I was wondering if a valve job is something i can do myself, or would you recommend a mechanic to do it? when i bought my car at 83K miles, it was not making any sounds, but now at 85, 500 miles, it is making a sound like the valves need adjustment. it is starting to sound really bad, like a sewing machine, but worse. it increases as the RPM increases. i hear it mildly in most accords, but it is loud in mine. my number 2 spark plug is also getting some oil in the cylinder. i do not know if that would affect it.

if i can't do it myself, what is the estimated cost to do something like that?

 

you can do it yourself...all you need is a feeler gauge & a dead-cold motor. However, it would be better to have someone whose done it 'hover' and watch what your doing for the first time.

I think i've seen guys mention that valve-jobs are about $45 bucks or so.

What kind of oil are you using? Did you change your oil recently with a cheaper $.99 brand? Some oils coat better than others....try Valvoline your next oil change and see what happens...

 

Honda, here in columbia, sc, say that a valve adjustment will cost $75. is this a good price? can i get it done cheaper or is it better to spend this money and let honda do it right? is it something that has to be done perfect?

well, the last oil change i had was done at mobile.

 

sounds like they are charging you for 1hr. I'd be fine going with an independent shop whose hourly rate is 40-50 bucks. Ask around for some good references...don't just go to any shop down the street. Honestly though...b/k the engine needs to be dead cold, you'll have to leave it there for a couple hours.

R U sure you want to get the valves adjusted so quick before running a different engine oil? The valves in my car (nor ANY of my piston cars - civic-jetta) have ever been adjusted : words of wisdom from my Master Mack-Truck Mechanic Uncle : "if they've never been touched, they never need adjusting". My engine is very quiet (though that might have to do with being a J-VIN)...

 

actually, valve adjustment in my manual says below 100F is ok.

 

well, it is getting really bad, i am not sure if its the valves, but that's what it sounds like to me... its totally uncool though, especially on a college campus. in fact, it sounds horrible, so even chicks can pick up that something is wrong with the car....totally uncool......

any ideas as to what else could cause that sound though? i know it was not there the last 2K miles, because i would not have bought the car if it had that sound.
There is a little oil in my #2 spark plug, i don't know if that helps. i changed the valve cover gasket and the spark plug seals this weekend because i though the seals were leaking, but there is still oil in the #2 spark plug. is my car F*cked? should i stop driving it?

 

Valve adjustments are easy stuff. May take a little longer the first time, but still not difficult. Just need a set of feeler gauges (the angled ones are nice!), box end wrench (mine is 10mm), flathead screwdriver, and a large socket and breaker bar (or other large devise to turn the socket) to turn the crank. Gotta have a manual though, cuz you gotta line everything up right (each cyl at TDC) before adjustments can begin.

If the noise continues after a valve adjustment, perhaps it's a lubrication problem and not enough oil is getting to the head causing valvetrain noise. I know the oil pump on my moms F22 (94 Accord EX) went bad a year and a half or so ago and had to be replaced. Not sure if that was a common thing or not on those engines, but it's a possibility.

 

well, mine is not a VTEC enigne. it is an LX accord, so i don't think the valve train needs oil like the VTEC. the oil level is over the full mark, could this be the cause of the problem? is it too full? i once heard that over filling enigne oil could damage your engine. is this true? i have syntetic Mobil oil in it. the oil was just changed when i bought the car, so i didn't bother correct it. but its since then the problem developed though. i think it probably have about 3/4 quart too much oil. could this be the problem?

 

Having to much oil is not good. The oil pressure can build up to high and can break stuff. drain the extra oil and see what happens I bet it will clear up your oil/spark plug problem.

 

Do it yourself, don't waste money on having someone else do it and not knowing what they set the specs to. Especially for only $75. Sounds like a good deal, but who knows how well they will do the job. Get some feeler gauges and make your own adjustment tool by bending a craftsman boxwrench, or by the valve adjustment tool from snap-on Not sure on Accord specs, but a Helms manual is your friend Goodluck

 

you said you have synthetic oil in your car. despite what you may have heard, that stuff is not the best for high mileage motors, unless it has been used since the motor was a baby (less than 20-30K). the reason being is that on higher mileage engines, the synthetic oil can actually harden your gaskets, making them more prone to leakage. you DEFINITLY dont want too much oil in the motor either, since it will raise your oil pressure and this will probably lead to leakage too. you should adjust the valves yourself, although i dont think that will solve your problem. good luck.

 

valve adjustments are easy... just be careful and take it slow with no rushing.

feeler gauges, 10mm box end, etc... just like they said. the lash specs are on the sticker they put underhood as well as any repair manual you get should have them. ( helminc.com ... helms are redistributed honda manuals )

EDIT: too much oil is REALLY bad... if the level gets too high and it starts getting 'whipped' by the crank... will end up faulcking up your rings.


[Modified by twkdCD595, 12:12 PM 2/28/2003]

 

I agree and to expand on this post, too much oil can cause excessive CRANKCASE pressure and foaming, etc. which can throw oil up into the bottom of the cylinders causing smoking, and gaskets to leak. etc. and is not a good thing. If allowed to continue it can cause glazing of the rings and cylinder walls.

In some other posts it was stated that it causes excessive oil pressure, I believe they meant to say crankcase pressure, not actual operating pressure. Too much oil does not cause excess engine oil pressure, that is a function of your internal bearing clearances, pump condition, oil viscosity and temp and it IS possible when building a motor to go overboard and have too much operating pressure. I've seen a brand new motor ( Ram Air IV Pontiac ) blow the oil filter seal out because they got crazy with the pressure relief spring tension.