Hey guys, this is my first time posting on Azine so I hope I posted this in the right place, otherwise I apologize. Anyways, my 3G TL has about 103,000 miles on it. I try to be pretty conservative when servicing my car so I had the timing belt/water pump service done a little early about a year ago at a private shop, not a dealership. While there they replaced my spark plugs as well. Recently while getting an oil change my dealer told me I needed a valve adjustment and a fuel system cleaning, they quoted me $615 for both. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar service done, and what you paid for it. Thanks for your help.

 

Don't need either unless the valves are terribly noisy and fuel system cleaner a waste of money. Some will say that the exhaust valve clearance will get tighter, but if there is no noticeable valve train noise with the intakes, don't waste the money as you're probably speaking of .001".

 

get it! dont listen to turbonut. a vavle adjustment is required every 105k miles, and a fuel system cleaning is awesome, the engine will run sooo smoooth. and by doing the vavle adjustment you will regain lost performance and increase your fuel milage by 3-4 mpg. I DID IT TOO, totally satisfied

 

I got like 15 MPG better once I adjusted my valves... and my car turned into a hovercraft and would travel back in time once I hit 88 MPH.

Seriously, I checked both of my TLs when I did my 105K service and I maybe adjusted 2 or 3 of valves from each bank. Even then, I probably didn't do much good. I am not going to worry about the valves again until it needs a timing belt again. I can tell you that my accord did need a valve adjustment around 300K, but before that it was probably splitting hairs.

If you want to clean out your fuel system, drop a can of seafoam in the tank with 1/4 left and let it go the rest of the way down. Some will say that it is a waste, some will say that they can tell a difference, but it is $10 either way.

 

First, You're an idiot!

Second, a valve adjustment isn't necessary every 105k miles per the FSM, but as I'm eager to learn, please tell me how a valve adjustment will yield an increase of 3-4 mpg and please let me know what the fuel system cleaning actually does, not what you think it does.

 

 

^^^ x2

 

Aww, no reply? I was hoping to watch the argument!!

 

The fuel system cleaning is one of those "100% profit" ripoff jobs that dealers and unscrupulous mechanics like to push. I automatically doubt anything that would be recommended along with it. We can't tell if your valves are off over the internet, but a second opinion won't hurt. $615 sounds steep, too.

 

Turbonut is wrong and reminds me why I have stopped posting here.

 

Please educate me as to my error!
Didn't realize I was so powerful in that people actually stop posting because of something I posted.

 

The SM says to inspect valve clearance, otherwise adjust only if noisy.

My valves were out of spec by only 0.001" at 106K. My engine was running perfectly before adjustment. There was zero change in performance, idling, mileage or "noise" after adjustment. Could they have gone another 105K without adjustment and with no detrimental effects? Pretty sure they could.

IMO, spending money on a J32A3 valve adjustment at MID "4" is a crap shoot. It certainly is not required and as long as your engine is running fine, I probably wouldn't pay money to have it done.

And it's been pretty well established that our injectors run just fine if using quality detergent fuel. There's no way I'd waste money on a fuel injector cleaning. That is a huge profit upsell for the service department.

 

Hope you don't end up in the same category as me, and as I know you keep meticulous records, I guess you didn't see the 3-4 mpg improvement in fuel mileage either.

 

Fuel mileage change: 0.0 MPG

 

hopefully people that read posts will do a little research and check on posts that the individual has made in other threads and then they will realize people like King are just clueless. if they do not then they are equally clueless.

 

So I am sitting at 168K and never gotten my valves adjusted coz the engine was not noisy at all....but recently around 165K ish I started hearing ticking sound....I wanted to make sure it was the valves and not the injectors....

I will be doing my first valve adjustment in the next few days and I will be "checking" more than "adjusting"

 

First make sure the ticking sound isn't the dreaded "loose spark plug syndrome". Will be interested to hear what your valve clearance measurements are after 165K (before adjustment).

 

Anil, don't know what ticking sounds is but as I know it sounds like a diesal engine, which exactly how mine was.

I noticed improvement on the performance. Night and day
but I think it's because of the new belt.
Did TB and adjust at the same time

MPG change? Nooo

 

didnt know that....

I have to replace my plugs anyway (I replace them every 75K miles)....I know the NGK's can last longer but, lets not discuss/argue over that

So when I will do the valve adjustment, I will check for the clearance and will let you know how much they were "off" and will check and will you know if any of the spark plugs were loose....

I do forsee doing this in the next few days

Meko, the TB, Water pump, tensioner and idler pulley were done a little bit late (at 133K miles) and hence only 37K miles back....I do not think that is the problem....but we all know how the dealerships can be (the only job which was done by the dealership on my car was the timing belt and water pump job).....

I might look into changing the idler pulley and the tensioner as well....plus rebuild my PS pump and flush out the coolant....hope that will make everything go back to normal....

 

No need unless noisy. But I will disagree and say that fuel system cleaning is a good thing to do to your car a couple times a year or just yearly. You don't need to pay a dealer to do it though just get some seafoam. You won't get miraculous gains in mpg's but carbon build up isn't a good thing. In Subaru H6's it'll cause random misfires. You might get lucky to run some cleaner through a few times but most of the time you have to pull the heads and lap the valves.

 

Valve adjustments are only necessary if you start feeling a slight skip, or start getting excessive valve train noise, fuel services aren't just fuel injector cleaners. They clean carbon build up, which you really don't have to worry about too much unless you bought a new accord with direct injection. Back to valve adjustments, it's called Preventitive Maintenance , not wait till shit breaks then fix it and complain about how it's a POS. I recommend valve adjustments just like timing belts on j series , every 105k. Usually they won't get noisy, it's when they're quiet you should worry. J series valves tend to get tight and cause the valves to stay open, which won't cause a ticking tapping noise. But the bad grommet in the valve cover that leaks oil into the sparkplug tube and causes the sparkplug to loosen up will cause that tapping/ticking noise. And you'll have to take the valve cover off to change the grommet so why not check the valve clearance while your there ?

 

Thats a bold statement with nothing to back it up than turbonut being wrong.