Guys I have a 90 Civic sedan with the 1.5 in it and when I start it first thing in the morning, it sounds pretty sloppy and was wondering what it might be. Got right at 180,000 miles on her. When it warms up it pretty much goes away. Would the valves needing adjustment do that or is it worse (rod bearings/rods)? Any ideas/suggestions would be awesome. Thanks.

 

It's kind of a clattering sound. Will valves make that kind of sound and then quiet down after it warms up?

 

Yessir, that would be my first guess. Adjust the valves to spec and see it it helps. You may also want to try cleaning out your IACV/EACV while you're at it and flush the coolant system if it hasn't been done for a while.

 

The way to tell if your bearings are going is to put a pressure gauge on the motor. 10-15psi at 750rpm idle, 50psi >3k rpm. Cold lifters that need adjustment will be very loud when cold. They also reduce power/gas milage, so thats another reason to adjust them.

 

How do you clean the IACV valve? Hey thanks guys for the suggestions.

 

Also, I know this is a really dumb question but I want to make sure, you put the pressure gauge in one of the spark plug holes right? If so, does it matter which one or check all 4? Thanks again.