the car hasnt had a valve lash adjustment for at least 40k now, would that contribute to my 20 mpg around town, and if so, how much? (big difference, or small difference?)

 

i need to have mine adjusted as well.. its throwing my gas mileage way off. im getting about 300 miles per tank. any codes being thrown?(not related to valves)

 

no codes, new o2 sensor, alignment, good tire pressure, plugs, fuel filter, air filter, checked brakes for dragging, nada - still 20 solid around town. there is an exhaust leak around the muffler, but its small and shouldnt make such a big difference. cat is not clogged.

 

yeah definitely get your valves adjusted. that will help a lot. im trying to find the money to get mine done

 

ill just try it myself, but its good to know this might be the reason. how much were you quoted for yours?

 

wasnt cheap, want to say 250 or so? if i can find a DIY thread on it ill buy the tools and do it myself! lol

 

if they are tight it will effect more so than being loose.

man 250 for a valve adj, i charge 65 plus gasket. i need to up my price.

 

lol either that or we be rippin folks off in virginny!

 

i'm needing to get around to do mine, my mpgs are horrible. Local shop quoted me $75 but i'ld rather do it myself. Found this write up that looks good, http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/v...alveadjust.php
also got the "special" tool from amazon for less than $20, just gota get off my *** and do it

 

It's not hard at all, especially on a SOHC d-series.

 

Don't know if it's loose or tight, but ticking while idling has gotten much louder over the past year.

I couldn't get the valve cover off last time I attempted, so I said screw it. I did the timing belt by prying the upper belt cover out from under the valve cover

 

Here are some DIYs:
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/tech-article-valve-lash-adjustment-1305086/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/diy-d-series-valve-lash-adjustment-big-pictures-561916/

 

Adjusting the valves on a single cam is easy. You just need to be careful not to over tighten the valve cover bolts. Just snug them. They are old and will snap in a heart beat.
In most cases you can reuse the gasket, just put a little sealant in the corners. I'm sure it's in the links above.

 

When I did mine long time ago, I didn't use any sealant and I didn't have any problems. Of course, it's always a good idea to put sealant on those gaskets for a good seal.

 

Is there a trick to getting the valve cover off? I took off everything, pried with a screwdriver, hit it with a mallet, and still can't get it off. The back part (towards interior of car) is the area that won't budge

 

Did you take off all the bolts and all the hoses off of the valve cover? If so it should come out. You might have to replace the valve cover gasket if it gets ruined while you pull out the valve cover.

 

Yea I made sure I took off everything. Spark plugs were in there though, do you have to take those out?

 

^^^no you dont. just keep taping it with a mallet, itll come off. They can be quite stuborn sometimes

 

I punched it, hit it with many mallets, the damn thing just wouldn't come off on the intake side. After you take the valve cover bolts off, there's a silver disk on top of a rubber grommet, do you have to take those off? I pried one off but looks like I broke something

 

Yeah you have to pry those off. You should have got new ones with your valve cover kit anyway.

Here's a better DIY. http://causeforalarm.thecarthing.com/D16Y/index.html

But there's no way it's the cause of your 20mpg.

 

^ I took a big *** screwdriver and pried up, only got the exhaust side up. Other side wouldn't come up. Thanks for the link.

What could cause the 20 mpg then? I've taken it to most shops around town and they have no idea

 

Try a routine tune-up! Replace your plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, adjust your valves, replace/clean your air filter, throw in some fuel injector cleaner, and you will see a significant increase in gas mileage. And even if it does not for some miracle, it's not going to hurt your car anyways, but only allow it to run better.

 

i havent done wires and cap/rotor, everything else ive done plus more. would those make that big of a difference?

 

are you trying to tell us that if one adjusts the valves this won´t produce any positive impact?


adjusting valves will produce more mpg or less?


could you please explain?

 

What he's saying is that if you have he valve lash adjusted too tight you'll be holding the valves open too long causing the car to use more fuel. Also, it'll generally idle like crap or feel sluggish on acceleration. It's better that they're too loose than too tight. The feeler gauges give you a good indication of how tight they should be but you still need to use your own judgment on the "slight drag" part of adjusting the valves lash.