I plan on doing some major maintenance on the 2000 TL by changing the valve cover gaskets and completely doing an intake and EGR port cleaning and I'm just wondering since I'm going in there and opening up the valve covers is it necessary to do a valve adjustment since it's never been done on the car?
I mean I don't have any complaints with how the engine idles or performs, it's not making any ticking noises or anything and still runs smooth from what I'm experiencing but It's never been done and the car has almost 270k km on it.
Is it a mandatory service at a certain mileage or "if it ain't broke don't fix it"?

 

Definitely not a bad idea while you have the covers off. It's part of the 168k KM service along with timing belt/water pump and plugs.

The big problem is that the exhaust valve clearances get too tight which can cause damage while not making any noise at all.

 

No, not mandatory to adjust the valves but on the flip side why not when the opportunity presents itself?

There's no question that there is some wear given the mileage so you can assume it ok or you can make it ok. The choice is yours.

While the old addage if it's not broken don't fix it is sound but that only is logical if you were not doing any preventive maintenance. Since you are, you mine as well make the most of it.

 

 

OEM (If it's not broken why change to another brand... 270k km).

 

 

 

I haven't used Fel Pro on my Acura, but have used them in many other applications and have no issue with them. I have no experience with the other brand you mentioned. Many on here swear by only OEM parts. While I understand why they feel those are best, many after market parts are just fine, especially if you don't intend to keep the car forever. Valve cover gaskets is definitely an area I would feel comfortable used after market parts.

 

My OEM valve covers started leaking disappointingly early. I personally would be open to using a different manufacturer but only if one could come highly recommended.

 

I've used the Fel-pro kits on 3 J-series motors and have had no issues.

 

Agreed, a ton of mechanics I know use fel-pro with great results it's just a matter of doing the job right. I only get OEM parts if they're more of a specialized specific part like when my drivers side inner door handle broke off. The dorman aftermarket part wasn't much cheaper and it looked a little off compared to the OEM so I went OEM.
Some aftermarket parts like Brakes, Oil filters, or even the Idle air control valve are better than OEM because some manufacturers design parts to exceed the OEM specs which only benefits us if we choose to pay the extra premium.

 

Did the Job over the weekend, and was honestly some of the most fun I've had with this car.


Once the intake manifold was out all the runners were all gummy


About 20 years worth of Carbon build up from the EGR and PCV.


Looks much better after some carb cleaner.


First time the valve cover has ever been opened and honestly I'm shocked at how clean everything is!


What 20 years and 263k of regular maitenance looks like.


Toyed with the Inspection camera to see how clean the pistons were and everything looks clean!


Valve looks spotless!

Just finished the job and honestly I really found out how in great shape this car is I probably didn't even need to do it.
The intake runners were pretty carboned up so I spent a lot of time cleaning them and It really did help improve throttle response after.
But I was shocked at how clean everything looked once those valve covers were off, gotta hand it to Honda and Acura engineers for building an incredible car.
The car has over 260k on the odometer but if I didn't know the mileage I'd say this engine only had half the mileage.

What was weird is that even though the OEM gaskets were still very stiff and cracking yet they still sealed everything I probably could've gone another 50k if I wanted to but I was board and wanted to see if I could tackle the job.
The intake and egr port cleaning was probably the more necessary service.

 

Looking good man!

How did the valve adjust go?

 

I was running low on time because it was going to rain today (even though they said it wouldn't on friday oh well...) So I only did the front side but honestly the car didn't even need it XD I had a feeling since everything was running great beforehand and the only reason I feel a difference is probably from cleaning all the intake ports. I will finish up once theres a long stretch of good weather on my days off especially since I should replace the lower intake gasket just to be safe. I also replaced the IACV since it was acting funny this winter and I'm glad i did since the Aftermarket Standard motor part is USA made where as the OEM Denso part was made in mexico.

 

Out of curiosity, how many miles do you have on the headers? Looks like they haven't discolored at all.

 

Had them on for about a month now just over 1000km, I don't do long distance driving as much anymore since I live around 8km away form work. I'm lucky if I put 20km on a work day so the headers don't stay hot too long. They'll probably start to discolor once I go on a road trip ;p

 

Great job, and write-up Darksyne. Were any of the valves, found to be on the "tight" side of the spec.?

 

Not that I could tell, everything felt fine so I didn't want to take a chance in adjusting valves that felt within spec anyways and I was running out of time (storm clouds were coming). I'll check again when I have good weather on my days off and when I get my hands on new intake gaskets!