I know Acura has one that fits inside a box end wrench, but I keep hear Snap-On mentioned.

What should I pay for either one?

 

i have the snapon one....its quality, highly recommended.

 

Anybody got pics?

 

http://buy.snapon.com/catalog/pro_de...re&dir=catalog

damn i had no idea the link would be this long hahah

 

You ain't kiddin' it's long.

Thanks. I like it way better than the Honda one.

 

ahh I just got a box wrench, heated it up and bent it at the end and in the middle. $6 was the total cost of this tool at Sears.
Looks like this.

held it in place and used a screw driver to adjust the valves. to loosen the lock nuts I just used a ratchet then put the box wrench over the nut to hold it in place.

It actually worked very good considering the regular tool you buy is like $50. But hey if you really need to buy it you should. Its not necessary to complete the job properly. plus you want to see the screw when tightening the nut because the screw tends to shift a little which makes the valves too tight.





[Modified by Fooser, 4:25 PM 2/26/2002]

 

Screw shifts a little making valves too tight??

Does this mean that the screw is torqued at the same time when you re-tighten the lock-nut?

Isn't this why you recheck the clearance after making the adjustment?

I just thought the tool would be better than using a wrench and driver b/c I could use it w/o growing a third hand to hold the
feeler gauge at the same time as the wrench and driver.

 

Don't waste your money.... Get this.. Much cheaper.... and you get a set... I just used mine this weekend to adjust my valves... here's the link... http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45113 Hope this helps..

 

yes as you tighten the locknut the screw tends to shift a little bit. So as you tighten it you have to have the screwdriver on it to hold it in place. You can hold the wrench and screwdriver in one hand. Just have your hand around the wrench while your holding the screwdriver between your fingers. The other hand can hold the feelers as you feel for the adjustments. Not very hard to do. I usually tighten the nut with the wrench first then snug it up with a 10mm socket.

Oh ya its always good to recheck the gap. I check it after I tighten then go through all the TDC points again to recheck.


[Modified by Fooser, 4:46 PM 2/26/2002]

 

snap-on lookalike for half the price? im on it

 

4 pieces instead of 1? for half the price lol. I bet when you try to loosen that nut the tool breaks. j/k it will probably work fine.


[Modified by Fooser, 4:48 PM 2/26/2002]

 

Since I've never adjusted my valves before, I'd also like to know how easy it is to turn the crank.

Can it be done with the spark plugs in, or is compression too much to overcome?

Can I do it from the top of the engine (i.e., reach in and put a socket on the crank pulley nut)?

I didn't bring a jack or stands w/ me to where I live now (rules), so I can't get underneath.


Thanks.

 

You can turn it with the spark plugs in but its alot harder. It dosent take too long to remove then and your arm wont kill you later. Also check your plugs while they are out to see if they need to be replaced.

 

Can I turn the crank from the top of the engine?

 

yes but you shouldnt. Your talking about turning the crank by the cams right? Its not a good idea cause you will have more leverage with the pulley, which means less chance for the timing belt to slip out of place. Its a big hassel if your cams go off alignment.

Just crank the motor over through the hole in the wheel well on the drivers side. It takes a 19mm socket.


[Modified by Fooser, 5:44 PM 2/26/2002]

 

Oh hell yeah I'm going to order that set from Harbor freight soon. I'd like it even better if I could buy just the 10mm one. Oh well.... I do NOT recommend the modified wrench method. I spent several HOURS trying to get my valves adjusted right, and I still couldn't do it. I ended up driving 200 miles back to my apt. from my parents' house w/ one valve making a very loud knocking sound. I ended up fixing it a few days later, but it was still a hassle, and I still think my valves aren't adjusted just right. I told myself I won't go near the valves again until I get some tool like that, so now it looks like I'll finally be able to adjust everything right.

 

No, actually I was wondering if I could reach the bottom of the engine from the very top, instead of pulling the wheel and going
in from the side. Esp. since I don't have a jack or stands where I live now and I'm not driving 800 miles to get them any time soon.

I could probably answer this myself by looking under the hood tonight, but I thought I'd ask first.

 

Nope not possible unless you got a little skinny arm.
You have to go in through the side. I even had to remove my rim becaues I couldnt get to it. Then again I do have 17" rims. But with a little effort you can get to the bolt without removing the wheel. Its just a tight fit. A small ratchet with a 2 1/2" extenstion would be perfect.




[Modified by Fooser, 7:00 PM 2/26/2002]

 

Slightly OT: Why is it necessary or recommended that you adjust your valves when the engine is cold? What can happen if it's not and can I do it after the engine has been shut down for an hour or two? Thanks.

 

Bought mine last week from snap on and did 2 valve adjustments. Just remember to take the 19mm socket out from under the wheel well before starting the car.

 

Head has to be 100 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

It is b/c hot metal expands and won't give a true reading as to what the adjustment actually is, esp.
when you talk about thousandths of an inch.


[Modified by bps2799, 9:18 PM 2/26/2002]

 

Ya what last guy said if your car is hot you will get inaccurate readings. You can do all the prep work before its cooled off all the way tho. like say removing the valve cover plugs ect. that way the valves cool off faster.

 

Thanks Foo

 

Hey you guys tell me something. You know how to pulley has the TDC mark on it? and how the Cams have those two dashes on the teeth? I think personally the dashes on the Cams are more accurate then the pulley. When I lined up the cams so that the two dashes point into eachother exactly at TDC the white dash on the Pulley was off by like a 1/8" is this accurate? or could the belt have slipped? Also does it make a difference where the pulley mark lines up at?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by IQ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Don't waste your money.... &lt;IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.zeroforum.com/smile/emsad.gif" BORDER="0"&gt; Get this.. Much cheaper.... and you get a set... I just used mine this weekend to adjust my valves... here's the link... http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45113 Hope this helps..</TD></TR></TABLE>

Anyone able to find the Harbor Freight tool these days? I checked the web site and can't find anything related. I don't want to spend $50+ on a Snap on when I can get the same thing for 1/2 the price.

Thanks!