope it will hold out for many more winters to come.

Error codes I got and fixed:
TPS CODES- P0122
Ignition misfire CODES: P0303, P0304, P0305, P0306, P0300, P1399 (YEAH, SCARY)

 

awesome DIY, thanks alot.

 

Great thread. Embarking on a valve adjustment. Anyone know where I can find the pics from page 1? Seems they're no longer visible.

 

I'm trying to remove the valve covers on my 1999 TL and they seem to be pretty stuck. The front one came off with much difficulty and the rear one seems to be even worse. I've gotten all 5 bolts out but the thing barely moves. I'm afraid of damaging the head so don't want to pry too hard. Any suggestions?

-Sohail

 

Mine was the same way when I did my VC gaskets a couple months ago. Had to get under the VC & pry a bit. The gaskets were completely solid, took nearly an hour to pick them out of the VCs.

 

Should've posted about a month ago. I've got a 99 TL with 194k miles. I completed my valve adjustment and the car is running AMAZING! No more P0300-306 codes, no more rough idling. Might be all in my head but the car is very "punchy" now when you press the gas pedal. A friend of mine even borrowed the car and was super impressed with how well it ran.

I've never done anything like this before - changed a clutch on an old VW in back high school and did a timing belt on an 88 Integra when I was in college but this was the most intense . With guidance from this thread, the Acura shop manual and Eric The Car Guy's J series valve adjustment video I was able to figure the whole thing out.

Some quick notes:
-Valve covers were stuck on good, had to pry them loose.
-Went through all 24 valves 3x just in case. Used a regular feeler gauge as well as a go no go. Re-checked after torquing the adjustment nut.
-Changed the spark plugs while I was at it.
-Did a Google search on how to remove the spark plug gaskets because getting them off sucks.
-Used wire cutters to remove the VC bolt gaskets
-Used all OE parts from the dealer. Most dealers have 20% off but still probably spent 2x on parts but was ok with that since I saved ~$800 by doing it myself. *Note: Oakland Acura hand delivered parts the next day for free for orders over $100 and the parts guy is really helpful - informed me that I need two gasket sets.
-Was patient when installing the VC. Made sure the spark plug gaskets were seated nicely - checked with my finger. Tightened bolts from inside out in three or four stages.
-Didn't replace intake manifold gasket or throttle body gasket
-Still need to get all the wire grommets that I broke from the dealer so the job looks pro - yes I'm being anal about it.
-Torqued everything

Once again, thanks for this thread!

 

Thanks for the thread guys! I did this today and replaced my plugs & coil packs. Now I have a surging idle after everything, it keeps surging between 1000 to 2000. Any ideas???? I read it could be the iac valve....any other ideas? Like manifold gasket? Or pcv valve? Is there a way I can narrow it down?

 

Nice work! It's been a while since I did this repair but I'd recheck the electrical connections for anything that had to be disconnected in and around the throttle body. Let us know how that goes.

 

Does this valve adjustment work on a First GEN CL 3.0 or any ideas as to what the clearance on this is?

 

Do you know if this would also work on a J30a1 first gen CL

 

i don't recommend this as as DIY.

i'm not trying to throw shade here because i'm grateful for his videos, but even ericthecarguy's adjustment didn't really seem like one (obviously he did it).

and whilst i appreciate his tip to people (go loose instead of too tight, "better to hear them than smell them"), i just don't think the valve adjustment is supposed to have that slight tap in his engine.

as an experienced "DIY"er, i found this to be challenging for the reason that you have to assemble everything to see if you did it right (just like ericthecarguy says).

first time i was a little too loose (not stupid amounts, but definitely loose) and i heard the tapping quite easily. the one nugget i will pass on to others is this: if you can get your feeler gauge through, no matter how much "drag" and as long as it passes back and forth, you're doing it right.

this is way harder than anyone on the internet is suggesting.

 

It's been a while since I have performed this time consuming process, with that said, I found it more physically challenging (on the lumbar vertebrae) than mechanically.

 

It's not that deep.

As an amateur / first-timer, be prepared to do the job 2 or 3 times till you're satisfied with the results. Which is not that big a deal. After a rep or two, you can get the IM and valve covers off and on in a half hour each way. Plan on an hour and a half to adjust the valves, taking your time. Add a half hour to get the front end off the ground and remove the right wheel and cover for easy access to the crank bolt, and you're at 3 hours, 4 at worst. An evening's fun.