I just recently finished my ls/vtec build, and have been working out the problems. My motor sounds like a school bus/ disel at idle for some reason. I checked the exhaust side clearance and it was all in spec, but i didnt check the intake valves b/c i didnt have a .007 feeler gauge. The ticking kind of a sound is coming from the valvetrain. what could this be?


Next, i was wondering how my motor should feel compared to my dx. I have a ls block with ls 8.5:1 compression with a gsr head. This should bring it to around 9 right? It doesnt feel all that more powerful than the dx. Is this normal?

 

what ecu are you using? If its the stock one from the dx, then it probably wont be faster. Definitely check the intake side as well. Oh, the dohc honda motors do have a different sound than the sohc, but it shouldn't sound like a diesel either.

 

im using p72

 

nevermind what the compression ratio is, get some compression numbers and do a leak down test.

 

when i had 20 miles on it, and i did a oil change, i had 190, 185, 187, 183. No leakdown because i dont have air.

 

I had a destrocked gsr block that was 9.2 to 1 and it drove decent on the street with no turbo. I couldn't beat many people, but it wasn't as slow as my d-series. It also sounded like a diesel. When I took it apart, i found out why. I had about 10 valves that weren't seated. HtH

 

after over revving my LS, my engine sounded like a diesel, but drove normal. The vash lash nuts had come off a bunch of the valves and they were out of whack. I got a valve adjustment done and it's been fine since.

 

yea i have seen many a honda passport with this same valvetrain problem. Just needs a little shimming and adjusting most likely. sounds like a tick tick tick tick that follows with engine rpm. Hope the repair works.

 

I adjust valves twice a year. Last month I found almost all my intake valves to be .002 larger gap than called for! Tightening up the lash made the valve train much quieter.

 

If u listen to a DSM engine it's common... I had an eclipse that ticked like crazy... They had the hydrolic adjusters in them though, and you couldnt adjust it...

 

if your have forged pistons and the piston to wall clearance is too loose it will sound like a diesle especially when cold