I can’t help but wonder if there was a “service writer wanna-be” on the other end of the phone who told @rmeredith this. This feels like a case of someone junior trying to make himself feel important.
I’m sure if the mechanics in that dealer were asked the same question, there would have been a more informative answer. Maybe something like:
o Sure, we can do it now.
o You can wait till you have your 100K service to get this done. That’s what we normally recommend.
o Or something as informative.
OK4430, my valve lash problems were caused by chronic overspeeding in top gear . VW considered 68 mph to pe the maximum cruising speed, I did 75 when possible.
If the problem was excessive lash then what may have been happening is that the cylinder head studs were pulling the threads in the engine cases. That’s a very common problem with the old air cooled VWs and in many cases the studs can pull completely free of the block.
In other cases stud threads were weakened or stripped by people who have owned the car in the pas and overtightened the cylinder head studs as it was difficult to think that 18 Ft. Lbs of torque was sufficient for a cylinder to head fit.
Speaking of valve adjustments, in an article in Hemmings Classic Car magazine, regarding an early '50s Hornet, the owner of one of these cars mentioned the necessity of adjusting the exhaust valves on that L-head engine every 6k miles! He stated that you knew it was time to adjust the exhaust valves when your car suddenly had problems climbing hills.
Hudson’s 5 liter six-cylinder engine was reputedly the world’s largest six at the time, it had a very strong amount of torque, and its chrome alloy engine block made the engine very durable, but I think that the need to adjust the valves every 6k miles seems to imply some design deficiencies with that engine.
A number of performance V-8s in the 50s on up also have mechanical lifters which require periodic adjustment. Even the 426 Hemi has them.
A story about valve lash. Some years ago on one of my motorcycle trips to Sturgis, SD with a couple of friends we came upon an amputee guy who is a member of a well known outlaw motorcycle club. He was broke down on the side of the road in NE CO in the middle of nowhere.
His ride was an early 40s Harley with a sidecar on it.
I was the first one to whip around and go back to see if he needed help. After telling him he could put the sawed off shotgun underneath the blanket away because we were there to help he stuck the gun back into the sidecar and filled us in on the problem.
He was from Lubbock, TX and the engine had been rebuilt not long before his trip. It started running rough and eventually quit.
Since I owned a similar Harley I looked it over and discovered that both exhaust valves had tightened up. On a flathead this is bad news due to the extreme exhaust heat and air cooled engine. I adjusted the valves but it did not help. Still no compression with both valves being roasted.
I hated to leave a brother biker on the side of the road but there was no alternative. Thankfully he wasn’t worried about it and said he had some buddies that would be along in an hour so we didn’t feel quite as bad about moving on.
This problem was caused by stem stretch of new valves. If a lash adjustment had been done 500-1000 miles after the rebuild he would have been good for the entire trip.
All Chrysler Corp engines 64 and earlier were solid lifter engines with the exception of the “B” and"RB" big block wedge engines introduced in 1958.
The worst ones to adjust the valves on were the flathead inline engines that persited until 1959 on Plymouth . You needed three hands and you were going to burn the inside of the wrist on all three:)
This may be a simple case of asking for the wrong thing. A Honda engine at 90K is still a Baby… Know how many times I looked to do a valve adjustment on my H22 Honda Prelude engine ? ZERO… How many miles? only 264K No valve noise, no valve lash issues…zero valve train worry. Now back in the day…BEFORE Shim over bucket…which is what you have here. Valve adjustments were routine…and important.
My advice? Just change the oil on time and you will never once see a valve “Adjustment” as long as you own this vehicle.
Everything else is valid…timing belt, water pump, idler bearings etc. But this should NOT have a T belt actually… Hmmm. Timing chains have been known to fool people into thinking they were hearing valve lash…but it is never the lash…its the hydraulic T chain tensioner.
If it were me Id leave her ALONE…get valve worries out of your mind…because the Honda dealer does not intent to rip into a Shim over bucket system if there are no outward signs of a valve lash issue…my money is on that there is zero valve issue going on. Valve lash adjust on a shim over bucket system is a MASSIVE PIA…and simply does not occur…often or ever. Ive run these systems well into the 300K mile range and have NEVER touched my valve lash…ever.
Honda valve trains are as rock solid as they can possibly be…leave them alone unless you hear or experience issues…chances are you will not…ever and I mean EVER. Notwithstanding total engine Oil negligence however…if you starve that engine for oil or dont change it…like…ever…ok…then we can talk about valve lash. If you think you hear valve lash…look at the hydro t chain tensioner FIRST.
But what do I know? My life looks like a Honda Commercial…I have had Honda power all around me for DECADES… Not one valve adjustment…oh wait…I did adjust the valve lash on my old 1978 Honda XL185 …once when I heard an issue. But on an 09’ ? That engine sounds like a sewing machine…I bet a large chunk of cash on the fact that your valves and lash are absolutely perfect.
This dealer is “Guilding the Lily” as it were… Yes they will do your T Belt and all other associated stuff…but the “Valve adjustment” will be a wink and a giggle between the techs in the garage…yeah sure I just finished the valve adjustment…which involved listening to your engine as it drove in…no noise…no problems.
I think some confusion or not listening on their end was going on. The V6 Honda requires many of the items(timing belt) you suggest but not a CRV.
I’d say the chances you need a valve lash adjustment are low but being that you want to do it early just have it done to feel better. I think the spark plugs get replaced too around this time.
The picture above? That looks like an OLD B20 series Honda from 85-91 ish ? Might be a CRV of lesser model year? Even that is rather doubtful…Methinks the pic above is simply incorrect or incorrectly labelled.
Anyway the Mighty Honda K24 in an 09’ CRV is an iVTEC variant with a SINGLE cam sprocket driven by chain. See below. I misquoted when stating Shim over bucket…Apologies, I’m getting my heads mixed up…so many…so little time.
It looks like Honda DID provide an adjustment for the roller rockers in the K series…But unless you hear valve clatter… I urge you not to mess with it…it takes a proper ear to discern valve clatter between cam chain slack or tensioner issues…and my money will be on the chain slack every time in Honda land especially if oil changes were on a regular basis. The valve trains tend to be very very robust.
Yes I was worried over the shim over bucket conundrum… And let me tell you…you do not want to get into it. A dizzying array of shims each thousands of an inch different from each other… A Micrometer…feeler gauges…and TIME…Lots of that last one.
I was incorrect stating Honda used it in this application… My Bad… Perhaps Im starting to get old ? Or have seen too many things ?
These days I walk around convinced I’ve forgotten more than I think I know at the moment.
Funny how being a mechanic transends the vehicles and jobs and seeps into life in a myriad of ways. Sort of like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance… LOL
The shim and bucket method is more complex and costly than the screw and locknut method.
There was a stink many years ago in Florida when some law enforcement agencies started converting to Kawasakis from Harleys.
The justification for the change was that the Kawasakis were cheaper than the Harleys. True enough.
However, when maintenance costs were added in the Kawasakis were more expensive to buy and maintain than the Harleys due to the very difficult and expensive valve lash procedure which uses shim and buckets.
Throw in 5-600 bucks labor every 15k miles for a lash inspection along with 15 dollars per on the shims and the debit side of the ledger is really groaning.
Harley has had it right for generations; hydraulic lifters. Interestingly enough, Harley’s first generation of pushrods has the lifters incorporated into the pushrod itself.
At the SAAB and VW dealers where I worked they always carried a large selection of shims. They were large flat cases with numerous compartments and had most if not all sizes available.
None of the dealers even charged the customers for the shims. They were simply swapped out as needed for the correct size as part of the service and the removed shims went into the kitty assuming they were not damaged. I’ve never seen a damaged shim except on a wiped engine due to lack of oil.
God; the last thing I’d ever want to deal with would be a parts department with no shims and a car down. I have a rather dim view of parts department personnel.
I full agree with you there. At the last dealer where I worked several mechanics warned me on the first day I went to work there that the parts dept. was useless with only one guy there being worth a damn.
Getting a simple air filter usually meant 15 minutes; and when you’re on flat rate that kind of thing leads to homicidal thoughts very quickly.
Seven parts people behind the counter no less at a large mutli-line dealer. The parts manager spent all of his time in his office watching The Price Is Right and soap operas on TV.
I’ve related this before a long time ago but they did not even stock motor oil. They would order it from the NAPA store a mile away and pay a 2 dollar delivery charge on each trip. This was a large dealer and you would think they would at least order motor oil by multiple cases as many oil changes were done every day.
Nope; 4 to 6 quarts per trip based on car type. NAPA was running the wheels off their truck going back and forth. Thirty oil changes in a day = 30 trips by the NAPA guy.
The NAPA driver thought the parts dept. people were goofy although all of us mechanics considered them far worse in language too crude for this forum.
