My care is due for B-14 service , Valve Adjustment is not one of the items that the dealer will do, how important is this ? the services included are replacing timing belt and other belts, replacing water pump, replacing spark plugs.

Thanks,
Roger

 

the maintenance schedule calls for a valve adjustment if noisy.

it should be checked occasionally to see if valve lash is in spec.

 

why won't they do it ?

 

I would go ahead and do the valve adjustment, the car will pull harder after it is done

 

^if valve lash is out of spec. that's why you check the specs of the valve's first!
and it's totally easy to check valve lash when doing the timing belt, because everything is opened up and easy to access!!

 

I personally done a handful of these on Honda/Acura V6 J engines and none of them have "needed" it and the rocker noise was NOT reduced after setting them to the tight side of the spec.
It's not easy; the upper intake has to be removed to remove the valve covers.
The gaskets needed cost about $50.
I wont be doing mine at 100k miles

 

Good idea to replace those gaskets anyways since they tend to get hard overtime and leak oil. In my case when I did the timing belt I just checked the clearance for each one of them (intake and excaust) and didn't find them to be out of spec. Oddly enough on my old j32 and j30 same scenario they were out of spec. The intake were loose and the exchaust more tight than spec. But on the J37 at around 160k km, well, nothing. Dealers will usually just inspect and thats about it.

PS. book a good lower back massage session after valve adjustment LOL

 

$27 for the gasket kit that includes the spark plug tube seals and grommets too! Intake manifold gasket doesn't need to be replaced. Very true that noise is barely reduced however MPG and performance improvements can be noticeable!

 

LOL I second that.

 

What year and how many miles did u get the b-14 code to adjust the valves? I just purchased a used 2009 sh-awd with 100k on it and when i start the car when its been sittin over night the valves (i think) are really loud but goes away once the car gets warmed up. I was thinking if a valve adjustment would be needed.Thanks

 

I guess it depends on what you consider "really loud". Maybe post a vid. These engines are very clicky to begin with. I wouldn't pay for a valve adjustment in that case, but if you're capable of doing it yourself, then I'd do it. When I adjusted mine (2012 FWD TL) at about 100K it reduced noise by maybe 20-30%. It probably reduced by about 50% on my wifes Pilot however. Pretty much the same J-series V6 except hers has that crappy VCM system.

If it's super annoying then go for it. But the chance of any damage or performance issues are going to be nil if the noise is going away on warmup.

 

IMO, the valve adjustment can be expensive but is worth it. Made the J37 in my MDX a lot smoother and gave it a little power back after 135K miles. It may have been new plugs and the timing belt service too but it's a cumulative effect!

I would highly suggest it and get the gaskets done at the same time. A little labor and a few parts for a lot of piece of mind for the next 100K. What's spending $200 more to insure you don't have to spend $2000 in the future.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. Maybe ill wait for the spring time and see how the car drives and feels this winter and do all this when it will warm up again. Thanks for the help guys!