My buddy needs to know do you remove valves...He's got a d15... Thanks... Don't you need a tool to depress the spring and take the retainer off??


[Modified by Sleeping4drLS, 8:45 PM 2/19/2003]

 

Yes. If he gets a manual it will have the procedure in detail.

 

Does anyone have a short explanation?

 

yes usually a tool is required to press the spring. i believe snap-on sells a nice one for that application for just over $100. it bolts onto the head and is a little lever that presses the springs one by one. as far as procedure, you'll have to remove the head, take out the cams, etc. you'll really want a helms for that one.

 

like he said, remove the head, remove the cam(s), dissasemble the rocker arm assembly, there is a tool that is kind of like a clamp that you can put one end on the face of the valve and the other end goes on the spring... campress the spring, remove the retainer (dont loose the locking piece for the retainer... decompress, and then the valve slides out of the bottom of the head...try not to mix piece up between cylinders, if they ware different it wont run the same...

 

if you want a cheep and easy way to take them out. after you take the head off the car, take a deep socket with an extention at the end and place the socket side on the retainer then hit the extention with a hammer(rubber malot) or what ever and walla. this teck neek works great if your in a hurry and just want to take them out quick. and no it dosn't hurt the valves or retainers.

this isn't the propper way but it is an option.

 

Damn this is really really old but if u did this how will u put them back in? How do the keepers come out. And if ur just replacing the valves why would u need to rake the rocker. Arms off. Cant u just lift them up exposing the springs

 

take the rocker arms out. And just rent a tool from autozone, it's free and does the job much better

 

The rocker arms are pressing (or nearly so, with small clearances) on the valve stems. You cannot get to the valve stems without taking off the rocker arm assembly. Without being able to get to the valve stems, you cannot get to the retainers, keepers, and springs.

Once you get the head off, here are writeups and photos for taking the rocker arm assembly off, then the keepers, retainers and springs. It assumes you are also changing the valve stem seals and that the head is still on the car. Which steps to omit so you can get to the valves with the head off the car should be obvious.

http://honda.lioness.googlepages.com...erockerarmassy

http://honda.lioness.googlepages.com...valvestemseals

The valves will just drop out the bottom in about the middle of the procedure above. To re-assemble the head:

http://honda.lioness.googlepages.com...grockerarmassy

 

^ great info, wish I had that when I took mine apart. I just took things off as I went, and the rocker assembly exploded when I had it off. PUT A COUPLE BOLTS THROUGH IT!!!

 

^Thanks. I had a lot of help from a couple of fellows at the Usenet Honda newsgroups, along with some threads here at H-T and some great videos elsewhere on the net. Unfortunately after replacing the valve stem seals, my oil burning problem is still present (1/2 quart per 500 miles or so).

How long did it take you to get the rocker assembly back together?

 

if your still burning oil do a compression test to check your rings also did you check your guides when you had your valves removed?

 

I know a lot of people say a compression test will help identify failed oil control rings, but at least as many say that the other rings, if functioning right while the oil control ring is worn or seized, will yield a perfectly good compression test. I did the work with the head on the car and so did not remove the valves, and so nor could I check the guides.

I did a little repair to the PCV system yesterday, replacing the o-ring on the breather chamber. The breather chamber's old o-ring had permatex ultra-gray on it, which of course was someone's lame fix over a year ago, before I bought the car. I am thinking that if pressure was not being held in the crankcase, and a failed o-ring was causing the crankcase to operate at about atmospheric pressure, then the PCV valve could be open at all times. The PCV valve has been pretty oily.

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Edit: I inspected the plugs again today. Contrary to what I posted before, the plugs do not look all the same. Three of the plugs' ceramic areas (firing end, directly adjacent to where the spark occurs, not the wire end) are dark and look a bit oil fouled. One looks white-ish, the way it is supposed to according to photos on the web that discuss spark plug inspection. Considering the good fuel mileage, I am now leaning towards the problem being the oil control rings or valve guides. I have heard it is possible running Mobil 1 synthetic oil (or similar) may clean out any carbon deposits around the oil control rings precluding proper operation, so I am going to monitor for awhile. The reason the oil consumption took some eight months to show up is currently thought to be due to an additive being used by the dealer or the first owner to slow down oil burning. Over time the additive breaks down or the owner does an oil change so it is no longer present. So I am theorizing right now.
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I am second owner on this car and have had it about a year. It did not start burning oil until about February. No oil leakage is evident, and going down a steep mountain while using the engine for braking, then hitting the gas, seems to have yielded blue smoke. I understand this points to the valve stem seals. But like I wrote, I replaced these last week, and oil is still burning.

I think also it might be a collapsed oil control ring spacer. I am told that this could cause a sudden increase in oil usage, but the piston groove would eventually carbon up and oil usage would decline.

What kills me is that my MPG has been excellent, at around 42 mpg, since March, measured carefully. I suppose the oil burning is helping the MPG.

I don't want to hijack this thread. Plus the archives have much on this. I am braced for getting a new engine at some point.

 

A couple hours. I'm still missing some spacers in between, and can hear a little knock on startup but screw it, I'm done messing with the car. I also scratched one of the two metal rods, but like I said I'm done messing with it, I have a good rocker arm assembly on the side ready to swap in.

Compression test won't hurt, the tester is only $25 from advanced auto. $15 if you search for the $10 off $25+ coupon. Even less if you know the guy there and get a discount

Have you checked the whole engine for leaks?

 

I hear you. At least it does not sound as disastrous as people warned me it would be.

This is true. At a minimum I will learn something. I have had my eye on a kit at Harbor Freight for awhile now but I will check out Advance Auto's too. My Civic seems to run really well--sounds good and excellent MPG. But I have never owned a car that consumed so much oil.

Yes, I have been under the car a lot in the last few months, cleaning the outside of the engine, and then a week or so later, looking for leaks. All the usual gaskets and seals--dizzy o-ring, driver's side cam and crank seals, valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, spark plug tube gaskets (upper and lower), rear engine seal--appear to be holding. I did find some oil residue around and under the hose connection to the breather chamber. So in addition to replacing its o-ring, I (ugh) Hondabonded the hose connection grommet some.

Thanks for the input Johnny and sde780. I will probably start a new thread to inquire whether it is usual for all four oil rings to fail at once, hence the uniformity in appearance of the spark plugs. All four failing at once does not pass the common sense test, though. And yet, unless my PCV system repair fixes this, I am resigned it is either the oil rings or valve guides.