Car is a 96 civic cx hatchback, bone stock with 240,000kms. When its cold out and the car is started for the first time its making a loud tick until it warms up.

just keeps doing it until the car is warm, whether its idling or driving, same thing: tick tick tick tick tick...etc

Once warmed up it stops, but the car seems to have less power, and revs higher doing 100km/h than it used too. There's no tac, but by sound its definitely working harder then it used too.

Plugs, rotor, cap, new o2, all done about 15,000kms ago and about 15-10,000kms ago the valves were adjusted at local honda dealer.

any ideas where to start looking would be good.

 

check your oil asap.

im not sure about your engine, but there's something called a hydraulic lifter. the valve lash that you got at Honda, those are the lifters. they need to be filled with oil. most of the time it take a few minutes to worm up and fill with oil. i had a probe that was loud as hell till it warmed up. it had a bad ring and valve guides.

hope this helps

 

The oil has been changed regularly since the valves were adjusted about every 4500kms.

Do you mean check and make sure there is oil around the lifters?

 

no, just making sure it was full.

hmmmm you might wanna ask Luserkid.

 

taken it to honda, to align your valves

 

the valves were adjusted at local honda dealer.

 

from what a tech at honda told me, that it's normal on cold start, and goes away after the car is warmed up. maybe yours needs an adjustment again, if it is still doing it.

 

the noise goes away once the car is warmed up 2 minutes on cold start (first thing in the morning). Maybe piston slap.

even once the car is warmed up there seems to be a lack of power and higher revving at highway speed.