I just turned 132000 miles and have never had a valve adjustment. The car still sounds like the day we bought it with a slight ticking sound. We don't drive it hard, feed it 93 octane and have done all scheduled fluid changes. Do I need an adjustment or what's the longest anyone has gone without needing an adjustment????

 

I'd probably have it done, more to ensure no valves are too tight. You can do it yourself (search for a couple of posts by me on the subject, also some good videos on youtube), or go to a Honda dealer for about $200.

I did it myself at 106K and found all valves out of spec by 0.001": exhaust tight, intake loose. (All valves measured at 0.010" before adjusting). Nothing too serious, but I'm glad I did it. And no, the adjusting didn't diminish the famous J32 "ticking" sound, which I think is the injectors anyhow...

 

I did it at 105K and barely changed a thing, if at all. If the TL is anything like my old accord, then they will start to chatter from 175-200K, or so, and then need it more often going forward.

I am not going to do it on my other TL when it gets to 105K.

The valvetrain will let you know when it is ready.

 

Only true for loose valves. And loose valves won't burn, tight valves can...

 

Touche.

I have never personally had a tight valve, but you are right, it is totally possible.

 

Get them adjusted only if they're making noise. Otherwise, save your money.

I'm at 105K and the engine sounds just like new.
.
.

 

Tight clearance is what needs to be watched for (mentioned above), as the valve face pockets (beats down/wears) the clearance gets close & may take up all clearance resulting in a burnt valve, usually an exhaust as they run very hot (red hot) but can happen to an intake
also. If they're clicking a little you know you have clearance but you can't hear a tight one so you don't know you have a problem until engine starts missing..Get them checked.

 

I pretty much agree that exhaust valves are the silent killer.

Intake valves usually get looser over time while exhaust usually get tighter over time.

Intakes are cooled but the incoming air/fuel charge. Exhaust are cooled by fully closing and transferring heat into the seat in the head. If clearances get too tight the valve does not close fully or firmly and heat is not transferred which leads to a burned exhaust valve. Exhausts lose some metal in the seat and valve face area to erosion and the pounding of the valve closing which tightens up the valve to rocker arm clearance since the valve actually closes farther. Once there is no more gap between the valve stem and rocker, the valve no longer fully closes. Too tight valve clearance does not make noise in most cases. The intakes can be run very loose and the only usual downside is noise and potentially a slight loss in power and mpg but they would have to be very loose.

I would no doubt do a valve adjustment at your mileage. One you wait until you have a misfire, pop through the exhaust, or a sucking back through the exhaust it's too late in most cases.

 

It looks pretty straight forward as a DIY, how long should it take???

 

It really depends on the person doing the job. If you've done a bunch of them and you're really good at getting the "feel" of a feeler gauge it can be an hour job. I've done a fair amount of them but many times I have to go back a second time on an unfamiliar car which doubles the time.

One thing that will greatly speed up the job is having a feeler gauge made just for valve adjustments. they will usually be longer and "L" shaped with a flat where the measurement is made. Must less getting used to and much easier to get in the hard areas. Snap-On makes a very nice one but I'm sure there are cheaper ones that work well too.

 

I'd allow 4 hours for a first timer DIY. Getting to the valves can take almost as long as the valve adjustment itself. If you have to adjust all 24 valves, expect that to take at least an hour, probably more like 1.5 hours (2.5 - 3.5 minutes per valve). Then you have to put it all back together again, using torque specs. Be sure you read up on all the gaskets that need/should be replaced. Be careful when tightening the VC bolts (recommend a 1/4" toque wrench).

P.S. I'll pay anyone who can do a TL valve adjustment in less than 1 hour start to finish $100. Won't happen...

 

This is true. I just bought a generic straight feeler gauge set from O'reilly, pulled out the 0.008", 0.009", 0.010", 0.011" and 0.012" strips and bent them myself. Worked great and much cheaper!

 

Especially since the stealerships are quoting around $300.
.
.

 

I've seen it done and done right in 1 hr at one of the indie shops.

 

Maybe for the actual adjusting of the valves, but for the whole process from start to finish, no way:

On a 3G TL? One person, start to finish? Includes jacking up the car, removing right wheel, removing engine covers, removing intake manifold, removing the coils, removing the valve covers, replacing VC gaskets.

Then check and adjust 24 valves, turning the crank for each cylinder.

Then replacing all of the above, using correct torque specifications and proper torqueing procedures (tightening VC and manifold bolts in 3 separate steps in proper sequence).

1 person, 1 hour, 3G TL? Not a chance....

 

You can speculate all you want. I've been there and seen it first hand. A good professional that specializes in timing belts and valve adjustments can do it in a little under one hour start to finish. Before you post again think about what you're saying. A guess is just a guess. Seeing it happen first hand trumphs your guess. How many valve adjustments have you done on the TL?

 

FYI, I'm not guessing. I did a valve adjustment on my TL just last month. An expert would be hard pressed just to remove and replace all the parts in 1 hour.

You've seen it firsthand on a 3G TL done by a single person in less than 1 hour, start to finish? Really? When? What's the name of the shop and their phone #?

Wait, before you answer, I'll tell everyone ahead of time that you won't provide the shop information where this miracle took place...

 

What kind of expert are you all talking about? I don't feel that instruction-book followers at the dealerships or most shops count as experts. There are all kinds of people with all kinds of aptitudes. I think that I could do it in 90 minutes a second time, now that I know what I am doing. A few more times and then who knows...

I feel a need for a timelapse video of members doing their valve adjustments...

 

I'd say even 90 minutes, start to finish, one person is a stretch. Acura books it out at anywhere from 3.5 to 5 hours, depending on which shop you talk to. If you can do it in less than half that time, my hat's off to you!

How long did it you take the first time?

 

honestly, does it really matter if it can be done under an hour or not?? If IHC says he saw somebody do it, fantastic. I wouldnt be surprised if there are nascar mechanics that could do it faster (or perhaps his friend happens to be one). Either way, this is a pointless and useless contention.

 

What does the book say for rotors, pads and bleed? I did all 4 in a bit under 40 minutes a few weeks ago from the time that I raised the lift up, until I put it back down. I could have shaved off a few minutes if I would have put my wife up in the lift when I started. ...and I spent 5 minutes looking for my box of brake cleaner.

The book is a joke. It is used to bill customers, not for an actual work estimate. It is a least-common denominator thing.

I did mine as part of my timing belt change. The whole thing took me 2.5 hours, but I have 2 timing belts on a Honda Odyssey which almost counts as experience on a TL.

I am just saying that there are all kinds of aptitudes and motivations that factor into time. I run 2 small businesses and don't have any time to f*ck around on anything - my motivation to git er' dun is a lot different than most.

 

^^^Like I said, if you (or anyone) can do it in under 90 minutes, my hat's off to you. I think even 90 minutes is tight for a single person...

 

No one said it would not be very hard for the average individual. I'll agree to that, but regardless there are guys that have done hundreds that can do the complete job in under an hour. You usually have a separate tool box with everything laid out in order for the jobs you do the most. Coupled with air tools and a ton of experience valve adjustments in under an hour happen.......i've seen it.

 

To get back on topic, it's not really necessary unless your car is noisy. I had the gaskets but didn't get mine done at my 105k service because my buddy who did the service said it wasn't needed. I'll probably wait a few more oil changes then knock it out for peace of mind. But honestly I've seen Honda engines that have had nothing done to them other than oil changes and they still run to 200k+

 

Maybe, maybe not. Again, you will never know if a valve is too tight unless you check them (or it burns out on you). As I posted earlier, all of my valves were out of spec. Granted, not by much. But the exhaust valves were indeed too tight. Could I have gone another 50 - 100K without an adjustment? Maybe, maybe not, but I'm glad I did it.

 

I just hit 104k. The enjine makes weird sound on idle. Nothing suspicious on higher rpm's. Do I need to worry about anything?

 

I'm not hearing anything abnormal...

 

Good, I really appreciate it