The valve lash must be performed while the engine is hot.
Quote from 2007 Honda Civic and 2010 Insight FSM: “Adjust the valves only when the cylinder head temperature is less than 100F (38C).”
So, what are the chances that Acura is going to have major issues removing my spark plugs at 105k miles? I would do it myself, but I don’t trust myself to do it correctly. Are any of you guys int he Wisconsin/Illinois area? I would love to find a great mechanic out this way…
Degraded plugs put more strain on other more expensive ignition parts.
They can also cause subtle (no engine light) misfires, damaging the catalytic converter.
Re: Difficulty with removing plugs at 105k
Maybe ask that question on an Acura specific forum. Or stop by an Acura dealership shop when they aren’t busy and see if you can get some info there. I don’t recall hearing many complaints about problems with removing Acura plugs here at the Car Talk forums.
There’s a Ford truck with an engine called a “Triton” I think that has had trouble with spark plug removal, a topic discussed here. You might want to search on that topic. I think one of the experts here mentioned a technique using a new tool that makes removing the plugs much easier. Whether this has any relevance with your car, don’t know. I expect your plugs won’t have the same level of removal difficulty, as the Triton problem had to do with how far that specific plug’s threads extended into the cylinder as I recall.
Presuming your plugs come out with no problem, suggest to not allow the next ones to stay in the engine quite so long. 30-40 K max would be my suggestion. I change the spark plugs every two years on my Corolla, about 25K.
The difference between doing it at 100k and 105k would be about 0, as far as difficulty in removal.
Just to add a little something in regards to the valve lash issue. This is from the European maintenance schedule which is not dreamed up by the marketing department…
Seven spaces down…
+/- 10% on maintenance is generally acceptable, just don’t make it + 10% all the time. It should average out to the schedule. Since this is a 4 cylinder, I would check the valve lash sometime in the near future, and get a new valve cover gasket set in the process.
Both should be done in the next few visits. There is risk of skipping the valve adjustment and will really eat your tight budget extremely fast with a head job. However my guess at worst risk is <30% something will actually happen. So risk is yours.