padauk_dust's 1988 Accord Hatch DX

[FDSpirit]

That's a nice Accord. Great condition for its age. Quick question about valve adjustment. My owners manual says to do it early on in the vehicles life, and my car is ten years old. Im guessing it was done, but what exactly does it do, and should I go get mine checked?

[permabanned]

i dunno how your valvetrain is setup and i cant be hassled to look it up, but most hondas, and the one in question dont have any sort of self adjusting lifters (like hydraulic lifters) so you gotta go thru and adjust the valve lash periodically.

with the engine cold, there should be a certain amount of play between the valve stem and the rocker arm, or the lifter. when it warms up the rockers expand and close the gap and it just needs to be there. hondas give you a convenient adjustment screw right on the rocker arm to set valve lash, other cars might require you to pull the cams out and shim the lifters (pain in the f**k ass because you gotta pull cams a shitload of times)

you go thru with a feeler gauge between the rocker and the valve stem and adjust it til the lash is in spec.

you should adjust your valves periodically, once a year should be as often as you need to unless you beat the f**k out of your car.

mine are hydraulic lifters, they pump up with oil and lash themselves. sounds convenient and for most people it is, but hydraulic lifters are much heavier than solid lifters and that matters at high rpms. solid lifters for my engine weigh 4 grams less, and when you factor in the oil they fill up with, that 5-10 grams doesnt seem like much, but at 7500 rpms it makes a difference. works same was as underdrive pulleys and lighter cam gears: less rotating weight is better

[noob5,000,000]

I need to adjust my valves :suspect:

[FDSpirit]

Ok. Thanks. I've never done anything like valve adjustment, so its completely new ground in car care. Most complex thing I've ever done car repair wise was a radiator swap for my corolla.

[padauk_dust]

Essentially you want to have the right amount, albeit small, of clearance between your rockers and valves, maybe 0.010". check your service manual for specs. The clearance is probably different between your intake and exhaust valves. Intake might be around .006", ex might be about .011". These are measured with a feeler gauge between the end of the rocker arm and the beginning of the valve/assembly. Make sure the cams are not actuating the rockers at all when you measure each valve's clearance. Ensure that the lobe is pointing completely away from the rocker arm.

[permabanned]

set them to 0 lash when cold, then when its warmed up your gonna have infinite duration from the valves hanging open

[padauk_dust]

^^ lol