How well does seafoam work in the valve train. My car 91' Accord 170,000 miles has a nasty valve tick/knock whatever you want to call it. I have already adjusted the valves twice. I did it one but it didn't change much so I tried it again and they are all in spec. So I think the lifters are stuck in a couple of valves. The #4 & #3 cylinders make the most noise. How does seafoam work in the valve train?

 

you don't have lifters... seafoam may clean up some of the sludge but won't do anything for valve tick. you can try a better quality oil. i've read that discount and low quality oil can be the cause of excess valve noise.

other than that, ensure that you're following the right procedure on the valve adjustment and triple check.

 

Thanks the noise has just escalated since I bought the car.

 

are you certain it's valve noise?

 

I know it is top of the motor on the left side. I'll see If I can post what it sounds like.

 

readjust the valves in the correct firing order starting at tdc of course. make sure the center flathead screw is held in its proper place when tightening the valve back down. recheck the clearance after tightening. putting seafoam in an old engine like that will cause more problems then it will fix. the seafoam will clean sludge that formed on the old seals which will cause leaks in bad places.

 

Valve lashes probably needs to be adjusted.

 

Untrue, that is on par with 'synthetic oil causes leaks' myth. If there is a leak or opening in a seal that is 'found' then there was a repair that was needed to be done anyway. SeaFoam will break down and remove carbon and varnish build up off of the valves, rings, and sludge throughout the engine. This will allow the engine to run smoother and efficiently.

The only time Sea Foam may cause any issues is when used to clean the intake tract. Carbon/sludge may be ingested in to the engine where it may foul the spark plugs. This would require cleaning or replacement of the spark plugs.

As for the valve lash, make sure the engine is cold. Not cool to the touch, but cold. Best bet would be to check the lash after the car has sat overnight.

 

Every time I did the valve lash it was in the morning before it was started. The last time it was 20F outside. Is there anything else on that side of the engine that could cause a tick tap kind of sound in the valve train?

 

Could be carbon deposits on the valves them selves causing the ticking when they meat with the seat. I personally would recomend putting a bottle in the gas tank with half tank of gas, run it down to E and refill. then apply seafoam to the crankcase on a warm engine and let it idle for 10-15 minutes, drain oil and change filter and refill with a quality grade oil. if money is tight run rotella T5 10w30 synthetic blend which is only 15 bucks or penzoil pletinum which is 25 bucks.

Is it a vtec? could also be a bad Lost motion assembly

 

No it is not a Vtech. So you think I should add a whole bottle of sea foam in the gas tank, I always thought you should only add 1/3 the bottle at one time.

 

He is actually right. I recently used radiator flush on a perfectly working radiator and cooling system. Sure enough it unclogged the hairline crack and I could see it bubbling from it. Going from a system with NO leaks.

 

sea foam works great !

 

Ive always used a whole bottle of seafoam in my gas tank without problems. You need to get your oil changed once that tank is about empty though,

 

Here is the noise it makes from a cold start it does quit down a little when warm but it is still there. Last time I checked about 1 1/2 years ago there were hairline cracks in the exhaust manifold is that what cracked manifold sounds like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZFcPoue2hQ

 

IMO sounds like a wrist pin or excessive clearance on a main or rid bearing but more like a wrist pin vs any kind of head noise

 

Using a large screwdriver, piece of wooden broom handle, socket extension, etc... place one end against the valve/cam 'cylinder head' cover and your ear, on the other end. You will hear if there is a lifter clacking away, and can easily pinpoint which rocker it is with this method.

I agree with Turbo-LS that does sound a bit deeper than a valvetrain noise. Since it goes away when the engine heats up, possibly piston slap.

 

OK I'll try that but it doesn;t go completly away it is still there when warm.

 

the begining stages of a wrist pin issue are usualy faint like that but deeper sounding that a valve and gets a little quieter when warmed up. Were you reving it up a little in the video? sounds like you were and the noise got louder when you did so whcih means when loaded it gets wose so def bottom end noise.

 

yes i was revving it. I just went and used a screwdriver and the valves are all quiet, but when I put it onto the valve cover bolts I can hear it crystal clear. I also checked the manifold and i can hear it there as well. On Wednesday I was going to remove the heat shield and run it like that and see if the noise is the manifold.

 

Is it true that with this engine 2.2L when the timing belt is due it will start to clatter like that. That is what Eric The Car Guy Said.

 

A belt no, now a timing chain if stretched or the cam/crank sprockets have worn out it can become sloppy enough to smack the block or timing cover and make a sound like rod knock. But since the Accord F series engines do not use a chain this is unlikely.

I've heard the tensioner pulleys make screeching or whirring noises when the bearings in them go bad, but thats about it.

BTW use the screwdriver/broom handle/extension to listen to the engine auxiliaries make sure its not one of the components making a racket. Check the PS pump, A/C compressor, alternator, and distributor.

 

Just sayin'... I am not a fan of Seafoam. Synthetic oil is not improved by Seafoam and top tier gasoline is not, either. My son used to clean his Integra throttle body with it and it worked pretty well for a couple of months, then it got worse than before until he used Seafoam again. He changed to Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner from the local Dodge dealer (hey, they have to do *something* right) and it stopped the cycle of addiction. There is a Jeep TSB floating around that has improved instructions for using MCCC to clean carbon deposits, but basically it is just heat soaking after spraying the contents into the intake, then doing some WOT accelerations. Another advantage - MCCC comes in a spray can for half the price of Seafoam in a bottle.

Isn't Seafoam the current version of Marvel Mystery Oil? The ways of using it and the claims sound the same.

 

I might have to try that MCCC. Although, I am a fan of seafoam since it is 6.95 @ Napa where I live, I am open for new ideas.

 

Hey, maybe I should address the meat of the thread - the ticking. From your preliminary stethoscope tests I am concerned the sound is coming from the bottom end - rod knock, probably. A genuine mechanic's stethoscope is about $10 at most auto parts stores (I got mine at NAPA) and will really help narrow it down. If you hear it on the block near the crank pulley you can be pretty sure it is in the bottom end... although that includes wrist pins. Your test so far also rules out exhaust manifold leaks, which sound remarkably metallic and tend to fade on warm-up but are not audible on the stethoscope.

The big question is what are you willing to do about it if the cause is in the bottom end? It is practical to replace the rod bearings with the engine in place - I had to do that last year with my daughter's 1993 Accord when her husband ran it out of oil on the freeway - but most of the labor is the same to check them as it is to replace them. With the rods loose you can do a wiggle test on the rods to see if there is any obvious play in one of the wrist pins, but even after severe oil starvation there was no wrist pin noise in the 1993. The rod bearings were beaten mostly into foil and chunks of bronze, the lower half of the #2-#4 mains were scored and unusable, but the crankshaft was undamaged. New standard size bearings, a couple of hours with green Plastigage, and I was ready to re-assemble (don't forget assembly lube even if you are just checking clearances!) On the other hand, if a wrist pin is at fault the scope of the work expands enormously and I would just leave it.