I have a 99 honda CRV with 130,000 miles and I was getting a misfire on cylinders 4, 3 and 1 but now its even worst. The check engine lights blink when I start the car and it idles like crazy which shakes my whole car. I read the honda manual for the CRV and they told me I might need to do valve adjustment. After trying to adjust the valves to the proper specs I came across a problem. On cylinder 4, 3, and 1, the exhaust valves seem to be super tight. I can't even stick the filler gauge to adjust it even when its totally loosened. Seems like my springs are not compressed or something. Does anyone know why? what can I do?

 

Were u trying to adjust them when the engine has sat over night or after your drove the car

 

No, the engine is cold and this isn't my first valve adjustment. I know your suppose to let it cool down but thats not the case. Seems like these motors have a problem with the head as being a common problem. I think they should have done a recall or something..

 

yes, extremely common problem with b20's. needs a valve adjust every 30k or even more. the exhaust valves get very tight, to the point where they burn up. I bought my CRV with burnt valves (cyl 3) $250 later im back on the road. ($100 machine work, $150 gasket set/2 valves) if a valve adjust doesnt cure the issue, do a compression test to see if your valves are toast.

 

yeah I think my valve is probably burnt. I might as well replace the head for a p75 yeah? The cost of a rebuilt is probably more expensive and ls heads are plentiful

 

yea you could do that, i wonder why i didnt do that sometimes...but meh, its only money lol

 

Have a leak down test done, it will be more accurate than a simple compression test, but as mentioned, starting with a compression test by yourself (DIY) is a good place to start.

 

i agree...although a burnt exhaust valve should be pretty obvious on a compression test. only 1 valve in cyl. 3 had a, half a pencil eraser, wide hole in it on my cr-v.....and that cylinder had 25psi compression lol

 

I agree Sir, its those elusive seats that dont quite seat, you know the ones I am talking about, dont show up too easily with a pumping compression test, but spew all kinds of air out the tailpipe with a leak down test. If you have a pressure transducer and an oscilloscope and a little training, you can see a leaky cylinder on the scope. Without proper training it just looks like the timing is off but with close examination, you can see that it is actually a leaky cylinder, BUT, you still need to know where the leak is, out the tailpipe, right, so actually, a leak down is the way to go in the end.

Do you have a compression gauge with the fitting the the actual gauge connects to the hose, and this hose is also the same QD as the hose on your home air compressor. Hook up your air compressor to your hose, remove the schrader valve out of the end that screws into the spark plug hole, turn the motor to TDC compression stroke on the cylinder you are testing (both valves closed, you may need to lock the crank from turning some how) and give it all the air you have, listen to the throttlebody with throttle open, listen to the tail pipe and listen to the valve cover with the oil fill cap removed and see if you can hear an air leak. Test other cylinders for comparison of sounds, the bad one should show up, if there is a bad cylinder. Dont forget noise coming out of a neighboring cylinder may say there is a blown head gasket, so pull all the plugs before starting. I have a Craftsman compression gauge hose that hooks right up to the air compressor hose quick disconnect (QD).

 

Hi Raidocaipo,

How did you resolve your problem with the 3 valves you were not able to adjust. I got the same blinking check engine light and decided to do a valve adjustment. I was not able to adjust one of the exhaust valves on cylinder 2. The loosest I can get it to is .003 in. I also noticed one of the exhaust valves on cylinder 4 is tightening up. Can only loosen it up to .006 in. Your help is appreciated.

CRVGlenn

 

How can a compression test be done if his valves aren't adjusted within spec? I have the same problem. I think we both have to take our heads off to check for burnt valve.

 

Just found out that the CVR I bought a few weeks ago has a blown head gasket. Dealership has offered to let us trade it for a 2005 Nissan X-Trail or take our chances and have them fix it. (we'd have to pay for some of it but they won't commit to how much they'll pay for). Not sure what to do.....we have to decide by Monday which route to take.

 

X-trail? I take it you don't live in the US then because if they sold the X-trail here I'd be all over that! lol

 

Nope, Canada . So you think I should take the trade? I'm really on the fence because I really love the CRV but I'm worried that there may be other problems that have been undetected. They're going to check the valves and head when they pull it apart -- I'm hoping that the head is ok but worst case scenario is that the head would have to be changed. I don't know if the previous owner kept driving while it was overheating or not.

The CRV has a lot more options than the X-trail does as it has the lowest trim package. (Leather seats, sunroof, plus a few other things). Mileage is comparable.

I don't know anything about the state of the X-trail; CRV has a new windshield, tires, brakes, rotors, CV boots and driveshaft.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

that's a tough one. if you keep it, do not go easy on them. you need to press them to take care of the cost. I wouldnt start any work until there is a solid agreement. personally I think I would be trying to ditch it and look for a new car on my own. I am not familiar with the laws up there, but I would research all your options. not just the ones the dealer gives you.

 

This is how burnt valves look like:

 

for whoever is looking at these pictures...dont just look at the colour of the valves and think "oh okay if theyre that colour theyre fucked" because thats not what he is showing you. in the second picture you can see the top right valve is missing part of it. Thats a burnt valve.

 

I think we're leaning more towards the repairing the CRV; I just don't like the inside of the x trail as much. AMVIC is the governing body over dealerships where I live and they've confirmed that indeed I do have a legitimate complaint but I'd rather come to some kind of deal before I have to take it that far. I really don't want to fight with them for months on end over this. The dealership has already committed to supplying the labour for free, they won't commit to paying the parts -- only hinted that they'll give us a "break" on them. Which in my opinion translates to "we won't hose you for the retail price". For just the head gasket repair parts, they've given me a price of around $400. (That of course is the best case scenario depending on what they find with the head and valves.)

The compression on the cylinders is 160, 130, 120, and 160. From what I understand, the low compression that has been diagnosed on #'s 2 & 3 hasn't gotten that bad yet which leads everyone to believe that I've talked to that it is a very slow leak.

 

to be safe if you suspect a valve or head issue even remotely, have them put on a rebuilt head. the one I got was only 375. as far as labor it shouldn't add any time since cams and everything have to come out and valves need to get adjusted to do the head gasket. if anything it makes it a tad easier. just a thought. no master auto mechanic, but from my experience and just having read about a million head and valve issues and not really any head gasket issues I have my doubts on that diagnosis.

 

it looks like it would be possible to replace the burnt valve and and be on your way ...


new seal, and new valve looks like it would be good to go.

not sure why people are calling it recessed valves if the thing that goes wrong is the valves gets burnt off ???

Why replace the head if the valve gets burnt?

 

recessing into the head is a different issue than a burnt valve. when they over tighten and recede into the head you don't get a tight seal giving the same effect-bad compression. a burnt valve like those you can replace, sure. but, if your head is damaged due to recessed valves, you will probably burn up the new ones eventually if you don't have a good seal.