Ever owned a Ducati?I'm highly curious if anyone that owns a vehicle manufactured in the last 30 years actually need a valve adjustment. Unless the hydraulic lifter system or a related component failed, I just don't see anyone keeping one around that long that it reaches a point where an adjustment is truly needed.
I've been retired about 6 years. Up until that point, I know Honda recommended valve adjustment (along w/ spark plugs and timing belt) at 105k (dealerships still recommended 90k). Many people put that off due to the cost. I'd usually see those cars between 115-125k with a check engine light on due to misfires caused by tight exhaust valves. I also saw several V6's shoot out #2 spark plug, usually taking the cyl head threads with it. The lowest mileage I ever saw that was 118k. I started checking the #2 plug, if I was in the area, on anything over about 90k. I found a bunch that were starting to get loose, including mine.
Technically no. But there is a sensor reading I always used to kind of gauge how close one was getting to needing a valve adjustment. The MAP sensor. At warm idle on Honda engines, we were looking for a reading of over 1 volt. Brand new super fresh engine would be something like 1.15v. Anything below 1 was probably time to take action. If it got to 0.90v or lower, that’s typically when the check engine light starting coming on.
Not to mention a drop in fuel economy. I lost count of how many times I adjusted valves for someone and the next time I saw the. They said they all of a sudden got 1-3mpg better.
I'm highly curious if anyone that owns a vehicle manufactured in the last 30 years actually need a valve adjustment. Unless the hydraulic lifter system or a related component failed, I just don't see anyone keeping one around that long that it reaches a point where an adjustment is truly needed.
I assumed he was referring to four wheel vehicles.
I used to see a lot of flat-rate techs with "extra" unused valve cover gaskets in their toolbox's. That rear valve cover is difficult to access, much easier to replace the spark plugs and just hose down the valve cover with brakeclean. I witnessed the shift to flat-rate take over and absolutely destroy the industry. First it was just the dealerships... now most independent shops have adopted the dealership business model as well.
I always wondered why Honda was one of the last holdouts to go chain. You can do so much more with chains. Namely variable valve timing by the use of a hydraulic cam phaser in the sprocket. But that invited a new problem for Honda the dreaded VTC rattle that happens on more than a few K motors.
You knew I wasn't talking about motorcycles.
Which engines, though? So many people touting the "legendary reliability" of your typical Honda car yet I doubt sincerely even a few of those cars have ever had their valves adjusted. We just don't have to do shit like that anymore. I've never once had a single truck in the fleet require that and some have over 400,000 miles on them.
I was...and he knew that.
They do it when it fails a smog test because the check engine light is on w/ misfire codes.
Pretty much all of them I’d say. There might have been something on the Honda side (maybe 1st gen Insight or some other small engine) that had hydraulic valves, but every Acura had adjustable. Including the new NSX…which is interesting since it’s an absolute disaster (40+ hour engine out) to get the valve covers off on that one, and it’s not even a Honda engine. Cosworth made that one for them.
Does it though? My BMWs always say to "check and adjust" the valves on the service intervals, but very rarely do they need to be adjusted.
If you check a valve and find it out of spec, you'd adjust it, wouldn't you? Similarly, if you check the valve and find it in spec, you'd probably leave it alone, unless you have detailed enough records to see that it has moved since the last check and is heading in the direction of going out of spec.
From my experience, and god damn is is a lot of experience here, the modern Honda V6 typically does not get bad enough to throw the CEL until somewhere between 80-150k miles. But you could check them and find them out of spec as early as 40k miles. I would tell people if it’s been 60k, then it’s worth their while to do it since after adjusting back into spec, they will maybe feel a smoother more powerful engine, but will certainly see a pickup in fuel mileage. On a SUV that doesn’t even average 20, the promise of picking back up 1-3mpg usually closed the sale.
What do you guys charge to run the valves?
I want to say $500 plus gaskets.
