I took my 97 prelude to the mechanic for an oil change and he claims that there is a slight ticking noise from the engine. what does that mean?

 

Generally means you need a valve job done. Possibly adjustments or maybe more.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MadCityLude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Generally means you need a valve job done. Possibly adjustments or maybe more.</TD></TR></TABLE>

X2 , honda dealer can do it for 90 -100$ and free inspection fo the car (which is probably factored into the price, but hey..)

 

what causes valves to go bad @ 108,000 miles?

 

that doesn't mean that hey have gone bad.. i just means that they are out of spec.. for a car with 108,000 miles it should have gotten adjusted long ago.. i'm not sure what the numbers are but for hondas its just a matter of time before one is needed. (part of maintenance)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kagelude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that doesn't mean that hey have gone bad.. i just means that they are out of spec.. for a car with 108,000 miles it should have gotten adjusted long ago.. i'm not sure what the numbers are but for hondas its just a matter of time before one is needed. (part of maintenance)</TD></TR></TABLE>

What's involved in adjusting them and what tools are needed? Is this something best left to the dealer?

 

If you have to ask - then yes. It's really not that hard, but if you screw it up it could seriously hurt your car and wallet. I think a dealer charges about an hour, and they have all the tools/gauges.

 

I am learning more and more how to do the maintenance on my car and love the opportunity to learn new things each time something needs some work (how else will I learn, right?). I have time scheduled at an upcoming lift session so I may attempt it then in the presence of people that can guide me so I don't screw anything up.

 

So am I safe to drive it for a while do I have to get it checked right away? I just want to drive the car knowing that it's not going to blow the engine a mile down the road.

 

im to lazy to search it right now but there is a writup about adjusting you valves- check it out and you can get a good idea if you wanna tackle it yourself

 

need a valve adjustment....get a helms manual or haynes, chilton etc.

 

i'll do it for $20 ha jk, learn how to do it. it's really simple and will save you money.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by l2yanE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">im to lazy to search it right now but there is a writup about adjusting you valves- check it out and you can get a good idea if you wanna tackle it yourself
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X2


i over"came" my laziness

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=618786
thats the link for the DIY on the valve adjustment

 

Thanks for the link. I may attempt it at the lift session tomorrow but will most likely wait until the next one.

 

I started it up today and it has the ticking that is comming from the valve cover. It doesn't tick as loud when it first starts up, but then it gets to be louder when the car warms up.

 

This might also help with the process

http://www.amazon.com/Alltrade...&s=hi

its the tool if you don't want to fab one up or buy the snap-on one. much cheaper i might add $12 compare to $40